The Hurricane Sandy, which made landfall Monday night in New Jersey, has swept over the east coast of the U.S., leaving streets flooded, homes abandoned and dozens dead.

The official China Central Television has been very active in reporting the disaster, triggering discontent and teasing on China’s blogosphere. Netizens can’t understand why CCTV pays much more attention to things happening overseas than here, and compare it to the “U.S. media with conscience.”

@安普若-安校长 , a user from Sina Weibo, China’s biggest microblogging site, used irony to express discontent on his account: “I think we shouldn’t criticize CCTV for its extensive coverage of the America’s Hurricane Sandy situation. So many children and relatives of government leaders, including the children of the various big and small leaders within CCTV itself, are all studying abroad or working in America, with New York and the East Coast further being where many leaders’ children are concentrated. With a hurricane this big, if CCTV doesn’t report it, would you have the leaders go watch English CNN? The leaders are also parents, with the long-suffering heart of parents, right? What CCTV is doing is a good thing.”

This explanation was soon spread widely on Weibo. Here are some comments from other users.

@不戒和尚的微博: When 70 people died in Beijing [during a recent rainstorm in July], we didn’t even see this much urgency!

@令尹子产: Out of humanitarian consideration, I won’t criticize CCTV this time. I just hope that in the future it will treat equally the children of the leaders and cadres and those of the ordinary people.

@广西交院外语系: Use the humanism of the revolution to care about [these] class enemies.

@华氏物语333: Indeed, CCTV’s flattery [of the higher-ups, government officials] is very well done!

Nevertheless, other news professionals have different opinions.

@项仙君 , chief reporter of the news center with Guangzhou-based Southern Daily, said on his Weibo account, “The introspection of domestic things cannot hinder media from reaching out to the world. In the face of the same kind of events, we can learn from others’ experiences and problems.”