News was ranked last in credibility among TV and radio channels in Hong Kong. During the 2014 protests, TVB's broadcast of footage of seven police officers beating a protester on 15 October resulted in significant internal conflict during the broadcast. The pre-dawn broadcasts soundtrack which mentioned "punching and kicking" was re-recorded, and later bulletins said that the officers were "suspected of using excessive force". TVB director Keith Yuen questioned what grounds lead the footage to say "officers dragged him to a dark corner, and punched and kicked him"? Ho Wing-hong, the assistant supervisor of the news-gathering team responsible for the footage, was immediately demoted to Chief Researcher, a post with only a part-time subordinate. Many journalists expressed their dissatisfaction with the handling of the broadcast, and some 80 TVB staff from all departments objecting to the handling sent a petition to management. After several of its reporters were assaulted by activists attending a pro-Beijing rally, over 340 station employees put their names to a petition condemning the violence. A director of production in the non-drama department ordered all petitioners to a meeting with their supervisors, where the employees were asked to remove their signature or jeopardise their year end bonuses. In March 2015, former DAB partisan Luk Hon-tak's appointment as the managing editor of TVB News in charge of political news stories caused significant concern among the company. Although news director Keith Yuen maintained that there were no political considerations in Luk's appointment, some TVB News staff are questioning the unusual appointment and the political nature of the role. They pointed to Luk's strongly pro-establishment background, as most of the senior management posts were filled by internal promotion. There was an exodus of in late February when at least seven journalists, including Ho Wing-hong, tendered their resignations. TVB News was criticized for biased coverage during the 2019–20 Hong Kong protests, with Communications Authority receiving approximately 12,000 complaints. In light of this, some companies, including the Hong Kong branches of Pocari Sweat and Pizza Hut, withdrew their advertisements from TVB, drawing praise from anti-extradition protestors. References External links TVB News official website TVB News Channel official website Mass media in Hong Kong Television stations in Hong Kong TVB 24-hour television news channels in China Chinese propaganda organisations