Accomplishments
Journalism student wins merit prize in press freedom award
Lau Ka-ho (Broadcast Journalism, Year 4) won the merit award in the electronic media category of the eighth Kam Yiu-yu Press Freedom Awards with his investigative series “Industrial Building Safety”.
The winning entry, exploring the issue of units in an industrial building being illegally converted into partitioned flats, was produced by Ka-ho and his colleagues when he worked as an intern reporter at RTHK. He said that the report was produced just after a huge fire broke out in an industrial building in Cheung Sha Wan. As a result of the blaze, property agents were very wary about granting any visitor appointments. “When carrying out the operation, I was responsible for asking questions related to leasing the flat, such as the rent and fire-fighting equipment, and I kept an eye on the surroundings. The agent kept asking us questions, trying to find out whether we were doing a sting operation.” Finally, Ka-ho and his colleagues completed the task with comprehensive preparations.
Ka-ho said that he was excited and satisfied that he had uncovered social issues through putting together news reports, and expressed his sincere thanks to the experienced RTHK reporters who provided useful advice to help prepare the undercover operation and the reports in such a short period of time. He plans to be a professional journalist after graduation so as to uphold social justice.
The Kam Yiu-yu Awards are organised by the Hong Kong Journalists Association to enhance awareness of press freedom and promote professionalism among journalists. Judges look for originality, professionalism and initiative when selecting award-winning reports.
Lau Ka-ho wins merit award in the Kam Yiu-yu Press Freedom Awards |