In the news dated July 11, 2024 by Dajiyuan, it is undeniable that the figure of Chen Langsheng (Brother Sheng) is always prominent.
Whether on the field, in online live broadcasts, at interview sites, or standing up for journalists’ rights, he always has a place, his dignified face under the camera often showing a hint of weariness, occasionally hinting at grievances that are hard to articulate to officials.
After just completing a 3-year term as the chairman of the Journalists Association, for the future of the union, he chose to “gloriously retreat,” admitting that he struggled to come to terms with it at one point. He knew that his identity in recent years had become controversial, and fewer and fewer of his peers were coming to him to respond to media industry controversies. However, when he cleared time to report from the frontlines, the taste for news among Hong Kong people had changed. How should he continue on the path of “running news” in the future? Despite his usual modesty of having “no aspirations,” he chose to shake himself up and continue on.
On the day of the interview, with only 5 days left in his term, reporters visited the office of the online media he belonged to. At that moment, he hurriedly came out from the main gate requesting an additional 20 minutes to handle the work. He mentioned that a few colleagues were out on assignment or on leave, so as the head of the reporting team, he had to “fill in” to write short articles. Then, he sat in front of the computer, fully focused and busy, a scene that was a daily occurrence, especially when faced with the executive committee meeting of the Journalists Association each month.
Two years ago in an interview series in a local newspaper, he mentioned that he didn’t think about the future of press freedom, but only hoped to play well in the second half of the “adversity wave.” Since the outbreak of the anti-extradition movement five years ago, when the first question was asked during the interview, he automatically recounted his experiences over the years. The phrase “have been through a lot” was not enough to describe his journey from initially serving as an executive committee member to later “formally” assuming the role of chairman.
After dedicating some time in the media industry, Sheng recognized that he wanted to contribute to the industry, so he joined the journalists’ union to help out. Starting from 2013, he served as an executive committee member three times and as a vice chairman once, mainly overseeing events like the “Journalists Association Cup.” Compared to senior chairmen like Sin Yilan, at that time, the qualifications of the executive committee members were relatively young. Until a few years ago when the then-chairman, Yang Jianxing, invited him to run for chairman, he believed that his rich frontline experience could help understand the needs of his peers, and with good relations with the police, the opportunity came at the right time. He felt that at that time, he was the right person for the job and believed he could help.
Initially not actively seeking re-election as chairman after one year, Sheng found himself stepping in to fill the role due to lack of other candidates. However, by the third year, due to the tarnished image of Chen Langsheng within the Journalists Association, he was discouraged by “influential figures” from pursuing re-election. Nevertheless, his personal attitude had already seen through it, and he paid special attention to the association’s affairs, even bringing out his hidden potential, admitting, “Normally, I am not that smart, (facing problems) I wouldn’t respond so well.” The night before each annual meeting of the Journalists Association, he would feel extremely nervous but the meetings always went smoothly, with close calls.
During Sheng’s tenure as chairman, the state-run media of the Chinese Communist Party relentlessly pursued him, with the public usually seeing him sternly confronting authorities, but rarely witnessing his efforts in advocating for the rights of his peers.
Looking back at the Umbrella Movement in 2014, it was rumoured that the police would forcefully clear the area on September 28th, bringing in a large amount of ammunition to the Chief Executive’s Office, resulting in the firing of 87 tear gas canisters, triggering a 79-day occupy movement in Hong Kong. Sheng noticed back then that colleagues at the frontline lacked protective gear during reporting, with some radio reporters wearing only construction helmets. He hoped that the Journalists Association’s executive committee would allocate funds to purchase protective equipment for colleagues. However, the funding proposal did not get approved due to non-compliance with the association’s regulations. In the end, a senior colleague who had opposed the motion privately gave him HK$300, allowing the order to be placed before reporting the expenses. Eventually, several members contributed between a few hundred to a thousand dollars each, and twenty fiberglass helmets were purchased, bringing the protection of colleagues in line with foreign media.
After the Umbrella Movement, tensions arose in police-media relations, with occasional conflicts between frontline officers and reporters. Sheng put in a lot of effort to balance the relationship between the two sides. He recalled in the past being quite friendly with the police, often meeting up for barbecues and discussing daily work. In 2017, when Carrie Lam, a candidate for Chief Executive, attended a forum, Sheng represented the Journalists Association in coordinating security arrangements with the police. This mutual trust between the two sides was evident.
