Interview Excerpt

Summary of interview
Rebecca Chan recalls her personal experience in handling interviews and news coverage during the SARS outbreak. She reflects on different stages of the epidemic, including the outbreak at Amoy Gardens, and her attempts to investigate the possible channels of transmission at the estate. She also comments on arrangement of news coverage on television, news editor’s and director’s strategies; role and contributions of the media; performance of government officials in front of the media during SARS and government’s new media strategies after SARS. Of the images still strongly imprinted on her mind from the SARS period, many revolve around the act of waving goodbye, e.g. residents of Block E of Amoy Gardens waving goodbye on their evacuation to quarantine centers. She recalls with nostalgia the strong community spirit which united Hong Kong citizens during the outbreak, something which regretfully has not been as evident since that tragic episode.