Amid major protests that began last month in the streets of Hong Kong and that call into question issues of freedom of expression, the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA ) has said that press freedom in the autonomous region have deteriorated and have called 2014 “the darkest [year] for press freedom for several decades.”
In its report, released in July of this year, the Association found that there have been several attacks on journalists, firings and personnel changing for high-level journalists, as well as, the withdrawal of advertising – all of which have had a grave impact on the media.
According to the 30-page report, concerns about government officials in Beijing using advertising to control media existed even before the 1997 British handover of Hong Kong to China. “Apart from exerting pressure on advertising revenue,” the report states, “Beijing can also twist the arms of local tycoons to follow its lead by rewarding the more accommodating media and penalizing those which do not toe (sic) the line.”
The HKJA’s report, titled “Press freedom under siege: Grave threats to freedom of expression in Hong Kong,” calls on Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying’s administration to do the following:
Take measures to prevent violence against journalists and pursue the perpetrators, including the masterminds, behind the attacks on media workers.
Rethink its decision to deny a free-to-air license to Hong Kong Television Network. Big crowds protested last year when the government refused to give the station and its high-profile owner a broadcasting license. According to reports, the Hong Kong Government had previously pledged to open up the market without a limit on the number licenses.
Encourage media diversity in the industry by encouraging the participation of radio and television broadcasters who are innovative and supportive of freedom of expression.
Enact, as a matter of urgency, freedom of information and archives laws to ensure proper access to government information and documents.
Review the government’s policy on law reform to ensure that freedom of expression concerns are taken into full account “in determining the content of new laws or amendments to existing ordinances.”
Of course, I wholeheartedly endorse these pleas, and while these large-scale protests demanding open elections continue, I urge the government to secure the safety of journalists and to provide the press with information that may be of public interest in a timely matter, especially during this period of unrest in Hong Kong. Then, and only then, would true progress in Hong Kong’s state of press freedom begin.
Alison Bethel McKenzie is IPI’s Executive Director. You can contact her at +43 1512 9011 or abethel[@]freemedia.at
