原标题:彭博社:香港谣言满天飞,假新闻正在撕裂香港社会
美国著名媒体彭博社昨天发布一则新闻称,自从周梓乐在停车楼坠下,抢救无效死亡后,香港社交媒体上各种缺乏根据的谣言就开始满天飞。有消息说周梓乐是被警察追赶时掉下楼的,有人说是被警察推下楼的,更有甚者说香港警察故意阻拦救护车进场,延误了抢救周梓乐的时机。
Bloomberg reported Tuesday that Hong Kong is being stoked by“inundated rumors and fake news” after nearly six months of violent protests have caused more civilian injuries and pushed Hong Kong to the brink of a total breakdown。
It‘s the first time a Western media outlet which used to show sympathy and support to Hong Kong violent protesters made a huge shift of its rhetoric, though other Western mainstream media still turn a blind eye to the escalating rumors and atrocities。
彭博社报道说:“这些说法一点根据都没有,而且已经被警察否定了,警察称根本没有追赶周梓乐。此外,像南华早报这样的主流媒体都称周的坠楼原因不明。”紧接着,彭博社称这些抗议者们却抓着这个机会开始进一步扩大抗议行动,和警察发生激烈冲突。
在社交媒体如此发达的今天,社交媒体的普及虽然增加了新闻的传播速度及内容总量,但是却衍生出了严重的“假新闻”等问题。在香港,Facebook是最主要的社交媒体平台,接近四成(38.4%)的市民会透过Facebook来获取新闻信息。在社交媒体上,各个用户可以随心所欲的发放信息,表达意见,但是信息的真确性以及来源却无从核实,这已经成了当下信息接触的一大严峻挑战。
Bloomberg reported that“rumors” began to spread soon after undergraduate Alex Chow Tsz-lok of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology(HKUST) fell off the edge of a parking garage in Hong Kong。 Many posts circulating on social media claimed the 22-year-old student was chased– and maybe even pushed– by police who were clearing protesters with tear gas nearby。 The rumors also claimed officers blocked an ambulance from reaching Chow, delaying aid that could have saved his life。
“Never mind that the claims were unsubstantiated, that police denied chasing Chow and that mainstream news outlets, including theSouth China Morning Post, described the circumstances of his fall as unclear,” Bloomberg said。
除了分析关于周梓乐的死亡谣言外,彭博社还提到警方和港府在过去短短24小时内连续澄清的多条谣言,包括警察被官方允许随意对“示威者”开枪,银行被官方要求限制现金取款额度,以及官方将动用紧急权力关闭金融市场的谣言等等。
此外,彭博社还重点分析了此前香港网络上备受关注的15岁少女陈彥霖死亡案中的谣言,称虽然警方表示陈的死因是自杀,但“示威者”却宣称陈是被警察、港府官员以及内地政府的人杀害的,更有“示威者”因此跑到陈的学校去砸玻璃和在墙面上乱涂乱画。
It also reported that“protest supporters often demonize the police and the government,” and few places are affected so severely by the spread of disinformation like Hong Kong。
“In the past 24 hours alone, local authorities have denied rumors that they ordered police to fire on protesters at will; planned to cap cash withdrawals from banks; and would use emergency powers to shut financial markets and schools,” Bloomberg reported。
It‘s barely to hold stand that police have been committing excessive use of weapons, and the HKSAR government has been abusing its power when more and more facts indicated that masked protesters are the ones that not only destroy public facilities but also hurt innocent civilians and lawmakers and whoever disagrees with them。
A civilian was set on fire by rioters on Monday。 The 57-year-old man was doused with a flammable liquid and set alight by a group of black-clad rioters on a footbridge in Ma On Shan。 Videos appeared online, showing a man dressed in black pouring liquid over the man and setting him on fire following a heated argument。 The man suffered 40 percent burns to his body and is still in critical condition。
Lawmaker Junius Ho is loaded onto an ambulance after being attacked by a knife-wielding man in Tuen Mun, New Territories, HKSAR, November 6, 2019。/China Daily Photo
Junius Ho, a member of the Legislative Council of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region(HKSAR),was stabbed in the chest last Wednesdaywhile campaigning for re-election in the district council in Tuen Mun。 Two of his colleagues also sustained injuries。
A 23-year-old Ph.D。 student who disagree with rioters was pursued and beaten by a group of masked radicals at the HKUST, during an open forum between students and university president Wei Shyy last Wednesday。
Following the attack, many students feel unsafe in the campus especially when radical protesters had trashed the residence of Wei Shyy, a Starbucks, Maxim‘s canteen, and the campus branch of the Bank of China, forcing the university to issue an emergency broadcast just after lunch last Friday, warning students and faculty members that violence had erupted on campus。
Masked radical protesters are in a standoff with the police outside of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, HKSAR, November 12, 2019。/AFP Photo
Campuses have been morphed into a battlefield as escalating atrocities continued to take a violent turn for the worse on Tuesday。 Radical protesters threw bricks and petrol bombs, launched arrows and even fired a signal flare at police officers during a standoff at the Chinese University of Hong Kong(CUHK) near Tai Po, posing severe threats to police, innocent students and the faculty。
除了彭博社直接指出香港社会存在大量关于警察和政府的假新闻外,纽约时报在今日的报道中也客观地指出,近六个月的抗议示威已经演变成了极端的暴力。
暴力正在伤害香港,伤害香港人民;而甚嚣尘上的假新闻则进一步加剧了社会的撕裂,造成更严重的警民对抗。一些西方媒体是时候睁开眼睛,正视事实,尊重香港警察的依法执法行为了。
TheNew York Timespointed out Wednesday that the clashes after the nearly six-month-old protests have“turned particularly violent”。
It‘s time for more Western mainstream media to acknowledge the fact that Hong Kong violence has reached a deadly level, which would never be allowed to happen no matter in which country or judicial system。