A deadly bullet train crash happened on July 23 by the eastern city of Wenzhou received little national media coverage in China. Dissatisfied with the limited information concerning casualty and cause of the tragedy provided by Chinese government and major state-run media outlets, netizens made a successful and comprehensive social media coverage of the accident.
News of the crash broke on Sina Weibo, the Chinese version of twitter. A high-speed rail train stopped on the track due to a power outrage was rear-ended by a second train, causing six cars of the first train derail and four of the second fell down from an overpass. Users of Sina Weibo and other social media platforms quickly spread the news and publicized reports and pictures of trapped passengers before the Railway Ministry host the first press conference.
When the Chinese government decided to bury one of the six derailed on site, raged netizens switched their coverage on crash to an informal investigation on the efficiency of Railway Ministry as well as of the trains themselves. The government attempted cover-up brought down its credibility to the public. Weibo users even teamed up to find out the true casualty, with a result of questioning what the government claimed "missing" are all victims. Due to the public pressure, the government crew excavated the buried car and transported it to a depot for re-examination and executed a more serious handling of the tragedy concerning severe corruption, breach of duty and design flaws of railway signal equipment.
This accident is a solid proof of the positive power of social media, where everyone is a potential reporter, journalist, commenter, and the most qualified examiner of government. Social media can not only generates fame, profits, and connections but also help find out truth, bring with changes, wake up conscience, and reflect on values that are missing day by day.
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