Depredador(a)

Carrie LAM

Jefa del Ejecutivo de la Región Administrativa Especial de Hong Kong de la República Popular China desde 2017

Presidenta del Comité de Protección de la Seguridad Nacional desde 2020

Depredadora desde 2019

Hong Kong, 80°/180 en la Clasificación Mundial de la Libertad de Prensa 2021

Dear [Name of Candidate],

I am writing to ask you what you plan to do to defend the First Amendment, freedom of the press, and the fundamental rights of journalists to practice their profession freely in what has become an increasingly hostile environment for information and news providers.

The United States, which enshrines press freedom in the First Amendment of its Constitution, is currently witnessing a drastic decline in media freedom. On June 28, one of the most horrific attacks on press freedom in the United States occurred when five employees, including four reporters, were killed at the Capital Gazette newspaper in Annapolis, Maryland. According to the US Press Freedom Tracker, which comprehensively documents press freedom violations in the US committed by national, state, and local authorities as well as private individuals, 33 journalists were arrested, 43 were physically attacked, and 15 seizures of journalists’ equipment occurred in 2017. In one of these incidents, Rep. Greg Gianforte physically assaulted a Guardian journalist the night before his state’s election. While covering the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, journalists were impersonated on social media, impeding their ability to accurately investigate the facts and disseminate information which could be vital to preventing a similar tragedy. This hostility towards the press not only risks compromising the American public’s right to be informed through journalists’ reporting, but can also degrade the public’s trust in the media itself.

This is not a partisan issue; it is a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics. Journalism is at the crux of our democracy, and communities everywhere rely on journalists to provide them with information that is essential to their daily decision-making processes. It was local investigative journalist Curt Guyette who broke the story about Flint, Michigan’s lack of access to clean water in 2014, prompting years of class-action lawsuits, protests, and subsequent federal assistance to the city in order to try to resolve the crisis. Reporters Megan Twohey, Jodi Kantor, and Ronan Farrow publicized sexual assault allegations against influential Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein in 2017, leading to the ubiquitous and powerful #MeToo movement which brought decades of sexual abuse and harassment across multiple industries to light.

Yet freedom of the press in the US is currently in dire need of congressional support. It is our civic duty as one of the world’s leading democracies to uphold principles that support and protect the rights of journalists so that they may hold those in power accountable and ensure an informed and engaged community.

If you are elected, what do you plan to do to protect this utterly essential component of our democracy? What are your plans to protect the public’s right to be informed through a free and independent press?

Sincerely,
[Your name]

Hello, my name is _______ and I am from [city, state].

I’m calling to let you know that [candidate/representative]'s stance on freedom of the press is extremely important in my decision to vote. I feel that this is not a partisan issue, but a fundamental right that impacts every American no matter their politics.

I have become increasingly concerned with the growing climate of hostility for journalists in this country, and I would like for [candidate/representative] to publicly address what they will do to defend press freedom if [he/she] is elected.

Thank you.

Freedom of the press is suffering in the US. @[yourcandidate] if you are elected to serve in Congress, what are your plans to protect journalists and our right to be informed? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

Democracy depends on a free and independent press and its ability to hold those in power accountable. [@yourcandidate] will you take measures to protect journalism and the First Amendment? Will you #DefendPressFreedom?

In June, four reporters were murdered in an appalling targeted attack on the Capital Gazette and freedom of the press. [@yourcandidate] what will you do to address the growing threat to journalists in this country? #DefendPressFreedom

Press freedom is in steady decline in the US. I want my representative to defend the work of journalists as well as my right to be informed. [@yourcandidate] if you are elected what will you do to protect a free press? #DefendPressFreedom

Journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. And yet in the US, attacks on journalists are becoming more common, undermining the media's role and creating opportunities for government overreach, the erosion of press freedom, and impeding our right to be informed. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join me at DefendPressFreedom.com

A free press is essential to our democracy. Communities everywhere rely on journalists to report on our government’s actions and hold public figures accountable, providing us with the information we need to make decisions every day. And yet physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists in the US are increasing at an astonishing rate. I’m contacting my candidates and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. You should too. Read more at DefendPressFreedom.com

Press freedom is declining in the US at an alarming rate. Physical, verbal, and online attacks against journalists have increased drastically in the last two years. As the US midterm elections approach, we must remind our congressional candidates that journalists play a crucial role in our democracy by keeping us informed and holding those in power accountable. I’m contacting my representatives and encouraging them to defend press freedom during their midterm election campaign. Join in and help me spread the word at DefendPressFreedom.com

MÉTODO DE PREDACIÓN: golpes y una ley liberticida

Cuando Carrie Lam asumió el cargo de jefa del ejecutivo de Hong Kong en 2017 y abrió las conferencias de prensa del gobierno a los medios digitales independientes, había esperanzas de cambios positivos para la libertad de prensa. Por desgracia, Carrie Lam reveló enseguida su verdadero rostro: el de una marioneta del presidente chino Xi Jinping, cuyas políticas liberticidas sigue defendiendo bajo el disfraz de "patriotismo". El proyecto de ley que presentó en 2019 y que iba a permitir la extradición, entre otros, de periodistas que desagradaban a Pekín, dio lugar a grandes manifestaciones. Durante estas protestas, muchos periodistas sufrieron agresiones físicas a manos de la policía, algo que Carrie Lam siempre se ha negado a reconocer. A continuación, la jefa del ejecutivo celebró que el gobierno chino aprobase en junio de 2020 la ley de seguridad nacional, que permite al régimen de Pekín intervenir directamente en Hong Kong para castigar arbitrariamente a quienes que considera responsables de "terrorismo", "secesión", "subversión" e "injerencia extranjera". Estos delitos, que se pueden castigar con la cadena perpetua e incluso con la muerte, dejan la puerta abierta a detenciones arbitrarias y suponen una amenaza especialmente para los periodistas.

OBJETIVOS PREDILECTOS: la radiotelevisión pública y los medios independientes

Carrie Lam carga sin descanso contra los símbolos de la libertad de prensa en Hong Kong. Al congelar los activos financieros del Apple Daily, uno de los últimos grandes medios de comunicación en chino de Hong Kong que aún se atrevía a criticar a Beijing, forzó al diario a cerrar a fines de junio de 2021. Carrie Lam también orquestó el acoso judicial contra Jimmy Lai, fundador de Apple Daily y ganador del Premio RSF a la Libertad de Prensa 2020, así como de la exdiputada y experiodista Claudia Mo, detenidos en 2021 y acusados en virtud de la ley de seguridad nacional. Finalmente, lanzó una verdadera campaña de intimidación contra el grupo audiovisual Radio Televisión Hong Kong (RTHK), nombró un nuevo director de programas para establecer un sistema de censura interna y llevó la intromisión editorial a unos niveles nunca alcanzados, ya que impuso su propio programa de entrevistas al grupo público, que se emitió a diario durante un mes a partir del 28 de abril de 2021.

DISCURSO OFICIAL: una particular visión del papel de los periodistas

“Criticar al gobierno de Hong Kong no es un problema, pero si existe la intención de organizar acciones que inciten a la subversión del gobierno, entonces, por supuesto, eso es diferente. (...) Los amigos de los medios deberían ser capaces de distinguir entre ambas cosas". (Declaración de Carrie Lam en conferencia de prensa sobre la libertad de prensa en la ciudad, el 22 de junio de 2021, y a propósito de un registro en los locales de la sede de Apple Daily).

Publié le 05.07.2021