Online outlet barred from AL for second time

Local Chinese media All About Macau (AAM) was again denied entry to the Legislative Assembly (AL) building for regular interviews yesterday, with police intervention during the incident.

In April this year, AAM attempted to enter the AL’s main meeting hall for an interview but was denied entry due to the issuance of a “blue” press pass.

Despite multiple requests, they were escorted out by on-site police officers and taken to a police station for about 11 hours of questioning, during which they reportedly made statements as suspects.

A month later, after multiple media reports, the AL clarified that it values the public’s right to know and respects the rights of journalists to conduct interviews.

However, its statement emphasized that measures were taken to prevent disruptions to its operations, without mentioning any permanent ban on the media outlet in follow-ups.

The media outlet published a report yesterday on its platform titled, “Following April’s Police Alert, the Legislative Assembly Again Requested Police Intervention? Our Media Reporter Was Again Denied Entry While Attempting to Cover the Legislative Assembly Meeting.”

As reported, at around 11:30 a.m. yesterday, the media outlet’s reporters planned to attend a press briefing held by the AL’s Public Administration Affairs Follow-up Committee to cover topics such as employment and training for local workers, and policies on non-local workers. However, after they identified themselves, they were told they could not enter the AL building.

The report characterized the refusal to allow the press corps into the AL meeting as “unprecedented.”

According to the outlet, when reporters sought clarification about why they were denied entry, a staff member from the chamber stated that the denial was due to the media outlet’s failure to comply with the rules on a previous occasion.

“At around 12:40 p.m., reporters again asked AL staff why they were being denied entry, who made the decision, and whether the AL had called the police to stop them from entering. The staff only stated that photography was not allowed and did not provide further answers. As the reporters left the building, laughter could be heard coming from behind them,” the report stated.

The reporters sought assistance from the police who were present, but did not receive a response.

Since the new government took office, several official interview notices have indicated that, due to limited space, only reporters from daily newspapers, weekly newspapers, television stations, radio stations, and news agencies will be invited to attend events.

Additionally, only select online media outlets are permitted to participate.