Letters | Mutant Covid-19 strain in Hong Kong: media must avoid fuelling dangerous generalisations
- In volatile times, some people tend to look for scapegoats. Hence the media has an increased responsibility to avoid fomenting tensions. Members of the media must exercise caution and restraint while using racial descriptors in their reporting
Recently, there has been a surge in the pandemic risk level, and yet again, we see the danger of an entire community being targeted as a consequence. While it is normal for media outlets to report factual details, such as the race, age, occupation, area of residence and movements of Covid-19 cases, this needs to be done with care and objectivity so as not to become a dangerous generalisation about an entire group or community of people.
With the coronavirus still lurking in our community, we are bound to face such situations over and over again. It is important that reporting on the pandemic be done in a manner that is sensitive to the impact it could have.
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Hong Kong’s ethnic minority groups struggle as city battles Covid-19 and recession
In volatile times, some people tend to look for scapegoats. Hence the media has an increased responsibility to avoid fomenting tensions. We have seen the backlash against certain communities following the outbreak of infection clusters.