A recent common traffic accident in Beijing has attracted national attention. A foreign man driving an motorcycle without a license was reported to have injured a middle-aged woman. However, the accident became a hot topic online after earlier posts claimed the woman intentionally threw herself in front of the motorbike to get compensation. Therefore, the woman was demonized, says an article in Beijing Youth Daily. Excerpts:

It is reported that the man gave the woman 1,800 yuan ($295) in compensation. The man did not have a driver's license for the motorbike, and police said they will punish him for his violation of traffic rules. But why such a common civil dispute has become a public issue and led to rumors is worth considering.

First of all, the earlier posts online gave the public the wrong information about the accident. If people rashly publish rumors without carefully getting the whole story, it can easily spread misinformation and mislead public opinion. In this digital age, everyone can become a media source through the Internet, but one should respect the facts as professional journalists do. Otherwise, it will cause more trouble.

Moreover, in this case, the general public sped up the rumor spreading and became biased moral judges. The middle-aged woman, who suffered minor injuries and was sent to a nearby hospital, was mistaken as an evil liar in the case, while the foreign man who drove the motorbike without a license plate was claimed to be innocent. The public should rethink their actions and views for easily believing the fake story and simply blaming innocent people.

Finally, although there are cases reported of old people doing bad things, or good people being misunderstood, these are not a mainstream phenomenon in our society. The public should pay attention to the positive and civilized side, and establish mutual trust with each other. Only by eliminating less malicious acts and blaming, can our society can make more progress in the future.