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Written by: McCain
2020-09-23 09:50
Last update date: 2020-09-23 09:50
The police amended the definition of "media representative" under the "General Police Regulations" to include only "media organizations registered with the Information Services Department's Press Release System (GNMIS)" or "internationally recognized and well-known non-local news agencies, newspapers, magazines, radio and television broadcasting "Organization" is the "media representative".
The incident caused strong backlash from the news industry. At least nine media unions and organizations in Hong Kong issued statements that the amendments seriously affected the freedom of interviews and the freedom of the press.
The Chief Superintendent of the Police Public Relations Branch, Kwok Ka-quan, refuted the statement this morning (23rd), saying that GNMIS was always effective in the past, with more than 200 registered media organizations, which is believed to be more transparent and extensive than before.
As for why the Hong Kong Journalists Association and Hong Kong Photojournalist Association were deleted, he revealed that he had received comments earlier that "there is no self-understanding," so the amendments were made, and he believed that it was a problem left over from history.
The Chief Superintendent of the Police Public Relations Division Guo Jiaquan.
(Profile Picture / Photo by Chen Haoran)
Guo Jiaquan successively accepted interviews with Hong Kong and Taiwan’s "Millennium" and Commercial Taiwan’s "Departure on a Sunny Day". He emphasized that the police respect the freedom of the press. The media organization of the system (GNMIS) is always effective, not the police restricting reporters with new regulations.
He said: "For organizations you can refer to, if you register, it will prove that they are really doing interviews."
He noticed that the ecology of journalists has changed in the past year, including many online media and freelance journalists, and colleagues on the scene have difficulty identifying.
He cited the public events in Yuen Long earlier as an example. "There are fewer than 10 demonstrators and 10 police officers in the Yuen Long shopping mall, but there are more than 150 yellow vest reporters, which is so difficult to identify."
In addition, Guo Jiaquan also voluntarily mentioned that on May 21, the Hong Kong Journalists Association, the Hong Kong Photojournalist Association, the News Administrators Association and the Hong Kong Federation of Journalists met with the Commissioner of Police Deng Bingqiang.
He revealed that the dissatisfaction of the Press Executives Association and the Hong Kong Federation of Journalists was not included in the general rules at the meeting. Afterwards, other associations also expressed their views on "understanding no self" or even "not representing me."
He pointed out that the "General Police Regulations" has been unchanged for more than 10 or 20 years. In particular, it only lists two associations, the Hong Kong Journalists Association and the Hong Kong Photojournalist Association. He believes that the problem is left over from history. "It is written too general and appears. That’s a problem.” Therefore, the police only use a third party, and the Press Department’s permanent and effective system is used to identify the media. There are more than 200 registered media organizations, which are more transparent and extensive than before. “I don’t want people to think that the police are the standard. It is done using the permanent and effective mechanism of the Press Service."
He also emphasized that this amendment has been communicated with the media association, but the chairman of the association, Yang Jianxing, denied that he was aware of the incident. "Maybe he thinks it's not enough, so let's do more."
On May 21, media associations such as the Records Association and the Photographs met with the Commissioner of Police Deng Pingqiang.
(Information Picture / Photo by Gao Zhongming)
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The police reforms the definition of media. Currently, only 205 media have been registered with the Press Department.
Police Force Deng Pingqiang Photojournalist Association Hong Kong Journalists Association reporter
