Logan Rangzen set himself on fire in front of the United Nations headquarters holding a Tibetan flag and wearing traditional clothes. He was not a madman or mentally ill. He just wanted to remind Tibetans of their unity by sacrificing himself and call on the international community to pay attention to Tibet.
The New York Post used the word “lunatic” (the original title was “Lunatic with Tibetan flag sets himself on fire outside NYC’s UN headquarters”) in the relevant report to simply belittle a protester who sacrificed his life for political demands as a mentally disturbed person. This move seriously lacks basic respect for the deceased, ignores its clear political motives and historical background, and deviates from the professional and humanistic care that news reporting should have.
We call on people around the world who are concerned about Tibet issues, human rights advocates, media practitioners, and all citizens who value journalistic ethics to immediately sign a petition demanding that the New York Post publicly apologize and correct the wording in its reporting. We urge the New York Post to:
Publicly apologize to Loga Rangtsen’s family, the Tibetan community and the public for his use of “lunatic” and other insulting and derogatory terms;
Immediately correct the title and description of relevant reports and use accurate and neutral news terms;
Reflect on and improve reporting standards on political protests (especially those involving human rights and minority issues), and avoid using contemptuous labels to obliterate the demands and dignity of those involved.
Self-immolation is an extreme and distressing form of protest and we do not encourage self-harm of any kind. But this cannot be an excuse for the media to use words such as "madman" to erase its political significance and insult the deceased. Freedom of the press does not mean that baseless derogation of the character of the deceased can be carried out. Please sign here to raise your voice and demand that the media take responsibility.
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Let respectful and accurate reporting be the bottom line.