FCC First Vice President Eric Wishart speaks to author Elizabeth Becker.

Three pioneering women correspondents — Frances FitzGerald, Catherine Leroy and Kate Webb — changed the nature of modern war reporting and even the course of history with their coverage of the Vietnam War, Elizabeth Becker said in an FCC book event.

“They expanded the lens, they looked at the country and the people, they brought a humanity that was missing,” Becker, author of You Don’t Belong Here: How Three Women Rewrote the Story of War, told FCC First Vice President Eric Wishart.

She explained how the three correspondents’ work was different from both previous war reporting and that of their male contemporaries.

In her book, Becker tells the inspiring story of how these three women from very different backgrounds made their own way to Vietnam and overcame sexism and other challenges to become well-respected war correspondents.

No stranger to war having covered the conflict in Cambodia, Becker noted the high mental and emotional costs of reporting in war zones, though she said that the difficult subject matter did not lead to bias in coverage.

“Once you see the pain and the destruction and the horror of war, your motivation is to be more objective, not less,” Becker said.

Watch the full conversation below:

When the Philippines launched the biggest military assault since World War II against Islamic State-linked extremists who seized the southern Philippine city, journalist Carmela Fonbuena, then working for Rappler, dropped into the centre of the action to cover the toll on ordinary citizens.

As the war dragged on for months, she found a parallel disinformation war playing out especially on social media, spreading inaccurate information about government operations or casualties — sowing fear, confusion, or worse, violence. She said false news can spread like wildfire because people “are so desperate for any information.”

“If we don’t fact-check information that’s spreading on the ground, that’s what people will believe if no one corrects it,” she told the FCC in a forum about her latest book Marawi Siege: Stories From the Front Lines.

“That to me highlights [journalists’] very important role in delivering important information during a crisis, whether it’s the Marawi siege or the coronavirus pandemic,” she said in a discussion moderated by FCC Correspondent Governor Kristine Servando.

And when reporters become targets of online harassment by individuals who disagree with facts on the ground, Fonbuena says it is important to build an emotional support network around oneself — and to avoid trolls. “I would rather spend time writing stories that more people will read than engage with a single individual who won’t be convinced,” she said.

View the rest of the video below, where she talked about lessons on how extremism spreads, war’s invisible toll on mental health, and the role of women in the front lines. Her book Marawi Siege can be ordered from [email protected] and shipped internationally.

FCC First Vice President Eric Wishart left) and First Draft APAC Bureau Editor Esther Chan (right)

Governments and journalists both have a role to play in combating the spread of COVID-19 vaccine-related misinformation, First Draft APAC Bureau Editor Esther Chan said In a virtual workshop hosted by the FCC, Hong Kong. With vaccination campaigns picking up speed around the world, Chan said that vaccination campaigns and misinformation go hand in hand.  “With vaccine rollout, misinformation also starts to proliferate online, and it can be because of a number of reasons: limited data about the vaccines, lack of confidence in its efficacy or even a lack of trust in the government,” she said. Chan began her presentation with a real-world example of a conspiracy theory that recently went viral in Hong Kong — that Chief Executive Carrie Lam and other government ministers did not in fact receive the Sinovac vaccine as they said, but rather the jab produced by Pfizer-BioNTech or AstraZeneca.  The basis for this rumour rested on the fact that the syringe used to administer the vaccine to Lam was longer and thinner than those that had been depicted in previous news coverage of the Sinovac jab.  “Even though this claim was unproven, it quickly went viral online,” Chan said. The Hong Kong government later confirmed that Lam and other officials had received the Sinovac vaccine, while pointing out that neither the Pfizer-BioNTech nor AstraZeneca jabs had arrived in the city yet.  An opinion poll conducted by the University of Hong Kong at the end of January showed that less than a third of the city’s residents trusted the Sinovac vaccine. In December, Lam had responded to speculation over the reasons for her government’s decision to buy 7.5 million doses of Sinovac by saying “some people with ulterior motives were spreading malicious rumours and publishing false information that stigmatises and politicises the vaccine purchase”. Attacking critics of the government’s vaccine policy was not the most constructive approach, Chan said in the workshop moderated by FCC First Vice President Eric Wishart. “How Carrie Lam described people who were critical of the Sinovac vaccine, that’s really not helpful because there’s already maybe an issue of trust in the Hong Kong government,” she said.  “It should really be an objective discussion instead of mixing politics in, so I feel like the government messaging is not really helping with the vaccine hesitancy in Hong Kong.” Similarly, she shared advice for journalists who are tasked with covering vaccine rollouts and misinformation. “When you notice something that is shaping how people think about an important issue like public health, you probably should address it but in a really careful way,” Chan said.  “Back it up with a lot of important scientific data that people really should know. Lead them from focusing on a rumour back to the facts.” The workshop also focused on social media’s role in spreading vaccine misinformation, which commonly follows narratives with six different themes. While Facebook and Twitter are often considered the primary platforms for spreading misinformation, Chan explained that Instagram also plays a significant role and is often overlooked because it’s harder to search for specific content on the visual-driven platform. For journalists and anyone else seeking resources about COVID-19 vaccine misinformation, Chan recommended using First Draft as an educational tool. The organisation offers an online Vaccine Insights Hub where you can sign up to watch 30-minute workshops — including a special recap session on Friday, March 5 — and receive a weekly newsletter. First Draft also offers an extensive free library of training materials to support journalists and members of the public in understanding and managing all types of disinformation. Watch the full workshop below:

