The following is a 20 April 2000 SPJ press release: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 20, 2000 AMERICANS DENOUNCE ATTEMPT TO INTIMIDATE HONG KONG PRESS GREENCASTLE, Ind. — The Society of Professional Journalists is urging China’s leaders to respect and reaffirm guarantees of press freedom that China made before Hong Kong reverted to Beijing’s rule in […]
The following is a 20 April 2000 SPJ press release:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 20, 2000
AMERICANS DENOUNCE ATTEMPT TO INTIMIDATE HONG KONG PRESS
GREENCASTLE, Ind. — The Society of Professional Journalists is urging China’s leaders to respect and reaffirm guarantees of press freedom that China made before Hong Kong reverted to Beijing’s rule in 1997.
The Society’s top leaders responded to implied threats in last week’s remarks by Wang Fengchao, deputy director for the Central Government Liaison Office in Hong Kong. Mr. Wang, speaking after Hong Kong media extensively reported the election of a pro-independence president and vice
president in Taiwan, asserted that “the Hong Kong media should not spread and advocate the ‘two states’ theory and the independence of Taiwan.” China’s official news agency, Xinhua, said Wang added that independence should not be handled as a normal news story and “the media should make
decisions in the interest of national unity.”
The Hong Kong Journalists’ Association immediately registered shock at Wang’s remarks, and this week, SPJ President Kyle Elyse Niederpruem and President-elect Ray Marcano stepped forward to support their colleagues abroad. “We are alarmed and disappointed to learn of the warnings issued last week against the Hong Kong news media, telling them that their job is to support the policies formed in Beijing and not to report the views of those who differ,” the Americans wrote to China’s ambassador in Washington.
They were joined in their letter by John D. Hopkins, chairman of the Society’s International Journalism Committee. “China’s journalists are not alone in their wish to freely report events of concern to their country’s people,” Hopkins said. “We believe that free speech and access to
information are the birthright of every citizen of every nation. These rights are timeless. They transcend both social philosophy and political structure.”
Hong Kong’s people evidently agree. On Tuesday, while the territory’s journalists discussed the affair at a Freedom Forum event, Hong Kong’s Democratic Party released a poll indicating that 60 percent of Hong Kong people found Wang’s statement to be an improper interference in their
internal affairs. And 61 percent said they could see the difference between reporting on sensitive issues, such as Taiwan’s independence, and advocating a position on those issues.
For a copy of the letter sent to Ambassador Li Zhaoxing, contact SPJ Communications Director Julie Grimes at jgrimes@spjhq.org or (765) 653-3333 ext. 216.
The Society of Professional Journalists is the nation’s largest and most broad-based journalism organization, dedicated to encouraging the free practice of journalism and stimulating high standards of ethical behavior. Founded in 1909 as Sigma Delta Chi, SPJ promotes the free flow of
information vital to a well-informed citizenry; works to inspire and educate the next generation of journalists; and protects First Amendment guarantees of freedom of speech and press.