We should improve the way we deal with annoying illegal medicine and hospital-related ads, says an article in the Beijing News. The following is an excerpt:
Top Chinese TV and radio regulators have recently stepped up their supervision of annoying illegal medicine and hospital-related TV and radio ads, banning celebrities from hosting TV programs on medicine and health.
It's common for us to see celebrities endorsing various medicines and hospitals. As statistics show, illegal ads of this type account for 30 percent of the total number of ads broadcast by TV and radio stations. In past years, regulators have already launched repeated attacks on them, but soon after the crack-down, illegal ads always resurface.
We should probably change our way of dealing with them. If we can involve the general audience in our supervision and give them money if they report illegal ads to regulators, it will be much more successful than simply issuing a directive. Of course, regulators should respond openly and fairly if and when an illegal ad is reported.
(China Daily February 20, 2009)