Report finds reporting on China leads to surveillance and harassment

Reporting conditions in China have improved since the global pandemic, but foreign journalists still face obstacles such as visa issues, surveillance and harassment, a new survey shows.

An annual survey by the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China (FCCC) found that 81% of respondents said reporting conditions had improved “somewhat”, but almost all journalists said the reporting environment did not meet international standards.

Key problems remain, including difficulties in obtaining long-term visas, leaving foreign news organizations short-staffed; journalists being obstructed by police or other officials while carrying out their duties, and being harassed while reporting in Xinjiang and border areas.

Each year, the FCCC surveys more than 155 journalists from Asia, Europe, Latin America and North America. its latest report The survey, which looked at working conditions in foreign media, was based on 101 responses.

The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to an email from VOA requesting comment on the findings.

One of the main difficulties is obtaining a visa. About a third of respondents said their visa offices remained understaffed due to difficulties extending or successfully applying for new visas.

Chinese authorities mostly issue short-term visas. The FCCC found that in 2023, only one U.S. media outlet will be certified. The Canadian media has not had a reporter in China for four years.

Respondents said that as pandemic restrictions ease, they are again unsure about which reports will result in surveillance or trips being cut short.

Four-fifths of those surveyed said they had experienced interference and harassment, and more than half said they had been prevented from reporting or filming by police or other officials.

Nearly all those who reported from Xinjiang or Tibet said they had experienced increased harassment. But journalists covering or trying to travel to other border areas of the country have also reported incidents of harassment.

After Xinjiang, the area with the most reporting barriers is the border with Russia, with 79% of reporters encountering difficulties when trying to report from there.

A reporter for a European media outlet, who was not named by the FCC, described being followed by several vehicles while traveling to a town on the Russian border to report.

“They did not interfere with any of our interviews, although they did contact
At least one interviewee followed.When we checked into the hotel, the hotel staff
Earlier, we said we were ‘journalists whom the state security services had warned them about’,” the journalist said.

Journalists traveling to Inner Mongolia reported similar experiences. The FCCC detailed three instances of plainclothes officers warning people not to talk to reporters or following news crews.

In its report, the FCCC noted that “under China’s own rules, foreign journalists are free to report on a wide range of topics and talk to whomever they want.”

Investigations show that more and more journalists are being “invited to tea” – a tactic used by Chinese officials to invite foreign media to informal meetings. During the meeting, reporters were asked about their coverage, and while the FCCC said the exchanges were generally “cordial,” it noted they could be used as a form of intimidation.

Surveillance was another issue, with respondents seeing more sources declining interviews or requesting anonymity.

Nearly all those surveyed said they believed they had been targeted for digital surveillance through communications apps or that their homes or offices had been bugged. Four of those interviewed said officials cited information that would have been known only if authorities had access to private accounts or devices.

The FCCC said these restrictions and harassment prevent the media from reporting a more balanced and nuanced picture of life in China.

“The result is that coverage of China fails to fully capture its extremely complex dynamics,” the FCCC said in the report. “Journalists are restricted in where they can travel and who they can talk to, and they no longer have the opportunity to delve deeply into topics and paint a nuanced picture of the country. The result is narrower and less representative coverage of China.”

China has a poor press freedom record, ranking 179th out of 180 countries, with 1 country performing best. press freedom index.

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders, which compiles the index, said China was engaged in a “global campaign of repression against journalism and information rights”.