Club Lunch Panel- Covering the Hong Kong Protests: Video and Photo Journalists on the Front Lines

A pack of yellow-vested journalists armed with video and recording devices have become a fixture of Hong Kong’s protests — with their reportage showing the world what is occurring on the streets of Hong Kong as the clashes between police and protesters have become more chaotic and violent. They have endured tear gas and pepper spray volleys and sometimes even more violence as they do their jobs. Their videos and photos have defined public perception of the protests, now in their fifth month. What are the risks they face to their health and safety? How have their jobs become more riskier as the protests have taken on a more violent flavor? And how are new restrictions on face masks complicating their jobs? The panel also explored the rights and responsibilities video and photo journalists have and examine how this segment of the press has been doing in covering the Hong Kong protests.

   

Panelists will include:

May James, Photographer, who has been featured in the online version of TimeOut magazine. She has changed her focus from mainstay street photography to cover many of the Hong Kong protests. As a mother of two, she says she felt it was important to create a visual record of a significant moment in Hong Kong’s history that could have far-reaching consequences. Her work on the protests has been featured by a variety of local and international outlets including Hong Kong Free Press and AFP.

Chieu Luu, Video journalist, South China Morning Post. He joined the Post as supervising producer of video in 2018, managing the daily operations of the video team as well as producing stories from Hong Kong, China and across Asia. He previously worked for CNN in Hong Kong, CGTN in Beijing and Al Jazeera English in Washington DC and Kuala Lumpur.

Anthony Kwan, Photographer, Born and raised in Hong Kong, Anthony Kwan, a prize-winning photojournalist, has been covering the protests over the past months, primarily for Getty. He has also worked in the United States and shot photos across North America and Asia. No stranger to the risks of his profession, he was detained Thailand in 2015 for having protective gear in his luggage while covering violent protests in the country.

Aleksander Solum is a senior video journalist at Reuters Video News and has been covering the protests in Hong Kong since their beginning. He has previously worked for the South China Morning Post at studied journalism at The University of Hong Kong.