HK's Press Freedom from Two Sides

The Foreign Correspondents' Club at crosshairs with Beijing

The Foreign Correspondents' Club may be in a perilous position after the Hong Kong office of the Chinese Foreign Ministry accused the association of abandoning its professional ethics and "sowing discord" over the state of press freedom in the city.

The condemnation came after the FCC published a survey of 99 journalists, of which 83 said the working environment for the media had "changed for the worse" since Beijing imposed the national security law in June last year.

Media landscape changed after NSL enacted

More than 90 percent of respondents also had concerns about a looming law against "fake news", which the government wants to introduce to combat doxxing, hate speech and misinformation amid the coronavirus pandemic, and after the anti-government protests in 2019.

"We urge the FCC to stop sowing discord and refrain from interfering with the law-based governance of [the Hong Kong administration] and [the city's] rule of law in the name of press freedom," said the office of the foreign ministry's commissioner in a strongly worded statement.

"The FCC has walked away from its professional ethics. Its misleading report, based on just a few responses, is neither representative nor credible. Its smearing of Hong Kong's press freedom and playing up of the chilling effect are interference in Hong Kong's affairs."

FCC respondents concerned about reporting

However, on the club's website, FCC president Keith Richburg said the club would not respond to the ministry's statement.

The FCC survey found more than four-fifths of respondents had noted the challenges of finding sources willing to be quoted for news stories since the national security law was enacted, with even relatively neutral topics deemed too political by interviewees.

One FCC member said previously sources were more willing to speak on any topic within reason, while publications had no real concerns on what they could publish, or on protecting who would speak to them.

"Now, many people are reluctant or refuse to talk on sensitive subjects, and our organization, especially after the raids on Apple Daily, is much more cautious about data security and the ability to protect sources," the member said.

Apple Daily was forced to close earlier this year

Apple Daily saw its publisher Jimmy Lai Chee-ying and several executives and newsroom editors arrested on security law charges, and was ultimately forced to shut down earlier this year.

Fifty-six percent of survey respondents said they practiced some self-censorship or avoided reporting on what might be considered sensitive stories.

Another member added considering covering the topic of Hong Kong independence had to be carefully considered before covering it in detail.

"These results clearly show that assurances that Hong Kong still enjoys press freedom, guaranteed under the Basic Law, are not enough," Richburg said of the survey before Beijing's rebuke.

"More steps need to be taken to restore confidence among journalists and to make sure Hong Kong maintains its decades-long reputation as a welcoming place for the international media."

Richburg say confidence must be restored

However, the foreign ministry office said the survey's findings had "attacked the national security law", and countered that the legislation had protected the country, restored social stability and given people a greater sense of safety.

"Thanks to the law, Hong Kong could refocus on fighting Covid-19, revitalising the economy and improving people's livelihood," it said.

It should be pointed out that the survey's respondents are mostly expats, though it wouldn't be surprising to find local journalists feel the same, if not even more worried about the effect of the national security law on their reporting.

But the foreign ministry insists everything is fine in Hong Kong, if not better with the national security law, so the FCC perhaps is hoping to resolve the situation by agreeing to disagree. Though one gets the feeling that won't satisfy Beijing...