Nabela Qoser Signs 120-day RTHK Contract

RTHK on Saturday said that one of its journalists, Nabela Qoser, had signed the new 120-day contract offered to her, after it terminated her civil service contract last week.

The decision to terminate came as an internal investigation into complaints about her reporting continued.

The management of the public broadcaster had previously launched a probe into complaints made against Qoser, after she enraged pro-government figures with her tough questioning of officials, including the Chief Executive Carrie Lam, during the social unrest in 2019.

She was cleared of wrongdoing, but RTHK reopened its investigation last October and extend Qoser's probation period as a civil servant.

Last week, the journalist's civil service contract was terminated by the public broadcaster, with RTHK reportedly saying this was because the re-opened probe had not yet been completed, and Qoser was offered a new 120-day contract instead.

On Thursday, more than 60 RTHK employees protested at the station's headquarters against the treatment of Qoser.

The RTHK Programme Staff Union had said giving the reporter only seven days to decide whether to take the new contract was unacceptable.

The union was also critical of Deputy Director of Broadcasting Eugene Fung, saying that senior management had declined to make any black and white reply to Ms Qoser over the progress and also the timetable of the investigation.