Press freedom in Hong Kong continues to decline, according to HKJA survey

Press freedom in Hong Kong remains restricted, according to a survey of media workers in the city, who also said that a recently passed security law had had a “significant impact” on the industry.

According to the results of the Hong Kong Journalists Association's (HKJA) annual press freedom index released on Tuesday, reporters' ratings were only 25 out of 100, the lowest since the survey began in 2013.

According to the HKJA survey, reporters said they were less cautious about criticizing the city government, the media found it harder to exercise their oversight function, and it had become more difficult to obtain information.

The Press Freedom Index assesses press freedom in Hong Kong based on ten factors, including restraint in criticising the central and local governments, whether owners or managers exert pressure in the workplace, whether the media can fulfil its function as a control body and whether there is self-censorship.

When asked what incidents would have affected press freedom in 2023, respondents cited the ongoing trial of pro-democracy media magnate Jimmy Lai; the denial of entry to foreign reporters who covered the 2019 protests and unrest; the disappearance of SCMP reporter Minnie Chan, who went missing after a reporting trip to Beijing; and the suspension of political cartoonist Ming Pao's comic strip “Zunzi.”

The HKJA commissioned the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (PORI) to conduct the survey, which interviewed 1,007 members of the public and 251 reporters between March and May.

CEO John Lee said in May that the media can “ask questions” but not provoke conflict or make defamatory remarks. He also said the news industry must adhere to professional ethics and provide readers with accurate and comprehensive information.

The HKJA has come under criticism from the authorities and state-backed media since the months of protests and unrest in Hong Kong in 2019. The press group has been accused of slandering the police, allowing “fake journalists” to join, and protecting protesters.

Last month, HKJA chairwoman Selina Cheng was fired by American newspaper The Wall Street Journal, allegedly because of her role in the press union.

Audience rating increased slightly

Hong Kong citizens are generally not as concerned about press freedom as industry representatives, with the public's rating of press freedom increasing slightly from 41.4 last year to 42.2 out of 100.

The public reported noticing a decline in the diversity of viewpoints represented in the media, while all nine other factors showed improvement in 2023.

According to the HKJA's Press Freedom Index, public perception of press freedom has declined from 49.4 in 2013 to 41.9 in 2019. Over the past four years, the index has fluctuated around 41.

More and more reporters found Article 23 harmful

In addition, the survey also examined perceptions of Article 23, the city's national security law that came into force in March. Ninety-two percent of journalists said the new law would have a significant impact on press freedom.

Thirty-nine percent of respondents said the law would have a “significant impact” on press freedom, 21 percent said it would have “some or no impact,” and 36 percent said it would have “little or no impact.”

Independent of the security law passed in Beijing in 2020, the national security regulation targets treason, sedition, sabotage, external interference, sedition, theft of state secrets and espionage. It allows for pre-trial detention for up to 16 days and suspects' access to lawyers can be restricted. Penalties range from life imprisonment. Article 23 was put on hold in 2003 in the wake of mass protests and remained taboo for years. But on March 23, 2024, it was passed in an expedited procedure and unanimously approved in the opposition-free city parliament.

Human rights NGOs, Western states and the UN have criticized the law as vague, far-reaching and “regressive.” Authorities, on the other hand, have pointed to alleged foreign interference and a constitutional duty to “close loopholes” following protests and unrest in 2019.

All HKFP staff are members of the HKJA, while Hans Tse is a member of the 2024-25 Executive Committee..

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