Sir, – China has imprisoned a journalist, Zhang Zhan, who reported, accurately, on the virus in Wuhan as it spread worldwide to become the Covid-19 pandemic. A number of other journalists face charges.
She was convicted of the unusual crime of “picking quarrels and provoking troubles”. If this were a crime everywhere, then many couples locked in their homes for months would be heading for prison.
A law that is so imprecise can be used to imprison anyone, or at least anyone who annoyed a government.
This is yet another example of a repressive government interfering with the work of journalists and thus preventing the honest, unbiased reporting of news. There are too many examples to include in a short letter of journalists being killed, imprisoned or intimidated for just telling the truth,
Journalists should be able to do their work safely and without fear. – Yours, etc,
DENNIS FITZGERALD,
Melbourne,
Australia.