The Red Cross Society of China (RCSC) promised more transparency on Thursday with detailed measures to improve its credibility and regain the public's trust, which were endangered following last year's online scandal.
The RCSC made the vow after the State Council issued guidelines to encourage the RCSC to boost its transparency.
"It takes great courage to disclose information to the public," Zhao Baige, executive vice president of the RCSC, told a press conference, admitting a lack of communication with the public and loopholes in its governance mechanisms.
The press conference received a mixed response among Web Users on Sina Weibo. Some believe the promises were convincing but most continued to express anger and suggested the organization remained rife with corruption.
The RCSC came under fire in 2011 during the infamous "Guo Meimei" affair. The young woman boasted on her microblog that she lived a lavish lifestyle and she worked for an organization under the RCSC. Her posting drew widespread complaints about the organization, even after it showed it had no connection to Guo.
The incident, which many felt was poorly handled by the RCSC, triggered calls for greater scrutiny over charitable organizations. Donations to the RCSC dropped dramatically.
Zhao admitted that the scandal had damaged the organization's reputation, and vowed widespread reforms.
Zhao said a new computerized information system will be established to boost the organization's transparency. It will include public information on the distribution of donations, the RCSC's human resources and detailed financial information.
