To be honest, despite incessant news reports about potentially harmful products over the past month, I doubt whether many pose a real threat to my life. News that P&G's SK-II had been accused of including harmful ingredients left me quite indifferent because I've never been able to afford such expensive cosmetics. News that KFC's chicken wings contain "Sudan 1" (a chemical dye suspected of causing cancer) was surprising but not really worrying because I do not visit KFC very often. News that a child had choked on a jelly sweet and died aroused my sympathy, but still had nothing to do with my daily life.

However there was one piece of news that did throw me into a real panic. Right on the front page of my daily newspaper was a report saying that overseas researchers had found Colgate toothpaste contains ingredients that may cause cancer. That caused panic because I had just finished brushing my teeth with Colgate toothpaste. What was even worse, I have been using Colgate products for years.

My first reaction was to throw away the remaining Colgate toothpaste in my bathroom and rush to the nearest supermarket to buy a local brand of toothpaste.

Later I started wondering: Where have the quality control authorities gone? How come harmful products have been on sale for such a long time? Why does it seem that almost everything in the market is problematic now?

After all, the quality control authorities are supposed to be responsible for the safety and health of consumers, aren't they?

As a consumer, I felt rather insecure. Even though I can change my brand of toothpaste, who can be sure that other brands of toothpaste do not contain other kinds of harmful ingredients? I was at my wit's end as to what to buy and what not to buy.

The event took a surprising turn only two days later, so that both my change of toothpaste and my complaints appeared to be an overreaction. The front page of the same morning paper quoted the same researcher, this time saying that his study had no direct links with toothpaste.

So it was all just a false alarm and my only loss is half a tube of unused toothpaste.

Is that all? Definitely no.

In fact, this is still bad news for me, as this episode has struck a damaging blow against my trust in the media.

As an unquestionably powerful channel for disseminating information, the media have a huge impact on the public. Since the launch of the reform and opening up policy, the media in China have become more autonomous and more diverse. A multitude of previously untouched social and lifestyle subjects are now reported and discussed.

However, it seems that Chinese media have gone too far in recent years. Gossip about the affairs of pop stars and Olympic champions can be found in almost every newspaper. Ironically, most of those stories are then denied by the same media later on. It is my impression that the media tend to play havoc with all information before sufficient investigation and proof, and the tendency is spreading to more and more subjects.

Perhaps my disappointment derives from my high expectations of the media. Perhaps my disappointment is just a lack of tolerance. However, in my opinion, the main responsibility of the media is to tell the truth. There is no denying that the media should entertain the public, but they also shoulder the responsibility of informing them accurately. I don't think I am alone in believing that.