Hong Kong professor apologises for comic strip that offended police
- The six-panel cartoon, intended as a satirical take on a recent broadside against a journalists’ union by security chief Chris Tang, suggested a police youth group was spreading ‘fake news’
- Following a complaint from the force’s public relations branch, the artist, who teaches at Baptist University, now says the depiction was ‘inappropriate and unfair’
Wong Chiu-tat, an assistant professor of Baptist University’s academy of visual arts, apologised for the “unfair” six-panel cartoon published by the newspaper Ming Pao on Friday. The comic strip depicted a conversation between two students, and suggested the Junior Police Call (JPC) – established in 1974 to foster ties between the force and local youth – was spreading “fake news” on campus.
Wong told local media he had been drawing political comics for a decade and this was the first time he had received a complaint from police. He added that the latest strip had been intended as a satirical take on a recent broadside against the Hong Kong Journalists Association by Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung.
Hong Kong security chief slams news groups, accusing them of ‘infiltrating’ schools
“Using the JPC as a metaphor is not appropriate and is unfair,” Wong was quoted as saying.
“I respect all the contributions made by the JPC to society, and the comic was not intended to defame [the group]. I therefore apologise.”
The Post has reached out to Wong for comment.
In the strip, published on Friday, two students are discussing extracurricular activities, with one mentioning he wants to become a student journalist. When his friend asks if he intends to disguise himself as a reporter and do whatever he wants, he responds: “Where did you get that fake news?”
His friend then replies: “I don’t know. It was from a friend of the Junior Police Call.”
“As an associate professor at a university, you should pursue the truth as a teacher. But instead, you used a newspaper as a platform to make groundless accusations and to smear JPC members,” the letter said. “We can’t help but feel regretful.”
On Wednesday, security minister Tang lashed out at the Hong Kong Journalists Association, accusing it of “infiltrating” schools to attract student reporters and going against professional ethics.
He went on to blame fake news, bogus reporters and independent media outlets for spreading hatred of the authorities among the city’s youth. Tang also accused the union of advocating the notion that “everyone can be a journalist”, which he said went against the profession’s ethics.
The city’s largest journalists’ union denied the accusations, saying Tang’s information was factually incorrect as only 13 per cent of the group’s members were students.
