For Shouting Questions at PNoy, HK Reporters Lose APEC Media Credentials

Three Hong Kong media representatives had their media credentials confiscated at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Bali, Indonesia Sunday for shouting questions at President Benigno Aquino III.

Hong Kong’s The Standard reported on Monday the Hong Kong reporters, representing Radio Television Hong Kong, Now TV, and Commercial Radio, shouted questions at Aquino regarding the 2010 hostage crisis in Manila where eight Hong Kong nationals died, Gma news online said.

Reports said President Aquino was walking into one of the conference rooms when the Hong Kong reporters started yelling questions at him. “Sir, will you meet CY Leung?,” they asked. “Why don’t you respond to the Hong Kong officials?” and, “Will you apologize? Please answer the question!”, Gma news online said.

Reports said shortly after the “shouting” incident, APEC staff confiscated the Hong Kong reporters’ credentials, and barred them from the conference.

“Don’t you have any decency? Don’t you know it’s rude to shout? You have no decency. Now get out!” said a female APEC staff member to one of the Hong Kong reporters. Another staffer said, “You have embarrassed one of our visitors.”

Gma news online said the RTHK expressed regret over the incident and is following up the matter with Hong Kong’s Information Services Department. Now TV also expressed regret and is also seeking to retrieve its reporter’s press credentials.

Meanwhile, reports said the Hong Kong Journalists Association defended the reporters, stating sometimes they have to shout out their questions because they are at a distance from the person they want to interview.

The association added that reporters have a “bounden duty” to ask questions. “Confiscating press credentials is rude,” said the HKJA.

Moreover, presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said Aquino was talking to the head of state of Peru when Hong Kong reporters shouted questions at him.

Lacierda said media credentials of the Hong Kong media outfits were revoked after the shouting incident because Indonesian authorities felt “it was not civil and it was not courteous,” Gma news online reported.

“Ang feeling po ng mga Indonesian ay nabastos ‘yung mga bisita, so ganoon po ‘yung naging decision nila,” Lacierda said. “Tayo pong mga Pilipino, hindi po natin ginagawa ‘yon na sinisigaw natin po ‘yung tanong. We observe protocol. We observe the proper way of interviewing any person, especially heads of state,” Lacierda added.

Source: Gma news online