Security threats to foreign journalists in China on the rise

Security risks for foreign journalists working in China are escalating, as Chinese authorities increasingly impose so-called “red lines” on information gathering and reporting.
According to a report published by Voice of America today, British and Japanese journalists were harassed while trying to cover a deliberate ramming incident outside the Zhuhui Sports Center. The harassment was not limited to obstruction but also included mistreatment, with Chinese police demanding that the journalists erase their footage.
In a video broadcast by the BBC, its China correspondent Stephen McDonnell is seen covering the incident that killed 35 people on November 11. As he was working, a Chinese man in civilian clothes tried to block the filming by putting his hand over the camera and shoving the reporter, saying, “You are not allowed to film.” When the reporter asked him to stop interfering, the man responded, “I am a Chinese citizen, and you are filming in China. Do you have a press card?” and continued to try to obstruct the coverage.
International media organizations confirm that the Chinese authorities follow a systematic policy of targeting foreign journalists, with the aim of imposing complete control over the news and preventing any social incident from becoming a political issue.
In addition, the Chinese police regularly target independent local and foreign journalists through arrests and eliminate any opportunities for independent investigation.
In the past, there have been repeated incidents of assault and threats by plainclothes police officers against foreign media workers, highlighting the difficult and deteriorating media environmentin China.