Letters | Lack of fair coverage of Hong Kong protests by China’s state media does the country a disservice

The Chinese media did not cover the peaceful marches in June but has emphasised violence committed by protesters and possible foreign involvement in the protests

Reading Time:2 minutes

Protesters distribute food and water to passengers at Hong Kong airport on August 14 and apologise for the disruption they caused the day before. Photo: Kimmy Chung

Published: 6:45am, 28 Sep 2019Updated: 6:53am, 28 Sep 2019

I refer to your report, “China broadcaster CGTN’s Hong Kong protests coverage probed by UK watchdog” (September 24), on how the British communications regulator has launched an investigation into reporting on the Hong Kong protests by the overseas arm of China Global Television Network (CGTN), the Chinese state broadcaster.

Although everyone can have different points of view on issues, including the government, news should be presented with due impartiality. It hoped that impartiality will be a part of the requirements for domestic media in China.

China is a communist country. Its government has the power to block or control the internet, which means the government can easily shape or block the truth, and the Hong Kong protests are a good example.

When Hong Kong saw its first mass anti-extradition bill march, when a million people protested peacefully in the streets, there was no news coverage in China.

As time went on, and so did the demonstrations, some mainland visitors took videos of the protests and posted them on the internet, and this triggered discussion in China. Finally, with the protests getting prolonged and more intense, the Chinese government started actively publishing negative news on protests in Hong Kong, probably to obscure or cover the truth behind it.

Select Voice

Choose your listening speed

Get through articles 2-3x faster

1.1x

220 WPM

Slow

Normal

Fast

00:0000:00

1.1x