On Monday, a reporter with Shenzhen Business Daily was physically attacked by Liu Weihong, president of a Shenzhen firm and a standing member of the Guangdong committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference, for reporting the illegal sale of shops by Liu's company.

Journalists are often attacked in Guangdong. Since the start of this year, there have been four cases in which journalists were violently treated while carrying out interviews.

Journalists' right to interview and report is an extension of the civil rights guaranteed by the Chinese Constitution. The public can realize their rights to know, to criticize and to supervise through news reports.

The media serves a vital role in guaranteeing a healthy society, and that position must be protected. Everybody, including reporters, should be safe from the threat of assault in carrying out their work.

Guangdong is in the front rank of economic and social development. But it is a shame that journalists' right to report there is repeatedly violated, whatever the reasons.

After the attack was exposed, Liu apologized to the reporter. The outcome will finally depend on the reporter's statements and the injury assessment report.

One reason for the frequency of such attacks is that they are rarely severely punished. Usually, the injured journalists can only get medical costs and token compensation, and the attackers rarely bear criminal responsibility. They face small financial penalties, not jail time.

Society and the law must work together to protect journalists. After these attacks, people are beginning to pay more attention to journalists' rights.

 In this process, we hope journalists themselves can firmly use the law to protect their rights. Justice, once achieved, will belong not to one journalist or paper, but to every citizen.

Southern Metropolis Daily