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#Professionalism #Solidarity
5 Heads of i-Cable News and Entire China News Team Resign En Masse Against Laying Off of Journalists

On Dec 1, 2020, i-Cable News laid off 40 employees with immediate effect, angering staff at the TV news station.

According to the source, the head of i-Cable China News Szeto Yuen was the first to protest by resigning, followed by the rest of the journalists on the team. In total, one journalist was fired, and the other ten on the team, including Szeto, quit in protest. Some members from other teams also resigned to protest against the company's decision.

A senior journalist told Stand News that they felt it was better to take action together and alert the public that i-Cable News had deteriorated, instead being slowly and quietly weakened. He added that it was not worth staying anymore, since the management has intervened in the reporting again and again.

After recent salary cuts, a few junior journalists were only earning around 13,000 HKD a month. Operations at i-Cable News has nearly ground to a halt on Dec 1, 2020.

An upper-mid-level manager said that the top management had not consulted any department heads about this round of firing. The video editors and graphic designers who were fired were widely praised for their abilities by their colleagues. Many of the fired staff played important roles in middle and senior management.

i-Cable China News had investigated corrupt practices in China many times, and followed up the situation of activists; the team was long regarded to be in high reputation.

They were among the few public broadcasters in Hong Kong with a dedicated team for China news; its 11 members, including the team leader, are responsible for the daily China news reporting and the night-time “China Report”. They also have journalists regularly stationed in Beijing and Guangzhou.

Their most visible reporting in recent years were the 2012 interview of pro-democracy activist Li Wangyang, who served the longest sentence among those from the 1989 Tiananmen protests.

After broadcasting the interview, Li died in Daxiang Hospital, where he was found dead and leaning against the window, with a rope wrapped around his neck, though his legs were touching the ground. The Chinese authorities initially reported that he committed suicide, but they later changed the conclusion to “accidental death”. This incident caused strong repercussions in Hong Kong, with over ten thousand Hongkongers marching in protest, believing that Li "had been suicided".

In 2017, journalist Lam Kin-Shing covered the memorial at sea for Liu Xiaobo by a group of dissenters, the event was broadcast on Facebook live. Afterwards, Liu’s friends were arrested by China police, and the driver hired by i-Cable China News was detained for three days. Lam was transferred back to Hong Kong and barred from reporting in China again; he resigned soon after.

At the early stage of the Wuhan Pneumonia outbreak last year, China News team sent journalists to Wuhan for investigation. They were among the very few Hong Kong media who sent journalists to Wuhan for on-site reporting.

Moreover, the iCable China News team's reporting had won many awards, including Human Right Press Award and awards in the School of Journalism and Communication in CUHK. Their award-winning programs included “Damage of Nuclear weapons tests”, “The land acquisitions incident of Wukan village”, “ Li Wangyang”, “Even China police are protesting”, “Decoding the future of 30 years later”, “Tiananmen massacre 30th year anniversary”, “Poison milk powder: 10 years later”.

Source: Stand News #Dec1

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Related News:

All Department Heads from iCable News Quit After the Company Sacks 40 Staff in News Team

https://t.me/guardiansofhongkong/27039

#WuhanPneumonia #LiWangYang #ChinaNewsTeam #iCable #MassResignation #SzetoYuen #Respect #Integrity #Journalism
#Conscience #Integrity
Former Director of HK Observatory Refuses to be Government's Collaborator

Source: Stand News #Nov29

Read more
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#Conscience #Integrity
Former Director of HK Observatory Refuses to be Government's Collaborator

In mid-2018, former Director of the Hong Kong Observatory, Lam Chiu-yin took up the Convenor position for the Support group on Long-team Decarbonization Strategy group of Hong Kong Sustainability Committee, responsible for public consultation of the Strategy.

In mid-November 2020, the committee announced result of public consultation and related recommendations. Lam, however, didn’t attend the announcement event. He posted on social media that he has resigned from the position in September.

He told reporters that in this “unfinished two-year tenure”, he found that the government did not want to listen to public opinion. Lam said, “some members of concerning authority do not take public consultation seriously. They use the Support Group to back up government views. I do not want to be involved in the muddle.”

Lam, therefore, decided not to take up any public position in the future.

