Pulitzer Prize Faces Backlash in China: "Hong Kong Protest Photos Are One-Sided"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Beijing=Special Correspondent Park Sun-mi] There is a wave of criticism in China regarding the Reuters news agency's coverage photos of the Hong Kong protests winning the 2020 Pulitzer Prize in the feature photography category.

On the 7th, China's Global Times reported that the Pulitzer Prize, the most influential award for American journalists, showed double standards and bias by selecting Reuters' photographic records, which conveyed only one-sided information about the Hong Kong protests, as award-winning works, thereby losing its reputation among the Chinese public.

The awarded works include scenes from last year's Hong Kong protests showing clashes between protesters and police. Most of the photos depict protesters lying on the ground crying out after being hit by police batons, and police firing tear gas at the protesters. The newspaper reported that Chinese people are outraged that the Pulitzer-winning photos portray Hong Kong protesters as victims while depicting the police suppressing the protests as violent.

Chinese people posted photos on social networking services (SNS) showing violent protesters and innocent Hong Kong citizens, writing comments such as "These photos deserve more awards," criticizing the Pulitzer Prize. Some sarcastically remarked, "If the violent Hong Kong protesters had met American police, they probably would have been shot," and "Perhaps this shows how merciful the Hong Kong police are."

On the Chinese SNS Weibo, the hashtag 'Pulitzer Prize 2020' surpassed 11.7 million views by the previous day, and many comments from Chinese netizens expressed displeasure over Reuters' Hong Kong protest coverage photos receiving the Pulitzer Prize.