Top-selling Chinese-language magazine Feminine has earned the wrath of a writers' grouping for publishing excerpts from the diary of a teenager who has allegedly run away from home.

While editor-in-chief Lim Hooi Hia claimed that no harm was intended, the Writers Alliance for Media Independence (Wami) condemned the decision as invasion of privacy.

On Nov 1, the magazine had reproduced copies of handwritten pages from the diary of a 14-year-old girl, who is said to have left her home over a personal relationship.

Wami, comprising about 100 members who are mainly columnists, journalists and media researchers, said it was unacceptable for the magazine to argue that it made a decision to publish the details as a "lesson to parents".

"Even if the intention was to teach parents the importance of communicating with children, was it necessary to expose (the teenager's) private thoughts?" it asked in a statement.

"She is not a celebrity, she is just a secondary school student...why should the magazine expose (details of) her personal relationship when no public interest is involved?"

Diary acquired 'legally'

In response, Lim said the editorial decision was prompted by a need to expose "a serious social problem" and that it was not meant to hurt anyone involved.

"Our intention was to help a missing girl to return home. We hope it will be a lesson for society, especially parents, to be aware of dangers that their children face," she said when contacted.

She conceded that "morally, the report might be too much", but also said that "any news agency would have published this if they had the information".

"Maybe what we did not think through was how the girl would be affected if she comes back at some point and realises that the contents of her diary have been published," Lim said.

She brushed aside any suggestion that the diary was obtained through unethical means.

"The diary was given to us by her family members, it would be impossible for us to get it otherwise," she claimed.

Bad example

New Era College media lecturer Por Heong Hong, also a Wami exco member, said that unless the magazine apologises openly, it would set a "wrong example" for other media products.

"If you admit that it is professionally wrong to publish the contents of the diary, then you have to apologise, because you know that the media has powerful influence," she said.

Por said civil society has responsibility to keep track of what the media does, while the media should not go against its ethics and professional standards.