The Taipei City Police Department’s controversial new policy to designate press zones during demonstrations — which drew criticism from the media as a move to restrict freedom of the press — is totally unnecessary.
Following numerous conflicts between the police and the media at the scenes of protests — which have resulted in reporters being injured in some cases — over the years, the police department announced that it planned to set up press zones “to better protect the safety of reporters.”
However, the move has been met with strong opposition from most reporters, with more than 500 signing a petition against the proposal in just 48 hours.
Although the police say that the objective of the measure is to protect — rather than restrict — the media, and that reporters do not have to stay in the press zone if they do not want to, most reporters remain unconvinced, likely due to a lack of trust in the police, as officers often show little respect for the media, especially in the often chaotic environment of demonstrations.
Technically, reporters can stay at the scene of protests or clashes as long as they do not interfere with police actions according to regulations on police conduct, but there can be exceptions — such as whenever a police commander, or individual officer, feels like it.
On the night of March 23 last year, when thousands of people briefly took control of the Executive Yuan compound, reporters were refused entry by the police at some entrances, but allowed to enter through others; they were asked to leave by some officers, but permitted to stay by others.
Later in the night, when the police began to forcibly disperse the protesters, several reporters were removed and some were even beaten by the police, despite identifying themselves verbally or showing their press passes, or even carrying cameras or microphones with TV station names on them.
What happened that night was not an isolated case.
In June last year, a reporter covering a protest against a visit by China’s Association for Relations Across the Taiwan Straits Director Zhang Zhijun (張志軍) was blocked by the police from doing his job, even though he made it clear that he was a journalist and showed his press pass to officers.
When police try to get rid of reporters it often starts with officers asking reporters to leave, saying: “This is for your own safety.”
If reporters refuse, officers often threaten that they might be charged if they do not follow the order, and if the reporters know the law well and challenge officers, the officers tend to soften their attitude and try to persuade reporters, saying: “Please cooperate.”
If the police do not obey the law on freedom of the press, how can journalists be expected to believe that the proposed press zones are for reporters’ protection and that they would not have to stay in there if they did not want to?
The police would just have a new excuse to get rid of the media by saying: “There is a press zone, you should stay in there instead of walking around.”
Despite what the police say, a police commander at an event to demonstrate how the press zone would work told the media: “Any reporter who refuses to stay in the press zone would be considered a protester.”
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