Before the 1997 handover, Hong Kong was a region with a free and diverse media. However, the region’s freedom of information has been eroded day by day. This is strongly intertwined with the press’s ownership structure. The major media outlets in Hong Kong are controlled by financial figures with close ties to mainland China, and they are prone to shunning criticism of the mainland . The Journalist Association of Hong Kong observed that while freedom of information was maintained shortly after the handover, it was on the verge of collapsing around the 2014 umbrella movements.
A journalist who spoke out against the government was dismissed and subjected to white terror. Additionally, pro-democracy media outlets faced financial strain as a result of ad cancellations.
Meanwhile, other publications, such as Apple Daily, a daily news publication, maintain an outspoken position on government criticism, securing pro-democracy subscribers. Jimmy Lai, the founder of Apple Daily, was detained in August following the implementation of Hong Kong’s national security law. He was charged with collusion with foreign powers. Over 200 police officers stormed the editorial section of Apple Daily’s headquarters, searching for journalists’ materials and seizing more than 30 cartons of papers. This was the first time a publisher of a media outlet was arrested in Hong Kong, and the press was subjected to search and seizure.
International media outlets such as Korea’s Hankyoreh and Japan’s Asahi Shimbun publish editorials denouncing the Hong Kong administration, the national security law, and press repression.
In Hong Kong, information sharing via social media platforms such as Facebook is also active. The younger generation, in particular, that joins in protests, has a greater reliance on social media and Internet media than on traditional media such as newspapers, television, and radio. Hong Kong’s government arrests students for their social media posts.
Additionally, Hong Kong police announced that starting September 23, they would only support government-registered media. According to this announcement, the government will allow and promote news coverage of only internationally recognized foreign press or press registered with the government’s press release system. Additionally, unregistered journalists may face arrest in prohibited protest areas and will be unable to attend reports and interviews conducted inside the police line and press conference. Eight Hong Kong media organizations and a confederation of news media, as well as 44 online publications, demanded the measure’s withdrawal, claiming that it violates media freedom no less than the media licensing system and even the Basic Law of Hong Kong, which guarantees press freedom.
Another significant issue is police violence directed at reporters on the demonstration site. On October 19, 2019, a press conference was organized by the international press corps, the Hong Kong News Executives’ Association, the Hong Kong Journalists’ Association, and the Hong Kong Press Photographers Association to announce a statement denouncing police violence against journalists. It was testified that police removed reporters’ masks and pepper sprayed their faces, and that reporters at the demonstration site were severely injured by water cannon or tear gas. In September, an Indonesian reporter is hit by a rubber bullet and loses her sight. Application of the anti-mask law to journalists was also raised as a problem.