• 01/31/2025

Harassment of journalists revived after student reporters’ investigation into gov’t ‘care teams,’ press group says

Hong Kong Free Press

Ubeat harrassment

A new wave of online harassment that followed a journalism students’ investigation into government “care teams” echoed an “organised attack” last year that saw dozens of reporters targeted, the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) has said.

Hong Kong Journalists Association.
Hong Kong Journalists Association. Photo: Kelly Ho/HKFP.

In a statement released on Sunday, the HKJA said posts on Facebook began appearing four days after Chinese University of Hong Kong’s (CUHK) student publication U-Beat released a video report about the government’s care teams, an initiative that began in 2022.

The government launched 452 “community care teams” – one in each sub-district of the city’s 18 districts – to organise “caring activities” for the low-income and elderly. Their responsibilities also include organising patriotic events.

U-Beat’s report showed that the care teams refused to provide finance and performance reports, and also suggested that they inflated numbers at an event by asking participants to pose as care team members for photos.

“These posts accused U-Beat of biased reporting and quoting out of context,” the HKJA said. “They also accused the staff of CUHK’s School of Journalism and Communication, which is responsible for overseeing U-Beat, of being supporters or promoters of ‘black violence.’”

The HKJA said the behaviour was reminiscent of an anonymous harassment campaign last summer, when the group found that dozens of journalists – including from Hong Kong Free Press – were intimidated and saw letters sent to their family members, landlords, as well as home addresses, workplaces and other venues.

U-beat harassment
Posts on Facebook by anonymous users accusing the U-beat report of being biased and anti-government. Photo: Screenshots via Hong Kong Journalists Association.

“Some of the tactics used in that harassment were similar to this incident, such as the intensive posting of different images on social media to make allegations, the use of photographs of the targeted subject, and unfounded allegations of ‘sedition’ in reporting,” it said.

The posts singled out two CUHK professors who supported the student publication, saying they were known for their anti-government stance and were “poisoning” the youth.

The HKJA added that two of the earliest Facebook posts came from users who had harassed journalists last year.

“The fact that… dozens of posts and images were published and shared by the same group of users within a short period of time raises suspicion of coordination behind such an operation,” the HKJA said.

‘Sweeping generalisations’

U-beat’s video report was widely shared after its release, with comments on the YouTube post praising the students’ bravery and the depth of investigative reporting. Some said such reporting was rare nowadays in Hong Kong, which has seen the closure of several news outlets since a Beijing-imposed national security law took effect.

The authorities, however, defended the care teams. Clarence Leung, the undersecretary for Home and Youth Affairs, said there may have been “sweeping generalisations” in the report although he did not specify what they were.

Alice Mak
Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak. File photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

Secretary for Home and Youth Affairs Alice Mak addressed a scene in the report, in which it was suggested that participants at a care team-organised trip to a national security exhibition were asked to put on a vest with the care team logo – clothing meant for team members – for a group photo.

In the video, a reporter questioned a man who appeared to have returned the vest after the photo. The man said there were “not enough people,” so “actors” were required.

See also: Hong Kong journalism lecturer defends student reporters after documentary accused of ‘sweeping generalisations’

Mak denied that teams bolstered numbers by asking participants of care team events to put on volunteer vests, saying that was how residents showed their support to the care teams.

“Each care team has only eight to 12 members, so sometimes they need to recruit volunteers in the community,” she said. “Actually many residents have been keen to support the care teams.”

The government gives each care team up to HK$1.2 million in funding for a two-year team. Chief Executive John Lee announced in his policy address last October that funding will be increased by 50 per cent in the next term.

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https://hongkongfp.com/2025/01/27/harassment-of-journalists-revived-after-student-reporters-investigation-into-govt-care-teams-press-group-says/