Source: Ming Pao #Nov29
#LamChiuYin #HKObservatory
#FirstHand #Apr22
#RTHK Staff in Support of Journalist Being Sued: "Journalism is not a crime"

The Hong Kong court convicted investigative journalist and former RTHK producer #BaoChoy over two counts of Road Traffic Ordinance violations on April 22, 2021.

The prosecution accused her of "making false declarations" during the car licence plate searches for an RTHK documentary on the 2019 Yuen Long July 21 attacks.

Chow ticked a box for "other traffic and transport related matters". She was fined HKD6,000. This is the first time in Hong Kong a journalist is sued for searching records.

Outside the court, the RTHK Staff Union voiced support for Choy. They displayed signs that read "Journalism is not a crime", "Stand up for Bao Choy", "Stand up for Journalists" and "Without fear or favour".

Choy said it was a "very dark day for all journalists in Hong Kong".

#PoliticalProsecution #Censorship #Integrity #Professionalism #YuenLong721
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#FirstHand #Apr22
Bao Choy: I will keep on being a journalist

Award-winning investigative journalist #BaoChoy gave her statement, after the court in Hong Kong ruled her guilty of "making false declaration" when making car plate license searches for the RTHK documentary program "Hong Kong Connections".

Choy pointed out that there will probably be less and less news platform available, in the presence of more and more political pressure in Hong Kong. "But I do believe that we can still work things out," Choy said. "I will keep on working as a journalist. This is the best response and my most positive reaction to the ruling."

#Professionalism #Journalism #Integrity
#NeverGiveUp #Hope
Hong Kong Journalist #BaoChoy Awarded #NiemanFellowship by #HarvardUniversity

The Hong Kong court convicted former #RTHK producer and award-winning journalist Bao Choy Yuk-ling of "false declaration" when checking the license plates for an investigative report. The court's ruling sparked off enormous outcry among journalists and citizens in Hong Kong.

Choy pleaded not guilty and is applying for a judicial review. The episode "7.21: Who Owns the Truth" produced by Choy for RTHK's news documentary program "#HongKongConnection" has recently received the prestigious Kam Yiu-yu Press Freedom Award. The episode investigates the Yuen Long mob attack on passersbys and pro-democracy citizens during the Anti-ELAB protests in Hong Kong on July 21, 2019.

On May 25, 2021, Choy has been awarded the Nieman Fellowship, an internationally-renowned journalism scholarship, and will attend Harvard University for a year with 21 other recipients from Washington Post, The Guardian, Associated Press and others around the world.

Established in 1938, the fellowship is one of the oldest in the journalism industry, funding over 1,600 distinguished media workers over the years to study and collaborate with peers and experts at Harvard University. As a member of the fellowship's "Class of 2022", Choi plans to explore how independent investigation and media can be developed and sustained under totalitarian regime.

Source: Stand News #May25

https://beta.thestandnews.com/society/蔡玉玲獲尼曼獎學金-將赴哈佛進修-研究媒體如何在獨裁政權下生存限制

#Journalism #Professionalism #Integrity
Outspoken Legal Scholar #EricCheung resigned from Hong Kong Law Society, claiming it is unrelated to the Pro-Beijing Camp's Takeover in Re-Election

Eric Tat-ming Cheung, the Principle Lecturer of the Department of Law of the University of Hong Kong (#HKU), announced on FaceBook on August 30, 2021 that he would resign from the position of the council member of the Law Society of Hong Kong.

Cheung said that he had disclosed to some people earlier that he would resign no matter how the result of the Law Society re-election goes.

Cheung hoped that he could focus on promoting voluntary legal services, as well as balancing life and accompanying his family.

Cheung also pointed out that the Law Society would continue to have members from different backgrounds and hold various ideologies, wishing them to uphold integrity, political neutrality and professionalism.

Earlier, the Law Society of Hong Kong re-elected 5 seats among 20 council members, resulting in a takeover by the pro-Beijing camp including Careen Wong Hau-yan in all the 5 seats.

