Hong Kong’s Freedom of the Press Eroded After Enactment of National Security Law: Report

Survey shows three local pro-communist mouthpieces win the league of 'the most distrusted'

A protester displays a placard during a rally to support press freedom in Hong Kong on March 2, 2014. PHILIPPE LOPEZ/AFP via Getty Images

On June 14, the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at the University of Oxford released its Digital News Report 2023.

The report pointed out that after the implementation of the Hong Kong National Security Law (NSL), Hong Kong’s press freedom continued to be eroded, and the ranking of press freedom dropped significantly.

The Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism conducted an online survey on the credibility of 15 Hong Kong media outlets from January to February in 2023 based on results from British polling agency YouGov.

Three pro-Communist media, “TVB News,” “Bastille News,” and “Dot Dot News,” word the most distrusted media.

In terms of credibility

• “Now News” ranks top at 65 percent;
• “Radio Hong Kong” on 58 percent;
• “Commercial Radio,” “Cable News,” “Ming Pao,” and “Yahoo! News” all squared on 57 percent;
• “Dot Dot News” fares the worst, with only 36 percent.

In terms of distrust

• “TVB News,” “Bastille News,” and “Dot Dot News” have the highest rating, at 26, 25, and 23 percent, respectively.
• “Now News,” “Cable News,” and “Yahoo! News” had the lowest “distrust” score, at only 10, 12, and 12 percent, respectively,
• “AM730” and “Commercial Radio” followed closely behind, with both on 13 percent.

3 Hong Kong Media have CCP Background

• “Television Broadcasting Co., Ltd.,” the parent company of “TVB News,” is pro-communist. Its non-executive director and former vice chairperson of the board of directors, Li Ruigang, is a member of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He was the Director of the Shanghai Media Group (SMG). Li also founded CMC Holdings, currently the majority shareholder of TVB.
• “Bastille News” is an online media established in 2013 and is affiliated with “Sing Tao News Group,” with a similar pro-communist stance.
• “Dot Dot News” is an online media established in 2016, affiliated under the “Hong Kong Ta Kung Wen Wei Media Group.”

Report Criticizes Press Freedom Continues to be Eroded after NSL Enactment

The report has a two-page chapter on Hong Kong, with one page of commentary written by Professor Francis Lee Lap-fung, Associate Professors Chan Chi-man, and Chen Hsuan-ting of the School of Journalism and Communication of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), who have been working with the Reuters Institute of Journalism since 2017.

In their report, the trio describes the continued erosion of press freedom in Hong Kong following the promulgation of the controversial National Security Law in Hong Kong in 2020, which continues to influence Hong Kong’s news media and journalists politically. “These and other developments, such as direct criticisms by high-ranking government officials towards mainstream newspapers that published content portraying the local and Chinese governments negatively, have contributed to a precipitous decline in press freedom in Hong Kong.“

The three CUHK academics cited the “2023 World Press Freedom Index” released by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), where Hong Kong’s ranking dropped drastically from 80th in 2021 to 140th. In 2002, Hong Kong ranked 18th in the world and was once the freest media market in Asia.

The article mentioned that the investigative news agency “FactWire” has become the fourth news organization to be shut down since the promulgation of the NSL. Before that, there were “Apple Daily,” “Stand News,” and “Citizen News” with the same fate.

The article mentioned that “FactWire” was established in 2015 through crowdfunding. It is famed for its investigative journalism exposing political and social affairs in Hong Kong and China. The suspension notice in June 2022 did not mention any particular reasons (for its closure).

In addition, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club (FCC) in Hong Kong announced in 2022 that it will cancel the Human Rights Press Awards, an award granted since 1996. In April last year (2022), FCC Chairperson Keith Richburg explained to members that “there remain significant areas of uncertainty, and we do not wish unintentionally to violate the law.”

The Hong Kong government now requires licensed free TV and radio channels to broadcast at least 30 minutes of programs per week on “National Education,” “National Identity,” and “National Security Law.”

The article also mentions that although Hong Kong media is facing all the difficulties mentioned above, there are still some former journalists from the defunct media who established a series of news websites during the past few years. This includes “The Witness” and “HK Court News,” reflecting the public’s concern and interest in some legal cases.

There is also “The Collective,” a news website that aims to report people and events, monitor the authority, and pursue truth in a professional and impartial manner. Others, such as ”Channel C,“ ”Mill Milk,” and the like, are alternative new video channels for soft news content production.

TV Still an Important News Source

Television remains a vital news source in Hong Kong, but commercial broadcasters continue to lose money. And the easing of pandemic restrictions is unlikely to improve their financial viability, the three academics noted. Cable TV, one of two pay-TV operators, forfeited its license six years earlier to focus on the free-to-air market.

TVB’s response to the slump in advertising revenue has been to focus on e-commerce and expand into the mainland market. In 2023, TVB will work with Alibaba’s online shopping platform to allow its artists to appear in live broadcast sales channels to promote various Hong Kong products to generate additional sales revenue. Investors greeted The move enthusiastically, with TVB’s shares soaring 85 percent lately.