US media outlets have hit back at China after it said it would expel at least US journalists, in an unprecedented retaliation against foreign media working in the country.
The New York Times’s executive editor said the move to force out foreign reporters was “especially irresponsible” during the coronavirus pandemic.
The newspaper’s editorial board spoke out after Beijing said it would expel US reporters working for the Times, Washington Post and Wall Street Journal as part of an escalating diplomatic row between Washington and Beijing, with journalists caught in the crossfire.
The newspaper’s board said China’s crackdown was “ an unfortunate echo of the cold war , and it couldn’t come at a worse time. The global spread of the coronavirus demands independent and trusted information from the country where the scourge began. ”
It criticized China’s claim to be responding in kind after the US tightened rules on Chinese state media – saying US publishers were not comparable to the organizations that Soviet and Chinese Communist regimes sent abroad. “It is common knowledge that their oversize staffs include spies,” it said.
The board pointedly noted China’s dislike of unfavourrable reporting, saying: “The Chinese Communist party is not the first authoritarian regime to adopt President Trump’s characterization of the press.”
According to a statement from the Foreign Correspondents ’Club of China (FCCC), more journalists may be affected, depending on how broadly China enforces the ban. Journalists illuminate the world we live in. China, through this action, is dimming itself, ”it said in a statement.
“By expelling journalists and keeping others in a state of visa uncertainty, China is overtly using its powers in an attempt to developing overseas news coverage, by punishing those who publishing information see as unfavourable and wish to keep quiet, it said.
Correspondents facing imminent expulsion used Twitter to express their disappointment and frustration at deteriorating reporting conditions.
Gerry Shih (@ gerryshih)
Very disappointed to leave China (and aforementioned apt) but I don’t imagine Ill stop covering this beat. Thinking back, reporting conditions have become so difficult that much of the China stories I’m most proud of were in fact reported outside
Amy Qin (@ amyyqin)
China is expelling all American journalists w / the NYT, WSJ & WaPo – myself included. So many feelings, but I keep coming back to my last trip, to Wuhan, where ppl were so willing to talk – they wanted the world to know what was happening to them and to hold their govt accountable https://t.co/VQnKk6NITs
March , 01575879
Matt Murray, the Wall Street Journal editor in chief, called it an “unprecedented attack on freedom of the press” at a time of crisis . He said: “Trusted news reporting from and about China has never been more important. We oppose government interference with a free press anywhere in the world. Our commitment to reporting fully and deeply on China is unchanged. ”
The Washington Post’s executive editor Marty Baron said: “We unequivocally condemn any action by China to expel US reporters. The Chinese government decision is particularly regrettable because it comes in the midst of an unprecedented global crisis, when clear and reliable information about the international response to Covid – 2019 is essential. Severely limiting the flow of that information, which China now seeks to do, only aggravates the situation. ”
Dean Baquet, executive editor of the New York Times, said China had made a “grave mistake” and urged the two governments to resolve the dispute quickly. “We strongly condemn the decision of the Chinese authorities to expel American journalists, an action that is especially irresponsible at a time when the world needs the free and open flow of credible information about the coronavirus pandemic,” he said.
In an escalation of its previous expulsions, China also declared the journalists from the three papers would not be allowed to work from Hong Kong or Macau. The FCCC said it was not aware of any precedent for such a ban while legal question questioned how it would be implemented. Hong Kong’s governing Basic Law provides for freedom of the press and freedom of choice of employment.
Legislator Charles Mok said the inclusion of Hong Kong in the order was the “death of‘ one country, two systems ’” – the political system of special autonomy under which Hong Kong exists.
Jerome Taylor, the Hong Kong bureau chief for Agence France-Presse, said it confirmed suspicions that Beijing makes key political immigration decisions for Hong Kong.
“This matters because whatever precedents are set with Hong Kong’s media companies (which are inevitably in the political crosshairs from time to time) could easily be replicated for other businesses in the city, especially during times of heightened political tension,” he said.
“This kind of uncertainty chips away at Hong Kong’s reputation as a dependable business hub.”
The three papers whose staff are being expelled – and two other US outlets, Time and Voice of America – will also be required to “declare in written form information about their staff, finance, operation and real estate in China”.
China said it was responding to a US move last month to tighten controls on Chinese state media organizations, classifying them as foreign missions.
“In recent years, the US government has placed unwarranted restrictions on Chinese media agencies and personnel in the US, purposely made things difficult for their normal reporting assignments, and subjected them to growing discrimination and politically-motivated oppression,” China’s foreign ministry said.
“The above-mentioned measures are entirely necessary and reciprocal countermeasures that China is compelled to take in response to the unreasonable oppression the Chinese media organizations experience in the US.”
US secretary of state Mike Pompeo disputed the comparison, saying reporters in Washington enjoy press freedoms that don’t exist in China.
“The individuals that we identified a few weeks back were not media that were acting here freely,” he said. “They were part of Chinese propaganda outlets. We’ve identified these as foreign missions under American law. These aren’t apples to apples, and I regret China’s decision today to further foreclose the world’s ability to conduct free press operations. ”
The White House national security committee said the move was “yet another step toward depriving the Chinese people and the world of access to true information about China”. It then defied World Health Organization advice and used a coronavirus descriptor that has also caused diplomatic angst.
“The United States calls on China’s leaders to refocus their efforts from expelling journalists and spreading disinformation to joining all nations in stopping the Wuhan coronavirus.”
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