However, during the 2019 movement, the Journalists Association repeatedly criticized the police for obstructing front-line reporters’ coverage, causing a rift between the two sides. The authorities also criticized the lack of compliance of the association with the police directives. The good relationship between Chen Langsheng and the police had faded, marking the beginning of his 3-year chairman’s career filled with uncertainties.
During the June 4th incident this year, while covering the events in Causeway Bay, Sheng was invited by the police for an interview but was later accused of breaching security lines, leading to mutual condemnation between the Journalists Association and the police. This incident reflected the fluctuating relationship between Sheng and the police over the past five years, including an instance during a live demonstration where he was required by the riot police to display his identification in front of the camera. In a previous incident two years ago, he was charged with obstructing a police officer while covering a residents’ association meeting at the Long Ping Estate.
The police seemed to have considered him a thorn in their side early on, with the Commissioner of Police frequently targeting him with criticism, including calling him a “13-year-old journalist.” Sheng couldn’t help but express his exhaustion from these remote brawls, feeling that even if some online media journalists had questionable ethics, only advice could be given, and authorities should not generalize, questioning the authority’s acceptance of Journalists Association representatives as legitimate Hong Kong journalists.
Sheng had been struck in the leg by a rubber bullet during front-line reporting, but he emphasized that he never harbored ill intentions towards the other side. In past discussions regarding interview areas and arrangements with the police, communication had been proper, with the sole objective of mutual cooperation and respect during work. However, the distinction between right and wrong must always be clear. Concerning images from 2019 that couldn’t be denied, he asserted, “Those words in those images, you can’t deny that those words are false, are wrong.”
He recalled a moment during a live demonstration in Sham Shui Po when a young female officer told him that his live broadcast footage “can’t be published.” This statement shocked him, but he responded by informing her that there were 3,600 viewers currently watching the broadcast. Sheng reflected on the experience that day, lamenting that false information had deepened the divide between them. He had always strived to assist in coordinating interviews with the police, but frontline officers continued to insult him, a experience he described as “mindfxxk” (mental abuse), “I help you (the police) talk to the journalists, and you treat me like a servant.”
When he assumed the chairmanship in 2021, media outlets like Apple Daily and Stand News had closed down, and he was also the deputy chief editor of Stand News; he was subsequently taken away by the police for investigation. Feeling like he had one foot in jail, he had distanced himself from colleagues and had only wanted to focus on his work. During the “July 1st” stabbing incident, he had live-streamed throughout the night at Queen Mary Hospital, receiving news that a female journalist from Vision Times was taken in for questioning, testing his quick thinking once again.
About a month after the incident, he learned that the female colleague had been taken from a friend’s place in Tsuen Wan to Chai Wan Police Station, where she was detained all day, from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., to give a statement, with her travel documents confiscated. The police had failed to contact a lawyer in advance and inform the Journalists Association as promised. Sheng inquired about the situation with the police, who claimed that it was unnecessary for them to seek legal counsel. This misinformation infuriated him, and he insisted that the subject had to provide a statement in the presence of a lawyer, or he would pursue the matter, also rebuffing the claim that “I’m 200% sure she wouldn’t say no to (a lawyer).”
On that same day, Sheng made a long journey, driving from the Stand News office in Kwun Tong to Tsuen Wan, then rushing to Chai Wan to ensure that the female colleague had legal representation during the statement process; only after sending her home in the evening did he finally relax. This was just one of Sheng’s many small stories over the years. He believed that the Journalists Association still had a crucial role to play, providing needed support to journalists, even if it was just a small gesture. “If you are the one suffering, you will find the help crucial.”
In 2022, there were strong rumors that the Journalists Association would be dissolved. At that time, Sheng changed his decision to seek re-election, citing in his manifesto that the association should “exist with dignity” and “protect the members.” However, in the same year, the Journalists Association passed a resolution to lower the dissolution threshold to handle issues with greater flexibility in the future. Throughout the interview, Sheng repeatedly emphasized that he was “not very capable.” If he hadn’t taken on the chairmanship or vice-chairmanship initially, what would he be doing today? “I would still rush in and become an executive committee member,” Sheng said.
Members of the Journalists Association’s Executive Committee serve without pay, and at the start of his involvement, Sheng encountered many cases of unpaid wages in the industry. He believed that the role of the association needed to be strengthened to focus more on the welfare of peers, filled with dreams and opinions. Over his 11 years on the Executive Committee of the Journalists Association, he understood various chairmen’s approaches to handling issues and the difficulties faced by the association, including generational conflicts within the industry, bringing valuable experiences for his future defense of press freedom.
