The media reports on activities by informing or forming the public opinion through various media. In other words, the media represents society. People have access to news and share information with each other through the media. As the media informs about what is happening in society, people can express their opinions or form communities, so the media plays a big role, especially when people act collectively. One example is the ongoing protests in Hong Kong.
  Currently, demonstrations are underway in Hong Kong. The Hong Kong protests began in April when the Hong Kong government pushed for an extradition law. The law allows for the extradition of criminals to other countries even if they do not have a treaty. The law was introduced after a Hong Kong murder case in February last year in Taiwan. A Hong Kong man returned to Hong Kong after killing his girlfriend in Taiwan. However, the Hong Kong police were not able to punish him because he did not commit a crime in Hong Kong. Also, he could not be repatriated to Taiwan because the Hong Kong government has not signed an extradition treaty with Taiwan. In response, the Hong Kong government pushed for a law that would allow criminals to be sent to countries that have not signed extradition treaties, including Taiwan, China, and Macau. In response, protests among Hong Kong citizens have been held to express worry over potential political abuse. Also, the protests have now become anti-China protests. The protests arose due to a fear that the Chinese government could take advantage of that law to extradite and punish Hong Kong people who were a threat to China. The Chinese government has taken a negative attitude toward the protests and has criticized them.
  The Hong Kong protests are reminiscent of the Republic of Korea’s democratic uprising(also called the May Democratic Uprising) in May 1987. Violence erupted on a large scale after the military disallowed the media from spreading the news to citizens who were being oppressed by the military. The current Hong Kong protests are the same. There are reports of people being attacked by police and even firing guns. As times change and social networking services develop, Hong Kong people often spread the news of demonstrations on SNS, and rumors are even circulating that the Chinese government is trying to control them. The difference between the current Hong Kong protests and the May Democratic Uprising is that people no longer receive limited news due to media control. The media is no longer controlled by a particular government or powerful elite. Through this more pervasive media, people have a chance to think about how the Hong Kong protests came about and what they mean to them.
  Hong Kong protests have affected not only China but also South Korea, as they became known throughout the world. After people heard about the Hong Kong’s protests through the media, some young Koreans formed a consensus in a similar way to the May Democratic Uprising, and messages supporting the Hong Kong protests have often been seen on social media. Also, some Korean universities posted some articles on SNS that showed negative attitudes toward China due to the protests in Hong Kong. This has led to conflicts between Chinese students and Korean students at universities. Comments that supporting the Hong Kong protests and criticizing the Chinese government were posted on the community application of CBNU. All of these acts play a secondary role in the media, just like journalists.
  As such, people can be enlightened through the media. The media plays the biggest role in the same circumstances that allow people to gather and make efforts to solve certain problems. It is not just within Hong Kong to play its role, but it can also affect other countries and communities. What I realized from this is that although the work of the reporter I am now doing in university, it is to create a correct society. I could tell from how much I thought lightly of what I do. From now on, I will try to use this opportunity to write articles with more responsibility as a reporter.