Chinese authorities physically harass journalist on live TV, city issues rare apology
City officials in China apologize to journalists for harassment during coverage of deadly explosion.
- Bilawal Riaz
- 1 min read
City officials in eastern China issued a rare apology to local journalists after authorities were seen harassing them at the scene of a deadly explosion. The incident involved officials pushing and obstructing reporters from covering a suspected gas leak explosion that resulted in seven deaths and 27 injuries. The city of Sanhe expressed regret over the treatment of journalists, attributing the actions to concerns about a potential gas leak. The situation was publicly acknowledged, highlighting the common occurrence of harassment towards journalists, especially foreign ones in China. The All-China Journalists Association defended journalists’ rights to report from disaster sites, although there has been no explicit condemnation of the authorities’ actions. This incident is part of a broader pattern of mistreatment towards journalists in China, including detentions, surveillance, and restrictions on access to sensitive areas.