Foreign journalists reporting on the aftermath of an enormous explosion in the Chinese city of Tianjin have been subjected to harassment at the hands of authorities and bystanders on multiple occasions, according to a recent bulletin from an overseas press association.
Several journalists, among them reporters from CNN and CBS News, have been met with interference from police or passersby while reporting on the explosion that has left at least 85 dead, according to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China.
The incidents underscore longstanding tensions between foreign journalists and Chinese officials, which have for years wielded their influence in effort to shape the narrative coming out of the country. The blast, which emanated from a seaport warehouse for hazardous materials, has drawn coverage from major American news outlets including The New York Times, CNN, CBS News and The Associated Press.
That attention hasn’t gone unnoticed by Chinese officials. On Thursday, CBS News reporter Seth Doane was accosted by Chinese police while attempting to film a shot in front of a hospital. A brief clip from his report shows a plastic bottle being shoved in front of a CBS News camera while Doane is escorted away by an unidentified official.
“We’re not trying to do that much, but as you can see, the police here are trying to stop us from shooting,” Doane says. “This is what it’s like covering a story here in China.”
On Wednesday, CNN reporter Will Ripley was confronted by several bystanders while filming a shot in front of an area hospital. As he speaks to an anchor in the studio, a voice is heard yelling off-camera and Ripley is swarmed by multiple spectators. The incident began after a man in the crowd noticed New York Times reporter Andrew Jacobs outside the hospital and began shouting, “don’t let the foreigners report on this,” according to the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of China. A group of police then prevented Ripley’s colleagues from helping him.
Journalists from non-American news outlets have also faced harassment, according to the report. Authorities reportedly confiscated the memory card from one Taiwanese reporter’s camera and “demanded that he kneel and beg for it back.” A journalist quoted anonymously from an agency identified only as a “European media outlet” says the agency’s crew was questioned by police after a woman demanded that they stop shooting.
The Chinese government in recent years has taken several steps to quell or punish foreign reporting in the country. Officials have withheld visas from journalists and delayed returning their passports. Earlier this year, the correspondents’ club released the results of a survey of its members, most of whom said working conditions in the country failed to meet international standards.
