Wang Xiaolu, a reporter for China's leading financial magazine Caijing, was detained recently for allegedly fabricating and spreading fake market information. On Sunday morning, Wang appeared on the State China Central Television (CCTV) and confessed that his story was written based on information acquired from inadequate channels and his own judgments. In his on-air confession, he said he is "regretful of" the market chaos he triggered, and asked judicial authorities for leniency.

Wang's detention soon drew international attention. Some Western human rights groups said Wang is only a "scapegoat" and should be released without preconditions. So far, the case is still under investigation. There are quite a few controversies that need to be clarified.

First, the reasons for the recent dramatic fluctuations to the Chinese stock market are complicated. The actual effect from Wang's reporting should have been limited. Scapegoating a journalist is only one kind of speculation. But it is possible that the authorities want to set up an example to warn others to stop spreading false information.

Second, Wang's story, which claims that China's securities regulator was pondering withdrawing stabilizing funds, touches on sensitive issues. This kind of story, if not confirmed by the authorities, will probably result in serious consequences.

This is a great misconduct for the journalist and the magazine he works for. But the severity of such misconduct should be left to the judicial organs to decide. There may be extra information which hasn't been released.

Third, Wang's confession on CCTV does not mean he can be given a verdict by the audience. The court will be in charge of that.

Fourth, public opinion does not feel comfortable with such on-air confessions.

The authorities have been more open than before, and try to inform the public of the process of some controversial cases. However, their efforts to improve "transparency" seem to have met new challenges.

Fifth, the authorities should consider more about the release of information. Some key principles and procedures must be recognized and endorsed by both the people and the authorities.

The rule of law is core principle of governance. We should try our best to avoid politicizing legal cases, and refrain from doubting justice.

If we get used to observing legal cases from a political perspective, there will be no way that we can make progress in promoting the rule of law.

In the meantime, we should remind ourselves that many foreign interventions in China's legal affairs are conducted with ulterior motives. We cannot have the fantasy that their invention will eventually promote China's rule of law.