Reflecting on his three-year experience as chairman, he felt no regrets and did not see it as “passing the buck.” “If you can withstand it, just bear with it,” he said. He hoped that his departure would bring more possibilities for the Journalists Association’s future operations, shedding the image of “stay away from strangers” and he also hoped that with the association holding its stance and viewpoints, the authorities would one day change their views, “When we can have a meal, meet, chat… It would be good, this scene would provide some reassurance to everyone.”
Journalists have always been seen as the “Fourth Estate” in society, with a sacred role. However, Sheng believed that “doing news is a bit off the beaten path,” and felt that as society becomes more chaotic, journalists are needed even more.
Hong Kong’s latest press freedom ranking has stopped falling and risen to 135th place, but there are those who lament the loss of media outlets like Apple Daily, causing a lack of quality news in the city, with the media focusing solely on unproductive information like “who’s dating who.” Some scholars believe that the decline in media quality will in turn affect the government’s governance and even lower the quality of citizens.
In previous interviews, Sheng mentioned that he couldn’t just sit in an air-conditioned room and know what’s going on in the world, emphasizing that hands-on reporting was essential. Thus, during the period between 2017 and 2018 when there were no major news events in Hong Kong, he found it particularly challenging. Observing the trends in the news industry in recent years as an employee of the online media Channel C, he noted that there’s still news to report, but the focus has shifted. “The focus is different,” he said. He pointed out that previously, news was easily linked to politics and legal justice, but today the lines between serious local news and “internet hot topics” have blurred, with the latter often involving government policies, such as rubbish collection fees and nightlife regulations. “Now, everyone enjoys reading such news and is enthusiastic about it.”
Sheng often had to shoulder controversial news pieces for the company, but due to the fact that some individuals would pick apart the content based on his “provocative” identity, sometimes accusing him of inciting social hatred, he had to be cautious in “scrutinizing” his work daily. He even stated that he had reduced coverage of more controversial issues, like military topics, as he felt that the practicalities of today’s journalism were vastly different from the past, and had become “not as enjoyable.”
The drastic changes in the media industry in recent years have led to the continuous loss of experienced colleagues, with a lack of new blood entering the industry. Sheng knew a colleague who had previously covered security-related news and possessed a strong “database.” In response to the controversy surrounding police orders to strip-search protesters in 2019, which revealed police guidelines set as far back as 2008, he could quickly recall this information, aiding in the follow-up reporting. He felt helpless seeing such capable colleagues leave.
With the current pressure new journalists face today, compounded by the lack of experienced mentors for guidance, they might sometimes find it difficult to stand up to officials. Sheng mentioned that during a time of intense competition in the media industry, many institutions made efforts to secure interview opportunities, receiving more unique responses and newsworthy leads. They ignored unreasonable rules, unlike the situation faced by today’s journalists, constrained by their organization’s predetermined stances, so Sheng didn’t blame them for the conditions in which they operated.
Since the new generation of journalists lacks learning opportunities due to the exodus of senior journalists, what would he do for the industry in the future? Once again, he said, “I don’t have any aspirations.”
Sheng believed that press freedom was a part of society, intertwined with its development and atmosphere, and that change couldn’t be brought about by just one or two individuals. He simply hoped to do his job well, allowing the company to “grow bigger” by employing more people, creating a space for new talents to flourish, making reports and programs they enjoy. Above all, he welcomed hearing their concerns about work from time to time.
On the day of the interview, Sheng had sacrificed sleep to watch a football match and had only slept about 4 hours total. Rising at around 6 a.m., he threw himself into a busy day ahead: arriving at Stanley Prison to visit Wong Chi-fung at 8:35 a.m., finding him in good spirits and “not greatly affected.” He then quickly drove to Causeway Bay around 10:20 a.m. to buy a bowl of congee for breakfast, returned to the office to prepare for editorial work and reviews; by noon, he hurried to the street-side meter in Causeway Bay to renew his vehicle parking, returning to the office to set up for the live show starting at sharp 7 p.m.
After the interview, Sheng pulled out a box of vanilla chiffon cake from the fridge in the pantry, mentioning that it was sent by Jimmy Lai’s daughter. With a colleague reminding him about his diabetes, he faced a dilemma between appreciation and managing his health; he chose the former.
Even small acts of kindness can bring immense energy to others, proving that one shouldn’t underestimate the power of goodwill. Sheng chose to practice this belief every day, lessening his presence as he reached the end of his term, quietly striving on his post, being a gatekeeper.