Heed Jiang’s prophetic words on journalism
I refer to your report, “Chinese leadership mourns ‘insurmountable loss’ of Jiang Zemin as former president dies aged 96” (November 30).
Jiang will be remembered as the architect of China’s socialist market economy as his theory of the Three Represents advanced Deng Xiaoping’s visionary economic reform. His flamboyant personality and distinctive diplomatic style broke China out of isolation after the 1989 political turmoil. His legacy was an era of peaceful relations with the West and China’s rising status in international trade, especially after accession to the World Trade Organization.
However, instead of Jiang’s political legacy, I would like to focus on his (in) famous criticism of a Hong Kong journalist over a question he disliked: “too simple, sometimes naive”.
He told the gathered journalists to “raise your level of knowledge”, that it was not enough to travel the world and run the fastest.
Jiang’s remark was prophetic of the quality of the news media today. Globally, amid political polarisation, there is growing distrust of the news media. Although the intrusion of politics is partly to blame, a media ecosystem that strives to gain views with eye-catching headlines also renders readers more opinionated but less informed.
For example, Apple Daily, founded by Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, was known for its gossipy reporting style and paparazzi tactics. It gained readers but was also taken to court for libel and infringement of privacy. The newspaper adopted a clear pro-opposition editorial stance, particularly evident during the antiextradition bill protests.
During the government’s daily press conferences on Covid-19 in Hong Kong, some local journalists asked lengthy
questions which made it difficult for the concerned official to organise his thoughts and give a meaningful response. Reporters also tend to ask repetitive questions at press conferences, even when the official has addressed the issue in the opening statement.
When Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu announced he would request an interpretation of the national security law, he explained in his opening statement that the constitutional protection on the choice of lawyers did not extend to overseas lawyers who were not fully qualified to practise in Hong Kong.
However, a question on the same subject was nevertheless put to him. Perhaps journalists need to understand that asking the same question multiple times will not yield the preferred answers, but instead wastes the opportunity to extract information that is of public concern.
Anfield Tam, London