Members of student publication quit en masse under pressure from Hong Kong Baptist University

Members of a Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) student publication collectively resigned citing university interference after receiving complaints. A student editor who resigned alleged that the university said it could not guarantee student safety if the board attributed its decision to resign to HKBU’s request to recall the magazine, according to Hong Kong Free Press. .

The editorial board of the student publication Jumbo announced last Friday evening that all of its newsroom leaders had resigned, a month before the end of their terms. The council said its decision was made following attempts by the university administration to interfere with its reporting. The student publication – an affiliate of the university’s student union – reported on student affairs but also other news, such as city politics and protests. The resignation means that future editions of the publication will be suspended until the election of the next editorial board.

Two hours before announcing the mass resignation, the editorial board posted on Facebook that it would recall the latest edition of its magazine following HKBU’s request. The university also asked the student publication to remove calls for applications from its social media platforms. In a statement announcing the resignations, the editorial board said the university had requested “clarifications” regarding its report on a flag-raising ceremony on campus in early January. He had also “commented” to the publication’s former editor about certain terms used in his reports, including the term “wuhan virus”, a reference to Covid-19. HKBU requested that the publication stop using the phrase, according to the statement.

The student protest follows an increase in anti-China protests in Hong Kong fueled by Beijing’s national security law. Previously, Beijing’s national security law, which came into force on July 1 last year in Hong Kong, provided for penalties of up to life in prison for secession, subversion, terrorism and foreign interference. (ANI)

(This story has not been edited by the Devdiscourse team and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)