Two news anchors who have resigned from Hong Kong Cable Television (HKCTV) are at risk of unemployment at their new company after doing a viral dance challenge in the broadcasting studio, HK01 reported.
On May 19, the news portal reported that Yanna Yu and Terrie Leung celebrated their last day at HKCTV by dancing to Blackpink member Jisoo’s hit song, Flower.
They did the challenge with three other female colleagues.
In an Instagram Story posted on the day of the celebration, Yu shared a clip of their dance routine along with the caption: “Not a professional cover. We’re five flowers that only practised (the dance routine) today. The heels are really noisy.”
The video quickly made rounds on social media and was reposted by many netizens.
However, it drew criticism from veteran journalist and former TVB assistant general manager Raymond Wong, who called it “a true disgrace to the craft of journalism” under a repost of the clip.
It is understood that the video also made executives at HKCTV unhappy, causing Yu to quickly delete it from her Instagram Story.
According to HK01, both Yu and Leung were to start a new job at a different TV network.
However, their new employers had reportedly put their contracts on hold following the incident, leaving many wondering if they are able to find a related job anytime soon.
This incident raised many questions about the role of news anchors and their public image.
Grace Leung, a lecturer at the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, said this would not have been an issue had the dance been done privately, Daily Dimsum reported.
But the fact that it was filmed and uploaded to social media, with the logo of the news organisation in the backdrop, made it inappropriate.
Similarly, Chinese journalist Bruce Lui said the news studio should be a place for reporting, and that anything apart from it should be taken outside.
“The basic principle is to respect the news and respect the profession,” he told HK01.
Meanwhile, some have criticised HKCTV for being too harsh on the anchors and for overreacting to the issue.
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