Media Exaggerated: Coverage of Violence in Hong Kong

Over a quarter of the Hong Kong population took to the streets on 16th June 2019. Many felt oppressed from the Chinese government's attempt to slowly take control of Hong Kong via the Extradition Bill - a policy which would allow Chinese officers to enter Hong Kong to track down criminals. The policy itself, however, does not matter. Rather, it is the idea of China’s attempt to control Hong Kong despite promising autonomy as a self-governing region until 2047. These movements popularized quite quickly due to the dramatization of media covering such events, as well as censorship and fear spreading across the Hong Kong populus. Even the 1956 riots under British colonial rule, to the more recent 2014 Umbrella Movement under Chinese rule have had their fair share of violence, which have always been portrayed negatively in the media. This essay will investigate whether media coverage of violent riots shape the public perception of these events by looking at news coverage of the 1956 riots and 2014 Umbrella Movement in Hong Kong. This will be done by analyzing in a social and political lens, such as newspaper outlets covering violent instances. Topics such as censorship, factors involved with spreading of popular ideals, and evolution of media towards dramatization will all be investigated.