Prédateur

Carrie LAM

Cheffe de l'exécutif de la région administrative spéciale de Hong Kong de la république populaire de Chine depuis 2017

Présidente du Comité de sauvegarde de la sécurité nationale depuis 2020

Prédatrice depuis 2019

Hong Kong, 80e/180 au Classement mondial de la liberté de la presse 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

MODE DE PRÉDATION : matraque et loi liberticide

Quand Carrie Lam a accédé au poste de cheffe de l'exécutif de Hong Kong en 2017 et ouvert les conférences de presse du gouvernement aux médias indépendants en ligne, cela laissait espérer des changements positifs pour la liberté de la presse. Malheureusement, Carrie Lam n’a pas tardé à révéler son vrai visage : celui d’une marionnette du président chinois Xi Jinping, dont elle ne cesse de défendre les politiques liberticides sous couvert de “patriotisme”. Son projet de loi qui aurait permis l’extradition, entre autres, de journalistes qui déplaisaient à Pékin, a été à l’origine de manifestations de grande ampleur. Au cours de ces rassemblements, de nombreux journalistes ont subi des violences physiques de la part des policiers, ce que Carrie Lam a toujours refusé de reconnaître. La cheffe de l’exécutif s'est ensuite félicitée de l'adoption, en juin 2020, de la loi sur la sécurité nationale par le régime chinois, qui permet à ce dernier d'intervenir directement à Hong Kong afin de punir arbitrairement ceux qu'il considère responsables de "terrorisme", "sécession", "subversion" et d'"ingérence étrangère". Ces crimes, passibles d’une peine de prison à vie, voire de la peine capitale, laissent la porte ouverte à des arrestations arbitraires et menacent tout particulièrement les journalistes.

CIBLES DE PRÉDILECTION : l’audiovisuel public et les médias indépendants

Carrie Lam s’attaque sans relâche aux symboles de la liberté de la presse à Hong Kong. En gelant les actifs financiers du quotidien Apple Daily, un des derniers grands médias hongkongais en langue chinoise à oser encore critiquer Pékin, elle l’a forcé à mettre la clé sous la porte fin juin 2021. Carrie Lam a aussi orchestré le harcèlement judiciaire de Jimmy Lai, fondateur d’Apple Daily et lauréat du Prix RSF pour la liberté de la presse 2020, ainsi que de l'ancienne députée et ancienne journaliste Claudia Mo, tous deux détenus et inculpés en vertu de la loi sur la sécurité nationale. Elle a enfin lancé une véritable campagne d'intimidation contre le groupe audiovisuel Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), nommé un nouveau directeur des programmes pour instaurer un système de censure interne et poussé l'ingérence éditoriale à un niveau jamais atteint en imposant son propre talk show sur le groupe public, diffusé quotidiennement durant un mois à partir du 28 avril 2021.

DISCOURS OFFICIEL : une vision particulière du rôle des journalistes

“Critiquer le gouvernement de Hong Kong n'est pas un problème, mais s'il y a une intention d'organiser des actions incitant à la subversion du gouvernement, alors bien sûr, c'est différent. (...) Les amis des médias devraient être capables de faire la distinction entre les deux." (Déclaration de Carrie Lam le 22 juin 2021, à propos de la perquisition du siège d'Apple Daily et sur la liberté de la presse dans la ville.)

Publié le 05.07.2021