CNA's video reporting of Hu Jintao's dramatic exit from China Congress wins SOPA award

SINGAPORE: Rare footage captured by CNA in the moments before former Chinese leader Hu Jintao was dramatically escorted out of the Communist Party Congress has won the regional news platform an award at the Society of Publishers Asia (SOPA) 2023 Awards on Thursday (Jun 15).

The video exclusive - What happened before former Chinese president Hu Jintao was escorted out of Congress? - won the regional Award for Excellence in Video Reporting, edging out other finalist entries by Sixth Tone and Rappler. The video was captured by CNA's China bureau cameraman Emil Wan.

Judges said his good instincts allowed the world to get a rare glimpse of unscripted exchanges between Chinese President Xi Jinping and his predecessor at the 20th Party Congress.

"It was a tiny crack in the orchestrated CCP (Chinese Communist Party) session," they added. "Bravo for documenting a crucial piece of contemporary Chinese history. Though we may never know the real reason (why) Hu was escorted out, it gave us clues to have more educated conjectures."

In CNA's video, chairman of China's legislature Li Zhanshu was seen taking papers out of Mr Hu's hand. Mr Hu was escorted out by an aide shortly after.

The unexpected development caught the world's attention amid talk of a consolidation of power by President Xi.

It also provided a rare, candid glimpse into the inner workings of China's Communist Party, where elite politics has become increasingly opaque. 

Mr Wan was among the first to run into the auditorium at the Great Hall of the People to film the events at the Congress. The media had been in a holding area, and he recalled jostling for prime position with scores of other crew. 

"As I was setting up the tripod and the camera, I saw something unusual, some movements on stage, so I quickly rolled my camera to record it ... It didn't occur to me that this would be exclusive news," Mr Wan said.

"As a visual journalist, I often have a stronger sense of news because of my curiosity. I am very happy to receive this honour."

The exclusive video chalked up more than a million views within 24 hours after it was published on CNA's YouTube and Facebook platforms.

A story analysing the video by CNA China correspondent Olivia Siong was also top-read that week.

"This is a story that more than six months on, remains significant, puzzling and intriguing. And one we will definitely remember for a long time," Ms Siong said after the awards, which were announced at a ceremony in Hong Kong.

"We are grateful to have a front-row seat to history and to tell various facets of China’s story as it gets increasing attention from the world," she added.

"We don’t take this responsibility lightly and this story has reinforced how important it is to us to expect the unexpected. This recognition will definitely be a boost to us as we press on in our reporting on China."

SOPA is a Hong Kong-based not-for-profit organisation dedicated to pursuing excellence in journalism. Its awards recognise outstanding works of journalism over the past year in the Asia-Pacific region.

This year's winners included Reuters, Bloomberg News and South China Morning Post.

Reuters took home an award in human rights reporting for its story "From Rohingya to razed villages: Myanmar army's mounting atrocities". The South China Morning Post, meanwhile, took top honours for its infographics in "Life in Hong Kong's shoebox housing".

Bloomberg News won an award in breaking news reporting for "China's COVID Protest". It was also recognised with the Carlos Tejada Award for Excellence in Investigative Reporting for "Plastic Planets".