Microblogs, WeChat new tools for disaster reporting  

Beijing(CNS) -- Microblogs and WeChat are transforming traditional news reporting by making disaster rescue and relief efforts more efficient, transparent and powerful, Huang Yuanpu, a media analyst, said on Sunday.

In areas where reporters cannot reach, people can use WeChat, a popular text and voice messaging service, to reassure others that they are safe and sound, he added.

Less than one minute after the quake, messages from the region were sent through microblogs, followed by disaster reports, searches for missing people, forwarded calls for help, and appeals for donations.

Huang pointed out that traditional media are also turning to microblogs for more timely information. However, microblogs are easily subject to fragmented or incomplete information and may even become tools for spreading rumors, he said.

"Compared to the Wenchuan earthquake five years ago, when traditional media played a key role in disaster reporting, WeChat and microblogs are playing an important role in the rescue and relief work in Ya'an," said Zhong Xin, a professor at the School of Journalism and Communication of Renmin University.

"New media serve as a platform for comprehensive information through multiple channels in a more timely and transparent manner," Ma Jun, managing director of China Venture, said, adding that the calming effect of social media in this crisis is absolutely unquestionable.

Zhong said that compared with traditional media, which hold abundant resources, we-media is still lacking in authority. To address this problem, self-regulation and supervision should be strengthened over the content of microblogs, he said.

Special report:

7.0-magnitude earthquake jolts Ya'an, Sichuan