What was it like to be a student reporter in Hong Kong 30 years ago? Is being a journalist only about technical training? Can a student newspaper report beyond campus news? Dr Tang Io Weng, a journalist and Assistant Professor of Macau University of Science and Technology, offered his own experiences on these questions in an invited lecture hosted by the International Journalism Programme on Tuesday, 7 March.

A witness to history

Dr Tang has more than 20 years of experiences as a radio and TV journalist in various media institutions, including Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) and TDM, the latter being the first television and radio network in Macao. In the lecture, he highlighted his early moments of excitement working in the field.

“I used to be in Portugal as both a student and a journalist,” Tang recalled one of his most unforgettable stories that he reported was the fall of the Berlin Wall. “During my time studying in Lisbon, I had a chance to visit Germany in November, 1989. One day, I found that everyone was flocking to a place. At first, I didn’t know what was going on.

“I still remember how people cheered and celebrated. Once I was told that the Berlin Wall fell, I called my colleagues in Macao immediately and reported this story.

“I will never forget that situation and I’m still thrilled to have been the witness of that great event,” Tang added with excitement in his eyes.

As a veteran journalist, Dr Tang also reported on Macao’s handover to China in 1999 and the Grand Military Parade in 2009. Tang used his career as a reporter, teacher, and government official as an example of how journalism can be learnt from various perspectives.

Journalism in the past and future

Participation in producing the student newspaper is an important part for journalism students at UIC. Similarly, Tang shared his experiences in making The Young Reporter (xin bao ren), the student newspaper of Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) during the 1980s, and reminded the students that the study of journalism should be a combination of theories and practices.

“I went to study at HKBU in 1978. At that time, all the students from the journalism programme had to participate in producing a weekly newspaper The Young Reporter. This newspaper covered news stories happening in Hong Kong, and it was circulated throughout Hong Kong.”

When asked about the current downfall of print media and the future of journalism, Tang told the audience that professional journalists are always needed and cannot be replaced.

“Like being a doctor, there are also professional codes of being a journalist,” Tang said. “The call for journalists is to find the truth.”

Reporter: Zhu Ziwei, Shan Qiqing, Liu Xingqi, Zhou Zhixuan, Zhang Yeshan
Photographer: Shan Qiqing
Editor: Deen He, Samuel Burgess
(from IJ and MPRO)