#FreedomofPress #WhiteTerror
Keith Richburg: "If we start self-censoring, they have won"
Keith Richburg, director of the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at #HKU and former chairperson for the Foreign Correspondents Club (#FCC) accepted an interview with Stand News, stating that the police force's recent actions have been attempts to demonstrate to the world how it cracks down on cases related to the National Security Law, in order to shock and intimidate the press industry into #SelfCensorship.
Richburg said in the interview that he hopes that journalists will not self-censor while reporting, stating that journalists should continue to "overstep authority" until stopped.
"Unless interviewing Joshua Wong or Nathan Law constitutes a crime, I see no reason to stop reporting them. Journalists must be gutsy. The most dangerous thing a journalist could do is to self-censor themselves."
Many online media have been receiving police interference while reporting on-site over the past year. A good example can be seen when police officers demand for journalists to show their HKJA press card.
Current commissioner of police, Chris Tang, stated in a recent interview that the force will be implementing new measures to allow only "trustworthy media" into the police cordon.
Richburg was shocked by this measure, and it caused him to recall an event that occurred when he first came to Hong Kong. A staff from the Information Services Department contacted him and two other American journalists, and met them lunch. When he asked how he should go about in applying for a press card, the staff replied that Hong Kong does not have a licensing regime for journalists, stating that "We have press freedom. If you are press, you are press."
Richburg stated that Hong Kong has never had a licensing regime for journalists, and that the government and the police should not decide on each press' "trustworthiness". He stated that Hong Kong needs media that monitors the government, stating that "This is surprising, as Hong Kong is a place with a tradition of democracy. It should not be decided by officials like this."
Yet as the implementation of the National Security Law enters its 50th day, Richburg believes that Hong Kong has already become unrecognisable.
Richburg believes that the government is investigating the possibility of a licensing regime for journalists to control journalists and limit press freedom. He stated that although different places such as New York City had established a licensing regime for journalists, allowing press with licenses increased privileges and the right to report within police cordons, the Hong Kong government is trying to use the regime as a tool to restrict press reporting.
Richburg stated that, "If we start self-censoring, they have won," because the public would then #SelfCensor out of fear, as the police sees no need to continue enforcing the law."
Source: Stand News #Aug10
#Professionalism #Journalism #KeithRichburg #Interview
Keith Richburg: "If we start self-censoring, they have won"
Keith Richburg, director of the Journalism and Media Studies Centre at #HKU and former chairperson for the Foreign Correspondents Club (#FCC) accepted an interview with Stand News, stating that the police force's recent actions have been attempts to demonstrate to the world how it cracks down on cases related to the National Security Law, in order to shock and intimidate the press industry into #SelfCensorship.
Richburg said in the interview that he hopes that journalists will not self-censor while reporting, stating that journalists should continue to "overstep authority" until stopped.
"Unless interviewing Joshua Wong or Nathan Law constitutes a crime, I see no reason to stop reporting them. Journalists must be gutsy. The most dangerous thing a journalist could do is to self-censor themselves."
Many online media have been receiving police interference while reporting on-site over the past year. A good example can be seen when police officers demand for journalists to show their HKJA press card.
Current commissioner of police, Chris Tang, stated in a recent interview that the force will be implementing new measures to allow only "trustworthy media" into the police cordon.
Richburg was shocked by this measure, and it caused him to recall an event that occurred when he first came to Hong Kong. A staff from the Information Services Department contacted him and two other American journalists, and met them lunch. When he asked how he should go about in applying for a press card, the staff replied that Hong Kong does not have a licensing regime for journalists, stating that "We have press freedom. If you are press, you are press."
Richburg stated that Hong Kong has never had a licensing regime for journalists, and that the government and the police should not decide on each press' "trustworthiness". He stated that Hong Kong needs media that monitors the government, stating that "This is surprising, as Hong Kong is a place with a tradition of democracy. It should not be decided by officials like this."
Yet as the implementation of the National Security Law enters its 50th day, Richburg believes that Hong Kong has already become unrecognisable.
Richburg believes that the government is investigating the possibility of a licensing regime for journalists to control journalists and limit press freedom. He stated that although different places such as New York City had established a licensing regime for journalists, allowing press with licenses increased privileges and the right to report within police cordons, the Hong Kong government is trying to use the regime as a tool to restrict press reporting.
Richburg stated that, "If we start self-censoring, they have won," because the public would then #SelfCensor out of fear, as the police sees no need to continue enforcing the law."
Source: Stand News #Aug10
#Professionalism #Journalism #KeithRichburg #Interview