Guangdong Radio and Television journalist defends actions after refusing to show credentials at Hong Kong police press call
- Local reporters demand to know why she refused to show journalist pass and took pictures of them asking questions
- Guangdong journalist says she is just gathering news
A mainland journalist who photographed her peers and refused to show her credentials at a Hong Kong police press conference on Tuesday has defended her actions on Chinese social media after she was confronted and questioned by her fellow reporters.
Chen Xiaoqian, a journalist from southern China’s Guangdong Radio and Television, was accused of taking pictures of local journalists with her mobile phone as they asked questions during the press conference, which was attended by the South China Morning Post.
She refused repeated requests by journalists at the event to present her press pass and explain her intentions. Chen showed her business card to both police and reporters, but did not present a press pass.
After the formal press conference concluded, Chen conducted a brief private interview with the police before telling waiting reporters that she had taken pictures of reporters as well as police officers at the event.
“This is a press conference. Everyone can take pictures. We are just journalists. You can publish, I can publish. That’s it,” Chen said in Cantonese.