Police officers work at the scene where 39 bodies were found in a shipping container at Waterglade Industrial Park in Essex, Britain, on October 23, 2019. (Photo: Xinhua)

The death of 39 alleged illegal immigrants, who were found dead in a lorry in Essex last week, has captured the world's attention. Though most western media outlets have made considerable effort to cover the facts about this humanitarian disaster, one shifted its focus to the victims' nationality, brewing hostility against the victims' possible home countries.

On October 25, CNN published an article titled "Why would people from China, the world's second-biggest economy, risk their lives to enter the UK?" Though so far, the British police have yet to confirm the identity of the victims, and are even less clear about how and why these people were transported to the UK, CNN took the original police report that the victims "were presumed to be Chinese nationals" and rushed to target China, despite the fact that ID of the victims are pending and UK police warning the investigation process could be lengthy.

On Oct. 25, Hua immediately slammed the CNN reporter's question as "indeed inappropriate" at the press briefing of the Chinese Foreign Ministry. (Photo: Chinese Foreign Ministry)

On the same day, a CNN reporter raised a similar question at the Chinese Foreign Ministry's press briefing, asking spokesperson Hua Chunying what "motivated people from China to want to leave China in such a risky way" despite China's development over the past seven decades. Hua immediately slammed the question as "indeed inappropriate."

"It exposes something in your mind or rather, in the mind of some American media that you presented. What kind of answer did you hope to get from that?" Hua asked, who later noted that no matter where these victims came from, it is "indeed a great tragedy."

Echoing Hua, Steven Dong, professor and dean of the School of Government from the Communication University of China, said that authenticity and showing respect for human life are basic principles of media, regardless of ideology, culture, nationality and religion. "I'm wondering whether CNN has evolved into a mediocre media outlet that goes against the universal values of human beings," noted Dong.

According to Dong, CNN has published biased reports to promote its political ideology and capture the eye of its readers without solid facts.

The CNN article also summarized up motivation of the migrants' leaving China, including social inequality and what the writer called "desperate circumstances."

Li Siguang, a professor from the Communication University of China, told People's Daily Online that CNN's article has not only violated the ethics of news reporting, but has also shown its intention to tarnish China's image without acquiring solid facts and final results from British police.

"CNN has used one incident to attack China's regime, denying the nation's development achievement over the past seven decades, to raise doubts about China's achievements among the international communities," he added.

Li also noted that such a report also aims to stir up discontent with the government among Chinese people.

"Some western media, including CNN, have used such biased and groundless reports to misguide the public. They fabricate so-called facts and then instigate color revolutions in other nations, causing social instability," said Li.