Our club lobbies for improved conditions for journalists and supports China’s moves toward a more open media environment.
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China regrets the missed opportunity to demonstrate openness when Chinese President Hu Jintao and U.S. President Barrack Obama read statements to the media at a press conference Nov. 17.
Following the prepared statements, there was no chance for reporters attending the event to ask questions, which would have highlighted what Obama told college students in Shanghai earlier in the week about the benefits to society of freedom of expression.
“This was an historic meeting between the two leaders, and journalists should have had the opportunity to ask questions, to probe beyond the statements,” said FCCC President Scott McDonald.
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China welcomes President Hu Jintao’s pledge to uphold the legal rights of foreign journalists in China and calls on the Chinese government to make good on this promise.
The FCCC also urges international media organizations attending the World Media Summit in Beijing to press China to keep its word on reporting rights and freedoms for foreign correspondents.
The FCCC still receives regular reports of interference, harassment and violence against journalists as they do their work. Most recently, a lack of transparency interfered with proper planning and coverage of the Oct. 1 National Day parade, with several journalists reporting interference while trying to cover the ceremony.
“President Hu’s comments are a step in the right direction,” said FCCC President Scott McDonald. “But implementation is crucial. It has been far too patchy in the past.”
The FCCC calls for further action to bring China’s laws and regulations into accordance with international norms — notably regarding limits on state secrecy, protection of sources, freedom of expression on the internet and provisions for independent journalists’ organizations.
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China has received many complaints from members about severe problems with the allocation of passes for China’s Oct. 1 National Day parade, and a lack of transparency about the process. Journalists who did get passes got them late at night, after many hours of waiting. Other passes remained unclaimed after correspondents had left in frustration. Some members who did wait were nonetheless excluded entirely.
In the future, for such large events, the FCCC calls on the Chinese authorities to provide better coordination, earlier information and a more transparent allocation of passes, all of which would be in keeping with normal international practices and China’s pledges of openness toward the media.
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China strongly condemns the assault by unidentified people on three reporters working for Japan’s Kyodo News Agency.
According to Kyodo, the three journalists were attacked, hit and pushed to the ground on the evening of Sept. 18. Some of their equipment was also damaged.
The three were covering a rehearsal for the Oct. 1 National Day parade, an event carried out on Beijing’s biggest street in front of thousands of people.
In recent weeks, many Beijing-based journalists have been verbally warned by the authorities not to film the preparations or to open windows overlooking the parades. The legal basis for these warnings has not been made clear.
The FCCC calls on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to clarify, in writing, any rules it has regarding coverage of these events.
“This attack is a step backward in China’s efforts to open up the reporting environment. We urge restraint on the part of authorities, who must follow China’s own rules allowing foreign journalists to report freely,” said FCCC President Scott McDonald.
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China strongly condemns the violent attacks by paramilitary police on three Hong Kong journalists attempting to cover protests on Sept. 4 in Urumqi.
The journalists were reporting on protests when they were tackled by paramilitary police while running to escape tear gas fired to disperse crowds. The journalists said they were punched and kicked by the police, then detained face-down on the ground with their hands tied behind their backs for 15-20 minutes. The journalists repeatedly asked the armed police to check their State Council-issued press ID cards but the requests were ignored.
“I was beaten with a baton on my shoulder and punched and kicked on my knee and lower back,” said Lam Tsz-ho, a reporter with Hong Kong’s TVB. “My cameraman was also beaten all over his body with a baton.”
The journalists were taken to a police station where they were held for two or three hours. The crews eventually had their damaged equipment returned, but one crew’s tape was confiscated and still missing. During the same period, paramilitary police also seized an APTN camera crew’s equipment, returning it five hours later.
The incidents stand in contrast to the relatively open and safe reporting conditions foreign correspondents met while covering Urumqi riots in July.
“The beating and harassing of journalists must stop. The local authorities in Xinjiang must ensure that journalists are able to do their jobs without fear of attacks,” said FCCC President Scott McDonald.
For more details:
http://www.fccchina.org/category/incident-reports/
Also see related statement from the Foreign Correspondents Club, Hong Kong and a letter from the club to the Chinese government.
