Ming Pao | City University restricts scholars’ media interviews, requiring prior university approval; foreign consular personnel visiting campus must also be reported in advance
《明報》︱城市大學限制學者受訪 須事前獲大學審批 外國領事人員到校亦要先報備
Local media regularly interview university scholars about social events and current affairs, seeking professional opinions or comprehensive analysis. A Ming Pao column disclosed that City University of Hong Kong began restricting scholars’ media interviews about two years ago, requiring them to notify the university in advance and obtain approval. A campus source said some scholars “fear the trouble” and simply decline media interviews, adding that activities jointly organised with foreign consulates on campus, or the presence of consular personnel, must also be reported to the university in advance. Guang Media reviewed reports relating to City University over the past 18 months and found that more of them focused on international rankings and research achievements, with fewer responses to social news.
本地傳媒不時會就社會事件、時事議題訪問各院校學者，提供專業意見或作全面剖析。《明報》專欄透露，香港城市大學約兩年前開始限制校內學者接受訪問，規定他們須事先通知校方並獲審批。校內消息人士坦言，部分學者「怕麻煩」索性婉拒傳媒採訪，又指若與外國領事館在校園合辦活動或有領事人員出現，均需事前向學校報備。《光傳媒》翻查過去一年半與城大相關的報道，發現較多聚焦在國際排名及研究成果，較少回應社會新聞。 《明報》專欄披露，城大約於兩年前實施新規定，要求學者收到傳媒查詢或採訪邀請，需通知大學傳訊及數據研究處，並向大學提交訪問問題。大學可建議學者拒絕訪問；若獲批准，校方也可就應對傳媒策略提出建議，例如回答問題的方向，或某些問題不要回答等。