Local media must take responsibility for vaccine hesitancy

On April 12, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor declared that the city’s existing dining restrictions could be eased if restaurant employees were vaccinated for COVID-19. The next day, the banner headline on the front page of Apple Daily — one of the most-widely read Chinese-language newspapers in Hong Kong — screamed: “The threat: Carrie Lam says city’s unvaccinated people will face consequences.” Quoting an activist working in the catering industry, the story claimed the whole industry opposed the government’s strict vaccine measures. The story included dubious rhetoric that the government was “forcing” people to get vaccinated, and it implied that COVID-19 vaccinations are not desirable for Hong Kong residents.

The World Health Organization and global health experts affirm that mass vaccination is crucial to tackle the community spread of the virus and to eventually end the pandemic. Studies overwhelmingly show that mRNA vaccines are highly effective in preventing COVID-19 infections, including the new mutant variants. Hong Kong, which has acquired a sufficient volume of mRNA vaccines for its population, is aiming to return to normalcy through a well-executed vaccination drive. However, some popular local media seem to have taken an ambivalent position on the vaccination program. Some of their news stories and columns are slanted toward an anti-vaccination discourse. Sensational and subjective in nature, they portray COVID-19 vaccines and the government measures in a negative light.

The result is that despite enough vaccine supplies, Hong Kong is lagging in its vaccination rate among most high-income economies, including Singapore. Currently, only around 20 percent of the population has gotten at least the first jab. Millions of residents still need to be vaccinated to meet the government target.

The data and ground reports on vaccinations point toward the existence of a vaccination hesitancy among Hong Kong people. There are multiple reasons that lead to such serious hesitancy among the masses. One key cause is an opulent online disinformation ecosystem that perpetuates anti-vaccination propaganda. While such propaganda is not unique to Hong Kong, the anti-government sentiment among sections of the population and the anti-vaccination views have been conflated in the city. The pandemic broke out in the special administrative region soon after the months-long anti-government protests ravaged the streets. Fresh media discourses question if Hong Kong residents can really trust the government’s vaccination drive.

While political opponents use jargon like “transparency” to campaign against the vaccination drive, the partisan media link unrelated deaths and hospitalizations subtly with the vaccination drive. It is worth noting that the expert panel advising the government on vaccines has reiterated, based on their study, that no deaths have been caused by vaccines in Hong Kong.

It is in such a context the media rhetoric against vaccination programs becomes a matter of concern. A section of the local media seems to be mainstreaming the false narratives and misinformation about COVID-19 vaccines, causing widespread resistance against the vaccination drive. Their discourse around vaccinations in Hong Kong frames the vaccination effort as “a sinister plan” or “a conspiracy” by the government, rather than a much-needed step to bring the city back to normalcy.

These are tough times, and Hong Kong needs to get back on its feet. Those media outlets need to forgo their political biases when they handle matters of vaccinations and COVID-19. The media, as the Hutchins Commission opined, need to embrace the role of a socially responsible institution at a time of crisis. They should inform and encourage deliberation, instead of spreading misinformation and fear.

To achieve herd immunity, Hong Kong needs to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the population. The vaccination take-up rate needs to pick up remarkable speed to achieve this target. The media play an important role in this specific task. They need to carry more positive stories about the vaccinated population and write columns about how mass vaccinations will bring back prosperity to Hong Kong.

The author is a Hong Kong-based journalist.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.