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How the HK protests are reported overseas

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  1. #1

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    How the HK protests are reported overseas

    I came across this article in the Australian today, linked by a Facebook friend of mine who is blue to the core. I think it could have been drafted by the CCP..... what's up with the Australian?!

    https://www.theaustralian.com.au/wor...b5b9f35884ecbc

    Some quotes:

    "A Hong Kong-based lawyer friend and long-time contact yelled at me on Monday while echoing the sentiments of many here, furious at what they see as “appalling bias” in reporting which has glossed over the violence and vandalism of the protesters.“You’re a journalist and you guys are responsible for a lot of this now. Every camera is pointed in one direction to paint this false narrative of the police as brutal bastards and the protesters as ­heroic democrats with a noble cause,” he said. “The coverage emboldens them and now they think they can get away with anything.”

    "
    Many here are now cowed into silence. A prominent Australian Hong Kong businesswoman told me: “No one is prepared to speak on the record because media is fuelling this as a spectator sport"

    "
    The hapless police are in a no-win situation. Molotov cocktails, bricks prised from the pavement, iron bars — anything with the potential to cause injury or death to police — are hurled at police who surround the protesters. But unlike in the past when this level of civil disobedience would not have been tolerated, police are hamstrung by the weak leadership of government. So they stand back, taking too long to move in, clear the radicals and restore order."


    ****

    When I read the bio of the guy who wrote this, he seems pretty good. But this (and quite a few similar other articles by him on the site) don't seem to be at all balanced.

    I agree that the situation is not ideal; but ignoring the brutality of the police in fuelling the anger seems like a pretty big deal to me. And quoting only people "anti" protestor rather than also picking up some of the views from the other side again somewhat biased.

    Last edited by HK_Katherine; 21-11-2019 at 02:10 PM.
    Paxbritannia likes this.

  2. #2

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    It come out in one of the articles that Hedley Thomas quoted, of all people as an authoritative "impartial source", his former colleague Yonden Lhatoo of the SCMP. It seems that Thomas may have written for the SCMP in the 90s when it was still owned by News Ltd, so he probably doesn't realise how corrupted the SCMP and writer like Lhatoo have become. Plus you have servile panda-huggers like Mike Rowse putting poison in his mind and this is the result.

    If you want to see more ridiculous slant in The Australian, take a look at this letter to the editor which claims the protests are being exclusively attended and enacted by the "children of the elite" who just want to retain their power over society - WTF?

    https://www.theaustralian.com.au/com...30a3b4bfd4be8c

    The protesters in Hong Kong are the entitled generation of the local elites who had control of this part of China when it was a British colony. Talk of freedom and democracy is so much tosh. These people just want a return to the glory days when their parents were in charge.
    Brian Sanaghan, West Preston, Vic

  3. #3

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    it really is quite crazy. But I guess Australia does a lot of business with China - too much moolah to ignore.


  4. #4

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    Quote Originally Posted by HK_Katherine:
    it really is quite crazy. But I guess Australia does a lot of business with China - too much moolah to ignore.
    Indeed. As I have mentioned before, they're learning how to behave appropriately as a newly established colony.
    hannah01 and hongkong7 like this.

  5. #5

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    The problem in Australian media is ownership, News Corp (owned by Murdoch)

    If you look at the top 6 papers by circulation and add in ownership:
    Title 2018 Owner
    Herald Sun 303,140 News Corp
    Daily Telegraph 221,641 News Corp
    The Courier-Mail 135,007 News Corp
    The West Australian 128,365 Seven Group
    The Advertiser 112,097 News Corp
    The Australian 88,581 News Corp

    You begin to see the influence News Corp (and by extension, Rupert Murdoch) has on Australian Media / Politics ...

    source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_o...by_circulation

    Last edited by Rob2020; 21-11-2019 at 04:42 PM. Reason: add sauce

  6. #6

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    I just want to say Josh has no idea what BILD stands for in Germany.


  7. #7

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    I've checked with friends in Australia, who say that most media reports are highly sympathetic towards the protesters.