Newsletter No. 398

2 No. 398, 19.5.2012 黃嘉瑜 Wong Ka-yu 2004年新聞與傳播學院畢業 NOW新聞及財經資訊台高級記者 2004 graduate, School of Journalism and Communication Senior Reporter, NOW TV (News and Business Information) 守護社會公義的無冕皇帝 A Guardian Angel of Society I n August of 2009, the interviewee on the NOW TV news report, to one’s surprise, was the reporter of that news organization. Ka-yu and a cameraman went to cover the trial of Tan Zuoren, a human rights activist on the mainland, in Chengdu, but were obstructed by the police. They documented the whole process to show how the mainland government restricted the freedom of the press. Ka-yu was dispatched to the mainland branch in early 2008, when it was a fledgling office. She was responsible for covering news stories on the mainland as well as the administrative work of the whole office. ‘I worked like a news editor of the mainland section, deciding which piece of news should be reported and from what angle.’ When talking about her experience there, she described that there was no specific post in the mainland government bureaucracy to take care of the press. It also set many hurdles for interview requests and kept a watchful eye on the Hong Kong media. Sometimes the government officials would interfere with interviews, intercepting phone conversations, or even stalking reporters. ‘If you ask unfavorable questions, trouble may follow.’ ‘Professionalism, independence, determination, being proactive and understanding one’s rights are essential for working while under threat.’ Ka-yu affirmed that the one-year exchange experience equipped her with these qualities. She had won a scholarship from CUHK to go on exchange to the University of California (Irvine) to study political science. Ka-yu was astonished and deeply influenced by the proactiveness, expressiveness and respect for others’ opinions of her foreign classmates. Going on exchange is a precious experience of CUHK students. The undergraduate progamme of the School of Journalism and Communication puts equal emphasis on theoretical and professional training. It requires majors to select courses from the Social Science Faculty to broaden their horizons. Ka-yu believes this consolidates students’ multi- disciplinary knowledge base and analytical thinking from different angles. The school also invited their graduates to share the experience of being front-line journalists. As one of the mentors in the school’s mentorship programme, Ka-yu hopes to share her experience in work and life with the younger generation. Ka-yu is worried about the decline of the freedom of the press. She illustrated with examples: the government may gradually set interview zones to limit the press’s freedom; media investors only run their organizations as a business or exploit it for political advantage. As a result, the coverage may not be neutral and in the interest of the general public, and this in turn will lead to a reduction of the freedom of the press. In Ka-yu’s view, a good journalist should have a critical mind and sensitivity to current issues, be objective, be indignant at the lack of fairness, and should act in the interest of the public. 2 009年8月，NOW新聞台一宗新聞的主角，竟是平日追 訪他人的該台記者黃嘉瑜。原來嘉瑜與攝影師到成都 採訪維權人士譚作人一案，遭公安阻撓。他們索性將過程 拍下並播出，讓公眾知道內地箝制新聞自由的手段。 嘉瑜早於2008年開始派駐內地，其時公司的內地辦公 室成立不久，她既要發掘新聞故事，又要兼顧辦公室行 政，「自己像是小採主，決定做甚麼新聞，要以甚麼角度切 入。」 她表示，內地部門沒有新聞官制度，政府設下很多訪問關 卡，對香港傳媒又有戒心，有時會遇上阻撓及截聽，甚至 採訪後被人跟踪。「若問了一些對方不喜歡的課題，之後 也許會有麻煩。」 在地雷處處的環境工作，必須專業、獨立、果斷、主動，清 楚自己的權利。在這方面，嘉瑜認為大學期間的一年交流 生活對她大有幫助。當年她憑獎學金遠赴美國加州大學 爾灣分校修讀政治科學，看到外地學生非常主動、敢於表 達，對其他人的意見又包容，自己也深受感染。 交流生活固然難忘，在中大讀書，嘉瑜也得益不少。新傳 學院本科課程強調理論與實踐結合，更要求學生必修社 會科學院的其他科目，她認為這是思維的扎根，讓學生從 不同角度思考同一事件。此外，學院又常邀畢業生回校分 享，使他們更了解前線記者的工作。因此，她現時也加入了 學院的師友計劃，與師弟妹分享自己的工作及人生經驗， 薪火相傳。 談到新聞行業的前景，嘉瑜感到香港的新聞自由有逐步 倒退的趨勢，一方面政府限制前線記者採訪，如收窄記者 的採訪範圍；另一方面，傳媒投資者傾向視傳媒為一盤生 意，或是操控政治的本錢，報道有時未必以公眾利益、理 性分析為依歸，這變相亦限制了新聞自由。 嘉瑜心目中成功的記者要有批判思考能力，對時事敏感， 客觀報道，並要有為社會打抱不平的心態，從讀者的權利 出發。 得獎作品 Award-winning work 《公安阻撓採訪譚作人案》 Police Suppression to Report Tan Zuoren’s Trial 優秀的前線傳媒工作者，專業獨立、主動 求真、胸懷人文精神，這亦是中大全人 教育致力培養的人才素質。中大兩名 畢業生 羅淑儀 和 黃嘉瑜 ，分別獲得 2011年第五屆中大新聞獎的專題組 （電視）大獎，以及新聞報道組（電視） 優異獎。她們把在母校學到的專業知識 和養成的人文品格展現出來，並隨着年月 沉澱發酵，散發芬芳，一點一滴影響着社會。 from Seed to Bloom 在社會發酵的 人文精神 Humanistic Spirit 「我會繼續透過報道，使觀眾了解更多 不同階層和文化的生活和想法，從而更能 包容和更有同理心。」 ‘I believe through media, the public can know about the views of different social strata and different races, and will learn to value others’ thinking and put themselves in others’ shoes.’