Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents’ Club renews call for independent inquiry into reports of police impeding journalists amid members’ criticism
- Dozens of members had signed petition asking why club was absent from journalists’ march on Sunday and slamming FCC’s ‘half-hearted’ response
- Club president Jodi Schneider says investigation into allegations police targeted journalists should be conducted by a neutral third party
The Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Hong Kong (FCC) has renewed its call for an independent investigation into reports of journalists being impeded in covering the recent extradition bill protests amid criticisms from its members that the club has not been proactive enough in defending press freedom.
FCC president Jodi Schneider made the call as dozens of members signed a petition questioning the club’s absence from Sunday’s march against mistreatment of journalists by police, which was organised by seven media groups.
The city has witnessed a series of anti-bill protests over the past month, which soured relations between police and the public and left dozens injured, including journalists.
Schneider expressed concern about the allegations and video footage, which suggested that journalists – despite having clear press identification – were targeted by the police’s crowd control measures during the demonstrations.
“We are asking for a specific investigation to look into reports of press being impeded by the police when they covered the recent protests,” Schneider told the Post on Tuesday.
