NEWS OPERATIONS
ABC Journalist Kathryn Diss did multiple live crosses from the airport protest. (ABC News: Robert Koenig-Luck)
ABC Journalist Greg Jennett at work as the portable LiveU unit feeds out footage via the mobile phone network. (ABC News: Robert Koenig-Luck)
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IT’S HOT AND HUMID I land in Hong Kong at 3:00pm and hit the ground running, meeting our South-East Asia correspondent Kathryn Diss at Wan Chai to film a piece-to-camera.
We catch our breath. We stop to make a new plan. We check when’s our next deadline.
After a four-hour standoff with police, there are no significant clashes.
Protesters have used improvised materials to block the roads feeding into a five-way roundabout.
I can see already that staying hydrated is going to be very important.
I go to bed about 1:00am.
Our personal safety is always our top priority and you have to think ahead in these kinds of volatile situations.
A few minutes later she’s woken up – the audio’s failed to send and the producer at AM had no choice but to phone.
We are constantly scanning the surrounds for images that best describe what is happening, best tell the story.
Back to sleep. It’s the calm before the storm.
I am in my element – the scenes are a visual feast.
The next afternoon, we travel to Tai Po, about 50 minutes from central Hong Kong, closer to the Chinese border, to follow a big march.
We are scheduled to do 10 live crosses into ABC 7pm News bulletins in every capital city but the signal is poor because of the large number of people in the arrival’s hall and users on the mobile network. We quickly scramble to higher ground where the signal is better but it’s still not strong enough. It’s already 6.30pm Australian Eastern Standard Time, so we
CHAOS ERUPTS ON THE STREETS
Because of our live cross demands, we’ve got extra gear. We walk two kilometres with the marchers and then set up on the side of the road in the shade. Kathryn knocks off another 10 live crosses and just as she’s finishing up we see a large group of protesters moving to the metro train station nearby.
It’s all over as quickly as it began.
STAYING SAFE WHILE COVERING THE STORY
When we arrive, things have escalated.
Kathryn stays up until 2.30am cutting a radio current affairs piece for ABC Radio’s AM programme before hitting the sack.
Under pressure she delivers, describing the scene before us.
We hail a taxi and Kathryn files radio copy on the way.
Then, we head back into the city to cover the evening protests.
Camera operators and photographers look at the world in a different way to others.
NEWS OPERATIONS
The signal starts to improve and we manage to shoot half of the crosses live.
Our local fixer, who is monitoring social media, has discovered that the group is heading to Tai Wai, about 30 minutes away.
I’ve been to Hong Kong on holidays, but not for work, and trying to move 25 kilograms of gear around the busy streets, in 33° heat and 90% humidity, is a challenge.
Day two and we are at the airport where three days of planned protests start.
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quickly shoot a piece-to-camera (known as an “as live”) and feed it back on a 20-second delay.
We learn that the protesters have moved on to Nathan Road police station and we jump in a taxi to follow. The next scene is unbelievable.
Kathryn and I quickly don gas masks and helmets.
The protesters have blocked a busy road in a major luxury shopping district.
There is already a cloud of tear gas in the air and we find a safe place to the side of the melee where I can get shots.
As shoppers walk by with bags of expensive purchases, tear gas canisters are fired into the group of protesters.
The scene before me is surreal!
Protesters and shoppers flee.
Bursts of tear gas, police with riot shields, protesters dressed like ninjas with yellow helmets and gas masks, and laser pointers cutting through the gas clouds.
We find a safe vantage point.
After a few minutes, I find it’s not easy to shoot with the gas mask on in the heat and humidity. To be effective, the mask needs to make a tight seal on your face. Being hotter in this environment is the last thing you need but it’s better than breathing in the gas or being hit in the face by a projectile. Kathryn does three PTC’s back to back.
With the mask still on, Kathryn does another PTC, delivering a great summation of the scene before us. I say to Kathryn: “Hey, this place is literally a riot!” We both laugh. It breaks the tension for a moment. A few minutes later, I am filming police arresting citizens on the street. About 50 news crews are all trying to get the same shot of a women being arrested, it feels like I’m playing hooker again in the