Film by former TVB duo tells how coverage created friction between reporters and bosses
JEFFIE LAMjeffie.lam@scmp.com
PUBLISHED : Monday, 05 October, 2015, 2:41am
UPDATED : Monday, 05 October, 2015, 8:54am
Earnest Li Chi-kin and Lee Ka-man looked at clashes behind coverage of Occupy. Photo: Jonathan Wong
It has been a roller-coaster ride for many Hongkongers over the past year, regardless of their political stance, and much the same for journalists, with some unexpectedly becoming the news focus as they covered unprecedented mass sit-ins.
They have failed to please everyone, of course, with protesters of both the pro-democracy and anti-Occupy camps accusing them of not reporting the protests impartially. Inside the newsrooms, many were having daily arguments with their editors regarding the story angles amid the fear of self-censorship.
All these persistent and fascinating internal struggles have prompted former TVB veteran journalists Lee Ka-man and Earnest Li Chi-kin to make a documentary about the lives of the city's journalists during the 79-day Occupy movement.
"The status and salaries of reporters had not been high in the city over the years but they were still well respected," said Lee, now a journalism lecturer at Shue Yan University, who directed the documentary Impact. "So what has happened in recent years … to make Hongkongers lose their trust in reporters?"
The duo followed senior TVB reporter Lam Tsz-ho and Cable TV reporter Cheng Sze-sze - who both recently resigned - from last August when the Alliance for Peace and Democracy marched against Occupy. Filming of the documentary, which features the voices of media executives from several news organisations, ended last month.
During Occupy, TVB sparked a row after it deleted a description of an alleged attack by police, footage of which appeared to show seven officers kicking and punching Civic Party member Ken Tsang Kin-chiu as he lay on the ground in Admiralty.
Lee said their film would show the behind-the-scenes stories of how the editorial staff - including Lam - initiated a petition to express discontent about the way their bosses handled politically sensitive stories.
The reporters only did so because they loved the company, she said, or else they would just have left, adding that the clash could have been resolved with better communication between bosses and frontline reporters.
"We can see the big picture from this small incident. The conflicts between generations not only happen inside newsrooms but the whole world," said Lee.
The documentary - produced by Li, the former news controller of Hong Kong Television Network - will debut at a private event today and will later be shown at local universities.
http://m.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education-community/article/1864055/documentary-coverage-hong-kongs-occupy-protests
