During World War II, there were wartime leaders in many countries, and many of them left their names in the Hall of Fame. In Hong Kong, where freedom of the press is deteriorating, it is also not easy at all to be a “wartime chairman” and cope with various pressures to protect freedom of speech. Ronson Chan Long-sing, chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association, bears this heavy burden in the worst times. No one can predict whether history will remember his name, but one thing is certain, that is, it is not easy to live under the government’s surveillance.
Chan, who has been in the media industry for nearly 20 years, has worked in different news organizations, including some pro-establishment media.
Since 2016, he has switched from traditional media organizations to online media and has worked in FactWire News Agency and Stand News.
After Stand News announced the suspension of operations at the end of last year, Chan moved to another online media “Channel C” to work until now.
He has always cared about the rights and interests of Hong Kong media workers. Chan has served as an executive member of the Hong Kong Journalists Association for three terms. He was elected as the vice-chairman of the Association in 2020. He replaced Chris Yeung Kin-hing as the chairman in 2021.
In the past two years when Chan served as vice chairman and chairman, Hong Kong’s media ecology has undergone radical changes. The “Hong Kong National Security Law'' was passed and implemented a few days after he was elected as vice chairman. Media workers can no longer use vital public interest as a defense under the National Security Law, which further restricts journalism.
A few days after he was elected chairman of the Association in 2021, the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily announced the suspension of operations, and the Hong Kong media industry officially entered its dark age.
It is not an overstatement to say that Chan is the one who has faced the most and the greatest crises among all the previous presidents of the Association. However, in this stressful atmosphere, he still led HKJA to do his best to fulfill the organization’s mission.
After the shutdown of Apple Daily, in order to solve the urgent financial needs of the laid-off employees, the Association handed over gift certificates to them on behalf of private enterprises and enthusiastic citizens. It acted not only as a “middleman,” but also actively supported the unemployed staff by providing job referrals so that they could continue working in the media industry of Hong Kong.
In the past two years, Hong Kong’s media workers not only have to face the crisis of their organizations being shut down at any time and then losing their jobs overnight. Under the ambiguous “red line” of the National Security Law, one may change from “reporter” to “criminal” at any time.
On the evening of July 1, 2021, a police officer was stabbed outside the Sogo Department Store in Causeway Bay, Hong Kong. A 50-year-old man, Leung Kin-fai, stabbed a police officer on duty, and then stabbed his own heart with a knife. The scene was captured by a reporter from the Vision Times channel who was having a live broadcast at the time.
However, because of this “exclusive news,” the reporter, as a “witness,” almost became a “suspect.” The female reporter of Vision Times was asked by the police to assist in the investigation after the incident.
During the period, the police even searched her house, took away telephones and computers, and other electronic equipment for interviews, and confiscated her travel documents.
Some pro-establishment media even pointed out that she might be related to the attack, otherwise, it would be impossible for her being a “prophet” to witness the attack at the crime scene.
In the turbulent environment of the local media ecology, Chan and the Association did not just stand by. In addition to issuing a statement to question the police’s treatment of witnesses, the Association also appointed lawyers to accompany the reporter during the investigation process.
Chan also went to the police station in person to wait for news. The Association and Chan tried their best to help the reporter safeguard her due rights. In the end, the reporter was also proven innocent, but Chan became the “target” for some people.
On Dec. 29, 2021, Chan, who was the deputy assignment editor of Stand News at the time, and a number of related persons were accused of “conspiracy to publish seditious publications” by the National Security Office of the Hong Kong Police Force, and they were asked to be searched by the authorities.
In September this year, when Chan was preparing for an interview in Mong Kok, Hong Kong, he was arrested by the police again on suspicion of “obstructing police work.” Chan later revealed that during his detention, he was violently treated by a police chief, who kept pressing his handcuffs tightly, and he was insulted by the police chief who said that “the Journalists Association is a piece of trash.”
Later, the police formally charged Chan with obstructing police work.
On Sept. 22, he was released on bail pending trial and left Hong Kong to participate in the fellowship program at the University of Oxford.
The case will be tried in May next year.
Despite all kinds of obstacles, Chan keeps calm and shares his work and life on social platforms from time to time. When things have gone wrong, he shares with the public in a humorous way. He never hesitates to promote other reporters’ pages and articles on his own social platforms.
Chan, who is a football fan, talks about “football news” from time to time on the Internet. After he arrived in the UK a few days ago, he immediately went to the stadium to watch the game of Newcastle, the Premier League team which he supports. His team won 4:1 against Fulham. For Chan, perhaps his time in the UK may be the most relaxing time in recent years.
However, he already made it clear that he would return to Hong Kong. A lawsuit will be waiting for him in 6 months and he has no idea what kind of media ecology will become in Hong Kong.
