HONG KONG—A Hong Kong television station said on Tuesday about 100 staff were affected by a shake-up as it seeks to remain competitive in a challenging economic environment, a move that has reignited worries over media freedom in China’s freest city.

i-Cable TV news journalists leave with their boxes after being laid off in Hong Kong, on Dec.1, 2020. Tyrone Siu/Reuters

i-Cable TV news journalist talks to the media after being laid off in Hong Kong on Dec.1, 2020. Tyrone Siu/Reuters
Local media said 40 workers had been laid off from i-Cable, including the entire team from the station’s award-winning investigative section, News Lancet.