Police tighten rules to combat fake journalists

HONG KONG - The Hong Kong Police Force will recognize only news media that are registered with the SAR government, or foreign media that are "internationally recognized and renowned", said Kenneth Kwok Ka-chuen, chief superintendent of the Police Public Relations Branch, on Tuesday.

The change will come into effect as soon as Wednesday, according to local media reports.

The move will allow frontline police officers to recognize journalists more efficiently during their operations, and that will permit on-the-scene journalists to perform their duties at closer and more favorable locations, Kwok said in a letter to the city’s four major media associations.

The plan came after a series of incidents since June last year at which people pretending to be news reporters obstructed police’s law enforcement operations at protest sites, Kwok said.

Under the existing protocol of the Police General Orders, police currently also recognize journalists accredited by the Hong Kong Journalists Association and the Hong Kong Press Photographers Association. Under the new rules, police will no longer acknowledge members of either associations.

Pro-establishment lawmaker Elizabeth Quat Pui-fan voiced support for the police’s move, which would bar people with an intent to obstruct police operations from impersonating reporters at the scenes of often-violent protests.

Those "fake" journalists have not only obstructed police operations but also hindered genuine members of the press from reporting, thereby undercutting press freedom, Quat said. “It's time to right the wrong and defend the dignity of real journalists,” she added.

Priscilla Leung Mei-fen, a legislator and former journalist, said she hopes that clear guidelines would be enacted to help facilitate the work of professional reporters at credible media outlets. Leung said she believes that given Hong Kong people's increasing distrust of Hong Kong journalists, the guidelines will be vital for rehabilitating media agencies' reputations and regaining people's trust.