Media, please respect sex workers!
‘In the beginning of 2007, the “Seasons in Life” series of Phoenix TV has created a number of “First time”s in the history of the Mainland television broadcast: this is the first time sex worker faces the camera in flesh and blood and tells her story in front of all the Chinese audience in the world; and also it is the first time that Chinese people throughout the world can listen directly about the story of a girl who lives in the lowest level of the society in this concrete jungle.’
The above is the comment I read on this series of programmes. I have no idea whether this comment is a description by the programme itself or done by some other people, nevertheless, the comment was there. I cannot deny that the programme producer may view this kind of programme can lead to a win-win situation: not only allowing audience to learn about the tragic life of sex-workers but also increasing the audience rating. I just wonder why it is necessary to show the faces of the girls during the recording. Is it for the a heavier impact of reality or just making our eyes sore?
I have watched the programme《An appointment with Lu-Yu》mentioning about the sex workers in Australia. That time, the one who held the camera for Lu-Yu Chen was Jing Chen. As one of the most popular artist of Phoenix TV, Lu-Yu Chen suddenly asked Jing Chen: ”Will we get some kind of diseases when we go there?” She suggested visiting place like this, they should wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants. I was speechless when I saw this. Is it the so-called professional practice of “media workers”? Is that representing the demeanor of a top grade artist?
As a reporter and an interviewer, Jing Chen corresponded naturally that she immediately washed the jacket that she had given to a sex-worker to wear. Is it the respect she paid towards the interviewees? Up to now, everybody has a clear image: whether the host or the reporter, they both look down upon sex-workers deep in their hearts. The media wants to broadcast this programme to let the audience know more about the real life of sex-workers in hope of the general public will have more understanding and tolerance towards them. However, even if the programme producer despises sex-workers, how can he/she guide the audience?
The above are several episodes of my thinking about the issue.
In this information era, media is the tool for us to know the world outside and obtain information. Media has strong influence and permeation in different areas. Media workers can influence the perspective-building of the general public about sex workers and spread the powerful message to alleviate the stigma and discrimination of the general public towards sex workers as well.
Nowadays, there are more media cast their light in the sex-worker area, this is a comforting phenomenon. It is because there is somebody willing to open up a window for them and when this window is opened, we can see through it and get a more realistic picture inside it. However, for those who open it need to follow a certain ethical practice, or else, the window is widely opened while we all throw the rubbish through it and this will become a disaster.
In reporting about sex-work, media should firstly respect the fact and truth. Truth in this society always appears in a complex form with multiple layers, especially in the area of sex work: sex work vs gynecological diseases, STD, AIDS, drug addict, etc. These kinds of related problems need expertise and this requires media workers to have a certain professional knowledge and background. Until then, the report can depict the fact more realistically without prejudice in different aspects. Some media workers think that they cannot have close contact with sex-workers as they may be infected with diseases. Firstly, sex workers have higher chance to catch STD than others but that does not mean that they are ALL infected. Secondly, sex workers do not have disease when they are born, they are also infected by others and they are victims themselves; most importantly, the chance of the STD to be transmitted by air and routine personal contacts is very low and for AIDS, it is almost impossible. It is a knowledge everybody knows nowadays and if media workers commit this kind of mistake, I feel sorry for their ignorance!
On the other hand, media workers should maintain objective in their stance. When they stand objectively, they can pay more respect to the truth and present the reality in front of the general public.
Secondly, media reporting should base on people. And this requires the media to begin with love and report with the value and basis that people are the most important. To base on people means that one resects another equally, i.e., to love life. Sex workers are part of our society. In reporting, we should treat them equally like us with a caring attitude. When the programme《Step inside the red light district——An investigation of underground sex-workers》was broadcast, many people were angered. The original intent is to reveal the side unknown to the audience and arouse the care and understanding to sex workers. However, in the programme, not to mention about care, the host and the reporter clearly show the attitude that they despise sex-workers and do not put them in a equal position.
The most important aspect to base on people is to respect the right-to-know and the right-to-decide of everybody involved in the programme. If the media wants to report on something related to the privacy regime of an individual, it needs the consent of that individual and that consent is on the premise that she does it voluntarily and that she knows how the picture or information being used in the report.
Take for example, 《Marginalised Life——A pictorial presentation through the eye of a camera man》《Girls》, the author presented a lot of photos of sex-worker Ah V and her boy friend in his book. Although the author said that those sex-work is voluntary and he had the girls signed an agreement. However, the author should consider further the consequence of publicizing the product. It is not fame but the possibility to bring harm to those girls.
Now, the public knows about Ah V and said that she was so naive and need one’s pity! I think Ah V now is more pitiable than before. The same pitiable one is Ah Yu who was exposed by Phoenix TV. I have seen web-surfers said, “That Ah Yu in 《Seasons in life》is definitely coming from a certain place of Chongqing.” The programme lasted for an hour and that naked face was before the audience of the whole nation, I would anticipate that when she is in the street, there is somebody said, “Look, she is Ah Yu the prostitute!”
I can see that before the programme, those girls have no idea what will be the consequence. However, as media workers, they should have already considered that. If the whole intention is to let the public know about this group of people, they can hide her face in the programme and let them continue to live a quiet life.
Thirdly, media-workers should have the responsibility of social justice. Their duties involve monitoring the society and reflecting the mechanism of the society. There are different influences for the media in reporting how sex-workers affect the society. Media workers should have anticipated all those effects and be responsible for them.
In the programme, Lu-Yu Chen asked Jing Chen whether they would get some kind of diseases when they went there and that, visiting place like this, they should wear long-sleeve shirts and long pants and that, Jing Chen said that she immediately washed the jacket she had given to a sex worker to wear. All these implied that sex-workers were not clean, and should we all keep a distance from them? If this is the message, how can one approach them when he/she watches the programme and where are all those care and love come from? The media exposed the experience of sex-workers in front of audience with the intention to let the public know and understand more about them and thus giving sex workers more room to survive. The media should lead the public and educate them. If the media workers lack the professional responsibility and put in their own perspective and view, media will lose its intended role and turned itself into a tool that mislead the public.
No matter what is the intention initially, the media has created a window for sex-workers. Through this window, we can see a totally different area under the same blue sky, maybe through this window, the public can have more understanding and tolerance towards sex workers. However, we pledge the media to obey ethic practice when reporting about sex workers and stay objective with a lovingly heart! 
