Local newspaper Ming Pao apologised on its website on Sunday after publishing an op-ed which was accused of labelling, and discriminating against, people with disabilities. The broadsheet removed the opinion piece and said it will suspend the column in a month’s time.
The regular column, which translates as “Three heads six arms,” is written by three members of the film industry.
The piece in question – entitled “white pass” – was published on Saturday, and touched on the shortage of psychiatrists and social workers in the city. In Hong Kong, “white cards” is a derogatory term that refers to the Registration Card for People with Disabilities, which people can apply for to prove their disability, including mental illness.
The writers suggested that the government should employ and train more staff to deal with the mental healthcare issues facing Hong Kong. However, at the end of the op-ed, it stated that:” [T]he mental health problem should be dealt with more seriously. Don’t let the ‘white card’ become a ‘pass’ that allows people to disrupt public order and community peace.”
Writers claim intern responsible
After the article was published, readers online said the article was “discriminatory.”
Phone Made Good Film, the movie production house that the three columnists work for, apologised in a Facebook post. It said that:” Phone Made Good Film apologises for the damaging remarks and internal editing oversights.”
They said that the column was usually written by the members of the team. However, this piece was written by an intern. The team member responsible for coordination did not submit the article to the team for editing before handing it to Ming Pao’s editors, they added.
The team said they did not agree with labelling psychiatric patients and would reflect and evaluate the team’s awareness of equal rights: “We sincerely apologise for the harm that the article has brought.”
They said they had contacted the Ming Pao editor and suggested suspending the column immediately.
Editorial principles
In Sunday’s apology, Ming Pao’s chief editor Chan Kam-Keung said: “Both the title and the content of the article contained suspected labelling and discrimination against people with disabilities. It did not comply with the editorial principle of Ming Pao, which cares about and supports the minority.”
“The newspaper has not fulfilled the responsibility of gatekeeping, and has to apologise to readers and those who were affected. The article has already been removed.”
He added:” [Ming Pao] particularly cares about the underprivileged and people with disabilities. We hope that society does not stereotype them and shows more understanding, support and empathy towards them.”
Last Thursday, the Security Bureau condemned Ming Pao for publishing a “misleading” opinion piece written by Lo Kin-hei, the chairperson of Hong Kong’s largest pro-democracy party, the Democratic Party.
In Lo’s opinion piece, he said that the security chief Chris Tang’s recent comments in the Legislative Council may exacerbate stereotypes and stigmatise mental illness. According to Lo, the security chief said: “Anyone who sees someone with weird facial expressions, muttering and looking ferocious, should notify the police as soon as possible.”
The bureau said the article was “confusing” and “misleading,” while Lo said he was just writing a “kind reminder” for the government.
| 💡If you are in need of support, please call: The Samaritans 2896 0000 (24-hour, multilingual), Suicide Prevention Centre 2382 0000 or the government mental health hotline on 18111. The Hong Kong Society of Counselling and Psychology provides a WhatsApp hotline in English and Chinese: 6218 1084. See also: HKFP’s comprehensive guide to mental health services in Hong Kong. |
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