○ During the Hong Kong riots, the local journalists association has been accused of calling white black

○ Key members of the association come from the so-called "yellow media" that support the opposition camp and violent protests

○ Their words and behavior, which go against basic journalistic ethics and morals, are severely damaging Hong Kong

Reporters in Hong Kong stand in front of police officers as rioters attacked a local police station in Mongkok on Saturday. Photo: Cui Meng/GT

Recently, a journalist from the Chinese mainland was attacked by rioters in Hong Kong.

However, in a related statement, the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) mainly focused on the fact that the journalist in question was not carrying his press card. By not focusing on the violent acts of the rioters, the implication was that the journalist was to blame.

The Association's bias and use of double standards caused strong disagreement among Hong Kong residents. Some protested outside the association's office. 

The members of the HKJA Executive Committee are from various so-called "yellow media" that support the opposition camp, including the Apple Daily and the Stand News.

The recent performance of these "yellow media" is distressing, as they refer to black as white in reports, insult Hong Kong's Chief Executive, interfere in the regular enforcement of police, and serve as commanders of riots.

There is no doubt that their words and behaviors, which go against basic journalistic ethics and morals, are severely damaging Hong Kong. 

Pace setter

The Apple Daily is considered the pacesetter of the "pro-democracy" media. The newspaper, which is published in traditional Chinese characters, was founded in 1995 by Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, one of the "Gang of Four who endanger Hong Kong."

The Apple Daily is dedicated to criticizing the central government and the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Media reported that Lai is a businessman and a famous "anti-communist." He holds a close relationship with the Consulate General of the US in Hong Kong, and has been carrying out the consulate's orders to interfere in the politics of Hong Kong. Over the last five years, Lai has donated more than HK$50 million ($6.4 million) to "pro-democracy" parties. 

The Apple Daily claimed that every HK$1 of the HK$3 cost of a purchased subscription plan would be donated to "the legal aid fund for detained protesters."

During the 2014 Occupy Central Movement, Lai not only provided funding to the protesters, but also published posters on various media he owns free of charge. 

In July, Lai met with US Vice President Mike Pence and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in the US, and delivered a negative speech about Hong Kong.

Many Hong Kong residents have expressed outrage toward Next Digital Ltd, which owns the Apple Daily. Wong Jing, a famous Hong Kong film director, said in a 2017 interview that Next Digital was being controlled by foreign forces, confusing right and wrong and destroying Hong Kong's younger generations.

Hong Kong media employees told the Global Times that the pro-establishment camp in Hong Kong has been complaining that many local media, such as the Apple Daily, do not confirm their statements after interviews. It is often the case that the views that are published are not those expressed during interviews. They have been turning down interviews with such media recently, as they have no way of knowing whether their words will be twisted.

The Apple Daily is the most famous of the "yellow media," and has the longest history. In recent years, other publicly funded, "anti-communist" media have emerged, including the Hong Kong Citizen News and the Stand News.

 

The Stand News once suffered from financial difficulties, but with the furor surrounding the proposed anti-extradition bill intensifying, it was able to gain more readers through its clear opposition-camp stance. 

The news website frequently posts coverage of confrontations between rioters and police, claiming to be the "bravest of media in daring to speak out when the police use violence." They have also "proudly" claimed that they "targeted" the police.

On August 11, some netizens saw a protester's eye was hit by other protesters during a riot. Hong Kong police said there was no evidence that the police shot the black-clad female protester in the eye and said it will investigate the incident. The Stand News published an article exaggerating the event by laying the blame on the police. "Were it not for the girl's glasses, she could have been killed at the age of 25," read the article. The writer also falsely reported that police fired their guns at protesters' heads.

'Immoral' association

The Hong Kong Federation of Journalists (HKFJ) strongly condemns the recent violence against many journalists by protesters. The HKFJ consists of more than 30 media and 1,000 individual members. 

The HKJA, however, acts differently. When Global Times reporter Fu Guohao was beaten by the mob at Hong Kong International Airport, and when journalists from the Chinese mainland were disturbed during interviews, tthe HKJA released a statement that obscured the bigger picture. After expressing regret, the statement placed its emphasis on calling for reporters to carry relevant documents to avoid misunderstandings. 

The HKJA has been criticized for freely handing out press cards.

Wat Wing-yin, a well-known media professional, recently revealed that it only costs about HK$150 (a HK$100 membership fee and a HK$50 application fee) to acquire a press card. It costs just HK$20 for students, who only need to provide a photograph and fill out a form. 

The threshold for joining the Association is so low that freelance bloggers or college journalism students can all apply to join. 

The HKJA has tried to defend itself, but has been criticized for its unchanging "anti-mainland" stance. Every year, the HKJA publishes an annual report demonizing relations between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. 

On HKJA's website, the Global Times reporter noticed that the stance of its executive committee members is almost one-sided. Two journalists from Apple Daily alone are serving as executive members. 

A senior Hong Kong media colleague referred to the HKJA as a civil society organization, and said there are many similar organizations in Hong Kong. 

During the violent protests in Hong Kong, some protesters were seen wearing fluorescent yellow vests which read "press." They were standing between police and the mobs, and were busy photographing the scene with their mobile phones and cameras. To some extent, these individuals obstructed the police's ability to enforce the law. They have been described by many as the "commanders" of the riots.

The behavior of the HKJA has been described as "serious violations of the conduct of the press."

"HKJA plays the jackal to the tiger, it is totally immoral," Gu Minkang, director of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong & Macao Studies, wrote in his article published in the Hong Kong-based newspaper Ta Kung Pao in July.

The article severely criticized the HKJA for their "double standards" amid the chaos in Hong Kong. It pointed out that when the Hong Kong TV station TVB was accused of being "red media" for playing scenes of opposition violence, and was subjected to a series of boycotts by the opposition, the HKJA underreported the matter.

After the death of Peter Wong Man-kong, a Hong Kong entrepreneur and deputy to the National People's Congress in March, an Apple Daily columnist named Lee Yee published articles tarnishing Wong's image. 

Leung Chun-ying, former chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, suggested the public should stop buying products from the Apple Daily, calling on them to boycott the newspaper instead of supporting media that cross the bottom line of journalistic ethics.

At an opposition rally, Lai used profanity to insult journalists who were conducting normal interviews on site, while the HKJA chose to be silent.

On another occasion, some reporters deliberately blocked police when they were preparing to clear the field, intending to help the rioters at the scene to escape.

In this situation, the HKJA issued a joint statement alleging the police used shields to push and even attack frontline reporters, which seriously hindered interviews and the release of news.

This claim by the HKJA has been criticized as "reversing right and wrong." It is seen by some as nothing more than an attempt to further discredit the police and hurt morale.

Many members of "yellow media" are part of the executive committee of the HKJA, thus the organization itself is naturally biased toward such media.

Chris Yeung, chairman of the HKJA, is the chief writer of the Hong Kong Citizen News (HKCN). Both Yeung and the HKCN hold a "yellow media" stance. 

Yeung made a special trip to interview the former governor of Hong Kong, Chris Patten, who has been opposing the principle of "one country, two systems" and trying to disrupt Hong Kong.

There are also two HKJA executive members, both from the Stand News, who seem to support the violent protests currently taking place in Hong Kong. There are also representatives from Radio Television Hong Kong on the HKJA executive committee. As a member of the public media, RTHK has recently been criticized for apparently showing its favor toward protesters.


Newspaper headline: Playing the blame game