Media show ‘old playbook’ in covering illegal HK protests
An old playbook of opposition groups and black-clad rioters was staged again on the streets of Hong Kong on Thursday, where some Western and local media again showed their double standards in covering illegal protests in Hong Kong, which had been repeated since 2019’s social turmoil.
The day after the national security law for Hong Kong was enacted witnessed some chaotic and violent scene in the city, as anti-government protesters tried to defy the law and disrupt public order by ignoring the repeated warnings of the police, engaging in an unlawful assembly, blocking roads, vandalizing shops, and setting fire at traffic intersections.
However, when some Western and local media reported Wednesday’s chaos, most of them came up with biased coverage about so-called police brutality by showing onesided pictures and narratives like, “a woman screaming when she was surrounded by police,” or “a cameraman was hit by a water cannon,” “police tearing a protester’s shirt, kneeing on her neck.”
And opposition media outlets like Apple Daily also came up with messages to the public: “The Hong Kong Police will shoot you if you take a video of them” on law enforcement procedures.
“Last year while we were clearing the roads in Central, rioters started throwing stones at us,” said Angelo Giuliano, a financial consultant in Hong Kong from Switzerland, who has been outspoken in condemning the unrest in the city.
Giuliano said he saw similar tactics from last year’s social unrest, noting that some media coverage was “helpless and disgusting,” as they did not even intend to tell a full story.
The Apple Daily has been condemned by Hong Kong police for distorting facts and disregarding journalistic ethics in their report on Wednesday. Police said that a man drove a motorcycle, which displayed a flag bearing the words “Liberate Hong Kong, Revolution of Our Time” into several police officers in Wan Chai on Wednesday, which injured several. However, the Apple Daily reported the motorcycle was “suddenly blocked by anti-riot police,” and “the driver was dragged to the ground.”
Hong Kong police have been too tolerant to reporters obstructing police actions compared with US police, said Shen Yi, a professor at the School of International Relations and Public Affairs of Fudan University.
“Hong Kong police should be stricter, and treat those reporters as rioters. Arrest them immediately if they act like rioters, and they deserve it if they hurt themselves when police make the arrests,” Shen said.