The article titled Local media rapped over murder trials' sex slant could not have put the issue any better or more accurately. In fact, there is so much double-standards and hypocrisy by all parties when dealing with this issue.

Like they say in the trade, 'Sex sells' and that is what the papers are doing. The courtrooms for both the Canny Ong and Noritta Samsudin murder trials are packed but I wonder if people are more interested in seeing justice being done or are just filling their insatiable taste for the sex-laced stories.

There is no need to read such graphic details on the front page of mainstream newspapers. It is disgusting. There is no need for detailed facts and procedures to be written in such clarity. A third party way of reporting should be fine.

The stuff I find really offensive about this type of reporting (especially in Noritta's case) is making it to look like she was leading a shady life and therefore got what was coming to her. That is not right and should not be condoned.

Millions of other Malaysians indulge in these pursuits and frequenting spas and karaoke joints. Why just pick on Noritta? Think about her family, haven't they suffered enough?

But we have seen this all before, haven't we? Sex-tinted stories sell and sell well. Perhaps we should not blame the media but focus our attention on the people - the media is only providing what the readers want.

Recently, the David Beckham saga got extensive coverage, also for the same reasons. It is not often that one agrees with the Deputy Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin but I am totally in agreement with him.

I am not sure why Malaysian newspapers have been devoting so much time and space to these matters rather than covering many other burning issues such as corruption, the unsolved murder of the BN state assemblyman for Lunas and the missing Perwaja millions.

I suspect that is why human rights advocates in Malaysia have a hard time highlighting their issues as our society is too preoccupied with sex-angled stories and fee increases for satellite television. There are much more urgent issues that need our attention.

At the end of the day, media is just giving the public what they want.