FCC President Keith Richburg and Bauhinia Party chairman Li Shan.

In his first public remarks since the formation of the Bauhinia Party in March 2020, party chairman Li Shan said he wants the new political party to bridge Hong Kong’s blue-yellow divide to solve the city’s pressing social problems, though he seeks no role as an elected official.

“Our colour is patriotism,” said Li, highlighting the party’s focus on unity.

Speaking from the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Hong Kong in a conversation with club president Keith Richburg, Li also said he is not a member of the Communist Party and he was not prodded by Beijing to start a new pro-China party. He went on to defend the central government’s increasingly interventionist role in Hong Kong’s affairs, comparing the city to a poorly performing business subsidiary.

“If Hong Kong is doing well, then Beijing has no reason to intervene,” said Li.

In an opening statement outlining the Bauhinia Party’s purpose and vision for the future of Hong Kong, Li painted a picture of a city that has lost its former greatness and entered dark times due to income inequality, a shortage of affordable housing and a lack of opportunity for many people. He said that these fundamental problems have led to widespread despair and anger, even as he called for unity to confront the city’s systemic problems.

“If we work together, Hong Kong can, and will, become a shining paragon of modern society once again,” said Li.

Born in a poor village in Sichuan before going on to become a successful banker, Li said he was naive and uneducated about Hong Kong politics until recently, and that his involvement in forming a new political party stemmed from his love of the city and, more pertinently, concern about its future.

A member of the 13th National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, Li will soon be attending the annual session in Beijing, where he said he will be putting forth new proposals to address Hong Kong’s affordable housing crisis.

Li and his fellow party members have also proposed changes to the Legislative Council, including turning it into a bicameral body with a lower house of directly elected members and an upper house composed of members appointed by the Chief Executive. Asked to describe LegCo’s relationship to the Chief Executive, he said, “Of course there is a check and a balance.”

Though Li said he currently has no plans to run for LegCo or Chief Executive, he said the Bauhinia Party will focus its efforts on the selection of the city’s top-ranking official. “I think she most certainly can do a better job,” Li said in regards to Carrie Lam’s performance. Earlier, in his opening statement, he had asked, “Where are the strong leaders we need to tackle Hong Kong’s challenges? Who can restore hope?”

Patriotism has been a hotly discussed topic in Hong Kong recently, and Li agreed with the central government’s assertion that the city should be governed by patriots. In spite of the increasingly direct role Beijing has taken in Hong Kong affairs, Li said he had no knowledge of attempts to engineer changes to the city’s political system.

“I do believe Beijing will welcome all sorts of talents who love this city and love China,” said Li. “I don’t think they have narrowly defined criteria.”