(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-01-07 07:06

Good to know the recommended national standards for steamed buns made of wheat flour include no mandatory rule on shape.

Otherwise, we would have trouble figuring out how to address some of the steamed buns we call man tou, a main staple in most parts of China. A widely quoted report had it that one of the preconditions the national standards authorities had set for wheat-flour products to qualify for the name man tou is that they have to be round or oval.

As far as we know, people are pretty casual about the shape of man tou. As steamed bread based on grain flour, man tou can be in any conceivable shape - round, square, rectangular, oval - you name it. In some places, and on special occasions, they are made in the shape of animals, auspicious patterns, or even stuffed.

The report was so against logic that it ignited heated discussion on the Internet, with netizens questioning why the authorities were gone to such ridiculous length to regulate the shape of steamed buns. The shape of such buns has little impact on their quality or taste. Why should they bother?

Thanks to the State Grain Administration and Standardization Administration, their prompt clarifications were a great relief to all of us.

The former denied the report, calling it "sheer fabrication", and the latter released the original official document on the standards for wheat-flour man tou, which does not mention shape.

But looking back on the whole farce, rumor was spread and deceived many of us because truth was not apparent at the outset. The episode offers something for the authorities to chew on - if the public was properly informed about the new rules regarding one of our most popular traditional foods, such a situation may not have occurred at all.

That said, we are sad to learn our innocent public has fallen victim again to bogus reporting. We feel profound sorrow and shame. It reminds us of the increasingly serious harm sensationalism is inflicting upon the credibility of our profession.

Some reporters' thirst for scoops or sensationalism, if not properly checked, could prove a major threat to the media's coveted image of trustworthy messengers.

This is a new subject for all news editors. As sources of information multiply, they have a heavier burden to verify.

(China Daily 01/07/2008 page4)