Letters | Conflict with Pakistan revealed India’s media bias. Are news providers in Hong Kong much better?

The media has a responsibility to cover stories from multiple perspectives while the public must judge the news critically

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Reporters should offer a balanced perspective, rather than focusing on just one side of a story. Photo: Nora Tam

Published: 3:10am, 18 Mar 2019Updated: 3:10am, 18 Mar 2019

I am writing in response to the article “Indian media: in love with the military, blind to the truth of Pakistan conflict?” (March 6).

The article highlights how the Indian media reports unverified news and tends to favour the military. This bias means that people are not likely to see negative news about the military.

With the media becoming increasingly influential and people relying on it to make judgments about events, people and organisations, misleading news can weaken people’s understanding of current affairs and encroach on their right to know.

The Hong Kong media has similar problems. For example, when reporting on the government’s proposed rendition agreement, some media focus on the benefits while others focus on the drawbacks, instead of providing audiences with a balanced view of both pros and cons.

While the media has a responsibility to ensure fairness in reporting, readers also should maintain a critical stance. Not only should they doubt the veracity of the news, they should also source the news from different media, so that they have access to different perspectives.