Hong Kong journalism lecturer defends student reporters after documentary accused of ‘sweeping generalisations’
Hong Kong Free Press
A journalism lecturer at a Hong Kong university has spoken in defence of student reporters who were accused by an official of making “sweeping generalisations” in a video documentary about district-level “care teams”.
Published by U-Beat, the Chinese-language student publication from the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s School of Journalism and Communication, the report documented how students reporters’ requests to interview care teams and view their work reports were rejected on several occasions.
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, Clarence Leung of the Home and Youth Affairs Bureau, which oversees the city’s 452 Community Care Teams, said that “some reports” may not have been fair, a day after the 12-minute documentary was released.
Veteran journalist Sum Wan-wah, the students’ course instructor at CUHK, said his students had carried out the “basic work” of the press.
‘Sweeping generalisations’
The district-level Community Care Teams were introduced in 2022 as part of a scheme “to improve district governance” and to support authorities’ work across 18 districts. The government said last October that funding for the teams would be increased by 50 per cent in their next term of service.
The U-Beat report, published Friday, showed people putting on care team uniforms and telling student reporters that they were not really part of the care team, but rather “putting on a show” for photo opportunities.
Undersecretary Leung on Saturday told reporters that “some reports… may not be fair or may even have made some sweeping generalisations.”
He did not elaborate on which reports he was referring to, or what those generalisations were.
“The first thing is that no matter what, the HYAB and the Home Affairs Department (HAD), including the District Offices and friends from the Community Care Teams, will continue to serve the public with all their heart,” he said, according to a government statement.
Addressing questions about the people who had put on care team vests, Leung said care teams often worked with “volunteers” who were not official members of the district level service teams.
Work reports ‘not public’
Asked about U-Beat’s vain attempts to acquire care teams’ work reports from the authorities, Leung said that care teams citywide had visited 340,000 elderly families or families in need as of last November, and that the care teams “have been working very hard”.
Care teams are required to submit work reports to the corresponding District Office every six months, and submit work and financial reports every year, according to a December 2022 Legislative Council document. The work reports are not publicly available.
The Tsuen Wan and Southern district offices both rejected U-Beat’s requests for interviews and to view the care team work reports.
Tsuen Wan District Officer Billy Au, when approached by U-Beat reporters after a District Council meeting, said the care teams had met their key performance indicators, and that “some government documents are not open to the public.”
Speaking on Commercial Radio on Monday, veteran journalist Sum said that the students had carried out basic journalistic work. “We had never set out to reveal anything… the students’ motive was simply to see what the care teams are doing,” said Sum.
Asked whether the student reporters felt under pressure, Sum said they did: “You can see those comments, asking ‘can this be reported?’, ‘can they say this?’ — this has to do with the current atmosphere, but I still think this is work that the press should be doing.”
Support HKFP | Policies & Ethics | Error/typo? | Contact Us | Newsletter | Transparency & Annual Report | Apps
Help safeguard press freedom & keep HKFP free for all readers by supporting our team
LATEST FROM HKFP
HKFP has an impartial stance, transparent funding, and balanced coverage guided by an Ethics Code and Corrections Policy.
Support press freedom & help us surpass 1,000 monthly Patrons: 100% independent, governed by an ethics code & not-for-profit.