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Hong Kong’s standing as a bastion of press freedom is in disaster as authorities toughen their line in opposition to worldwide media and fears develop about native self-censorship underneath the city’s sweeping new security law.
For many years the previous British colony has been a shining gentle for journalists in Asia, mendacity on the fringes of an authoritarian China the place the ruling Communist Party retains a decent grip on public opinion.
The civil liberties which have stewarded the city’s success had been promised to Hong Kongers for an additional 50 years underneath a deal that returned the buying and selling hub to Chinese rule in 1997.
But Beijing’s new nationwide security law — imposed in response to final yr’s enormous and typically violent pro-democracy protests — has despatched a shiver through the monetary hub’s media panorama.
“It’s a body blow. It’s the end of press freedom as we knew it in Hong Kong,” Yuen Chan, a former native reporter now lecturing at London’s City University, informed AFP.
The New York Times, CNN, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, CNBC, the Financial Times and AFP are amongst quite a few worldwide media retailers with a presence within the metropolis, many basing their regional headquarters there.
Free from the harassment, censorship and restrictions pervasive on the authoritarian Chinese mainland, semi-autonomous Hong Kong has thrived as a protected haven for each native and overseas reporters.
But indicators of the sands shifting have begun to emerge since China launched its draconian new law earlier this month.
On Tuesday the New York Times introduced it could relocate a 3rd of its employees to Seoul, saying it confronted unprecedented bother acquiring visas.
Hong Kong authorities not too long ago launched a overview of unbiased however state-funded broadcaster RTHK following accusations it was overly sympathetic to pro-democracy protests.
Immediately after the security law was handed, two columnists stop the city’s rambunctious Apple Daily newspaper, a staunch advocate for larger democracy.
The tabloid is owned by Jimmy Lai, a tycoon who Chinese state media has labelled a number one “black hand” colluding with overseas forces to destroy the mainland.
‘Open season’
Beijing has made little secret of its want to rein in Hong Kong’s media, each home and overseas.
One provision of the nationwide security law orders authorities to “strengthen the management” of overseas information organisations.
“It seems like they are starting to at least consider using the visa as a means to punish the people they don’t like,” stated Keith Richburg, director of the Journalism and Media Studies Centre on the University of Hong Kong and a former overseas correspondent for the Washington Post.
In 2018, Financial Times journalist Victor Mallet was refused a visa renewal weeks after he hosted a chat on the city’s overseas press membership with an independence activist.
Sharron Fast, deputy director at Hong Kong University’s journalism programme, stated the clause about overseas media within the new law “sounds ominously like Hong Kong will move towards a China-style press credential requirement”.
The laws additionally grants the territory’s police and China’s intelligence equipment sweeping surveillance powers, one thing Fast stated may make it more durable for journalists to guard their sources.
“It is basically open season on interception of communications and online surveillance,” she informed AFP.
Much of the law is broadly worded and criminalises sure speech, similar to a ban on instigating hatred in the direction of the federal government or advocating independence.
Journalists worry they might inadvertently cross a pink line by reporting what others say.
Self-censorship
Media teams warn native retailers are significantly weak.
Hong Kong reporters have traditionally been an important conduit of knowledge out of mainland China.
And the city’s press corps routinely barrages officers with the type of essential questioning that may be unthinkable north of the border.
Last week, metropolis chief Carrie Lam was requested if she may “100 percent guarantee” media freedoms.
Her reply was that if reporters “guarantee that they will not commit any offences under this piece of national legislation”, then she may.
However, even earlier than the security law, native media had been underneath strain, with promoting usually drying up for probably the most Beijing-critical retailers.
“The problem of self-censorship, which has already been a concern, will get worse,” stated Chris Yeung from the Hong Kong Journalists Association.
“It is likely that the mainland-style media control system and mechanism will be gradually introduced in Hong Kong.”
But London City University lecturer Chan stated the press wouldn’t be simply tamed.
“Journalists in Hong Kong will do as much as they can for as long as they can,” she stated.
Apple Daily boss Lai was requested in an internet Q&A on Friday about the way forward for his reporting employees.
“It’s very difficult to protect them. All I can do is tell them to do things according to their conscience,” he stated.
“I cannot ask them to be a martyr.”
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