Source: Stand News #Aug30

https://www.thestandnews.com/politics/%E5%BC%B5%E9%81%94%E6%98%8E%E8%BE%AD%E4%BB%BB%E5%BE%8B%E5%B8%AB%E6%9C%83%E7%90%86%E4%BA%8B-%E7%A8%B1%E7%82%BA%E5%B9%B3%E8%A1%A1%E7%94%9F%E6%B4%BB%E5%8F%8A%E9%99%AA%E4%BC%B4%E5%AE%B6%E4%BA%BA-%E7%84%A1%E9%97%9C%E6%94%B9%E9%81%B8%E7%B5%90%E6%9E%9C

#LawSociety #ReElection #Integrity
#Arrest #WhiteTerror
Hong Kong Police Cracks Down Pro-democracy Group; Activists:
Do not kneel before a life that forces you to lie and suffer humiliation


The Hong Kong police arrested 4 key members of The Hong Kong Alliance in Support of Patriotic Democratic Movements of China, including its vice-chairwoman, Chow Hang-tung, at their homes and offices on the morning of September 8, 2021.

The arrests were made after the Alliance explained why they declined to turn in the financial information requested by the National Security Police, as they
refused spread the white terror instigated by the authorities.

The police has been accusing the pro-democracy group as "foreign agent".

One day ago on September 7, The group's vice-chairwoman and barrister, Chow Hang-tung, spoke to the media, when she filed a letter to the police explaining why the Alliance declineD to reveal information.

Chow said, "We want to tell Hongkongers that we need to fight on. Do not bow down to the regime. Do not kneel before a life that asks you to lie and makes you suffer humiliation. Try your best to live by your conscience in the space you can find."

Source: Stand News; RTHK; InMedia #Sept8

https://thestandnews.page.link/mRkoTujov4KU2VeP7

https://t.me/inmediahknet/14212

#ChowHangTung #Conscience #Integrity #PoliticalProsecution #NationalSecurityLaw #TheAlliance #ForeignCollusion #Regime
#PoliceState
Next Digital Directors Resign to Protect Staff: "When the freedom of expression has been eroded, no rights can be guaranteed"

#NextDigital is the parent company of #AppleDaily, a pro-democracy newspaper in Hong Kong that has been forced to shut down by the authorities in June 2021.

In the past few months, the Hong Kong police arrested the executives, editors and writers of Apple Daily; and charged the company's former CEO Cheung Kim-hung and Apple Daily editor-in-chief Ryan Law of breaching national security.

On Sunday, September 5, 2021, all four directors of Next Digital including chairman Ip Yut Kin announced their resignation in order to protect shareholders, creditors, employees and former employees.

In the statement, the directors pointed out that an orderly liquidation would serve the best interests of shareholders, creditors, staff and other stakeholders. Since the Hong Kong government has frozen Next Digital assets, the company cannot even pay the salary of their newspaper staff.

The latest statement of Next Digital also pointed out that "the Hong Kong government has never indicated which articles published by Apple Daily allegedly violated the National Security Law."

Next Digital condemned the government for spreading white terror, "This uncertainty created a climate of fear, resulting in many resignations among the remaining staff at the company in Hong Kong."

In closing the statement, the directors thanked all Apple Daily readers for not just their support, but also sharing their values and beliefs.

"You entrusted us with the work of journalism. You know well the free flow of information is key to a free society and a free market."

The statement also warned solemnly, "When the freedom of expression has eroded away, no rights can be guaranteed."

Source: Stand News; RTHK #Sept5

#Conscience #Integrity #MediaLandscape #JimmyLai
#Solidarity
Newly married pro-democracy activist faces imprisonment for the fourth time, Wong Ho-Ming: will give birth to three after that

The former chairman of the League of Social Democrats Raphael Wong Ho-Ming and other six persons were charged with organizing and taking part in unauthorized assembly on 20 October 2019. Wong was sentenced to 14 months in prison.

Being the only person that outside the wall in the case, Wong interviewed by inmedia.net before going to prison for his fourth time. Wong said, “after getting out from prison, I would try my best to “make men”, I want to have three and my wife wants to have two”.

Wong claimed that “I am insane”, he believes and hopes each democratic family shall give birth to at least three. One of them will participate in the struggle and bear the price of imprisonment, and the other two would take the responsibility of looking after the family.


[Editor’s Note: The term “making men” in Cantonese may have two distinct meanings, one literally meaning “to produce young” and a metaphoric meaning of “being the person you are supposed to be in society”.]

Source: Inmedia #Sept4

https://bit.ly/2WUW2Af

#Hongkongers #WongHoMing #Conscience #Integrity #Unafraid