Advertisement
Advertisement
Hong Kong media
Get more with myNEWS
A personalised news feed of stories that matter to you
Learn more
RTHK assistant programme officer Nabela Qoser has reportedly been told to either accept an extended probation period or leave her job. Photo: RTHK

RTHK seeks to extend probation period of Hong Kong journalist known for hard-nosed questions to public officials, sources say

  • Journalist Nabela Qoser came to prominence for her sharp questioning of officials over their handling of last year’s protests
  • She has reportedly been told to either accept an extended probation period or leave her job amid an unprecedented investigation, sources say

Hong Kong’s embattled public broadcaster is seeking to extend the probation period of a journalist known for her confrontational approach to questioning officials amid a re-examination of public complaints filed against her last year, sources have said.

Assistant programme officer Nabela Qoser, who works for government-funded RTHK, will have until Tuesday to either accept an extension of her three-year probation as a civil servant by another 120 days from October 2, or leave her post on Wednesday, a source close to the situation said.

The extension for the co-host of RTHK’s show This Week came as the outlet reopened an investigation into complaints made by members of the public against Qoser from July to November last year, the source added.

The exterior of RTHK’s headquarters in Kowloon Tong. Photo: EPA-EFE

Amen Ng Man-yee, head of corporate communications and standards at RTHK, said there was a mechanism for processing probation extensions for civil servants, but she declined to comment on individual cases.

Qoser on Sunday also declined to comment on the development.

In a message texted to the Post she said: “Thank you for your concerns. We will continue to work hard. Please keep up your support for RTHK. ”

According to the inside source, complaints of the kind filed against Qoser would generally be cleared in six months, and it was believed the fresh review of the closed files would be conducted by officials from “above” the station. The source added they had never heard of a review of this kind taking place before.

Beleaguered broadcaster RTHK slapped with another warning from watchdog

RTHK’s Programme Staff Union, meanwhile, said in a statement that evaluations for civil servants had been based on their appraisal reports, adding it was extremely unusual to extend a probation not based on the appraisals, but rather under the auspices of an investigation. The union also questioned whether the move amounted to unreasonable suppression.

It went on to say it was urging the management to disclose who had triggered the reinvestigation and on what grounds.

The Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, which oversees the public broadcaster, also declined to comment on individual cases.

Qoser, a graduate of Baptist University who formerly worked with the Chinese-language TVB Jade channel and Ming Pao Daily, became known for her rapid-fire, often-blunt questioning of officials over their handling of the city’s anti-government protests last year. Her confrontational approach was praised by many, but also denounced as aggressive and biased by the pro-establishment bloc.

New chairman of RTHK’s board a former lawmaker with strong ties to Beijing

Perhaps her most noteworthy questions were directed at Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor and then-police chief Stephen Lo Wai-chung over the force’s sluggish response to the Yuen Long station mob attack on July 21 last year, famously demanding in a press conference that Lam “answer like a human being”.

On the night in question, a major turning point in last year’s protests, a group of white-clad men armed with rattan canes and metal rods beat passengers and protesters returning from a Hong Kong Island march at Yuen Long MTR station. At least 45 people were injured in the onslaught.

Police, who took nearly an hour to respond to the attack, said they had been delayed because their resources were stretched thin by the protest. They have since been accused of trying to rewrite the history of the night after arresting several people – including an opposition lawmaker who was beaten – whom they accused of inciting the violence.

Team investigating RTHK’s governance to be led by former key Carrie Lam aide

The inside source said thousands of complaints were received in response to Qoser’s sharp questions, but there were several times more letters praising her.

Pro-Beijing media have accused her of being “rude to government officials,” while some within the camp have urged RTHK to fire her.

A staff member from RTHK who spoke on condition of anonymity said it was frustrating to see management assessing staff based on external pressure rather than the merits of their work.

“We’ve been fighting on the frontline, but the management are now working with some external force to suppress us,” they said

The employee noted that Qoser had passed all six of her appraisals over the past three years, and challenged the rationale of the review, which had apparently overruled them.

Last year’s polarising protests made RTHK a lightning rod for public criticism, particularly from the pro-establishment camp. The broadcaster is presently the subject of a management review led by civil servants after a series of controversies over its programming.

Post