OFFICIALS IN HUXIAN COUNTY OF XI'AN, Shaanxi province, reportedly hired locals to stalk visiting journalists, whose real-time whereabouts, possible destinations and even their license plates were instantly reported to the local "work groups" using the instant-messaging app WeChat. Beijing News commented on Thursday:

Using online group chats to share "intelligence" about the journalists, who apparently had good reason to be present in the county, seems to have missed the point of efficient governance.

With the intelligence-sharing group chats dismissed and the hired snoops put under investigation, questions should be asked about the boundaries of public power. Spying on journalists is clearly not a part of a government's responsibilities.

Civil servants are obliged to provide quality public goods and services to citizens, while journalists also have the right to solicit public opinions on social governance and supervise local governments. In truth, they share the commitment to serve the people. Hence, government officials have no reason to see journalists as "troublemakers".

The Huxian officials deserve some credit for enlisting the help of WeChat to improve communication and work efficiency. But the idea of keeping the journalists under surveillance was not a good one as it was always likely to backfire and constituted a waste of resources.

The officials involved in organizing the watchful eyes have come under fire after their tricks were exposed online, putting into question their intentions and governing competence.

That aside, there is much room for improvement when it comes to e-governance. What the local governments should be doing is optimizing the interaction between citizens and officials and fixing the "zombie government-run websites" that have not updated their content for years, not using social media to avert public supervision.