According to a report by a group representing foreign journalists in China, media freedom is deteriorating at a "breakneck pace." Some media source reports that journalists in China face physical assaults, hacking, internet abuse, and visa denials, according to a report by the Foreign Correspondents Club (FCC).
Journalists on the Chinese mainland and in Hong Kong are also being targeted. The FCC has been labelled a "illegal organisation" by China. It comes as the world's media focus on the Beijing Winter Olympics, which are already being investigated because of alleged human rights violations in Xinjiang and a crackdown in Hong Kong, according to the report.
The state has harassed foreign journalists to the point where a few correspondents have fled china. Others have been compelled to devise emergency evacuation strategies as a safety measure. Let us tell you that Chinese colleagues of foreign journalists have also endured harassment, with authorities harassing their families.
Other journalists, including Australian Cheng Lei and Chinese national Haze Fan, have been held for more than a year on suspicion of being involved in state security investigations. "Continued zero-Covid policies, staffing issues, mounting geopolitical tensions, growing mistrust, and at times plain animosity against Western media in China create a perfect storm," said one of the report's.
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