#StandNews Thanks Hongkongers for Their Support Despite Political Oppression

On December 29, 2021, Stand News has announced ceasing their operations and laying off all staff immediately after the police arrested a number of current and former management staff and freezing their assets.

The 7 arrested are the former and acting editors-in-chief of Stand News, Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam, four former board members – singer Denise Ho, barrister Margaret Ng, Christine Fang and Chow Tat-chi – and former Apple Daily executive Chan Pui-man, a former contributor.

Deputy assignment editor Ronson Chan briefly spoke to reporters as was leaving the Stand News office around 5pm. With tears in his eyes, he called it a "sad day", and thanked readers for their support.

Read more:
https://publielectoral.lat/guardiansofhongkong/31751

Source: Citizen News #Dec29

#Media #PoliticalOppression #PressFreedom #Regime #Arrest #PoliceState #PoliticalProsecution

#Breaking #PressFreedom
Hong Kong Citizen News announces its closure 5 years after its establishment

Below is the press’ open letter to its readers:

A farewell from Hong Kong Citizen News

Today is 2 Jan 2022, hkcnews has to say goodbye to all our readers 5 years after our establishment.

It is still in our vivid memory that on 1 Jan 2017, hkcnews was established. During the press conference for announcment, many experienced reporters had expressed their concerns over press freedom in Hong Kong, hoping that hkcnews could uphold the spirit of professionaism, stay true to the essence of journalism, and serve the public. During that time, we "hoped that this tiny step we take could gradually encourage the industry to protect the freedom of press".

Then, albeit facing extremely scarce resources, hkcnews slowly made our tiny stpes, paving our way into the news reporting world. We strove our best to cover exclusive news, data analysis, interviews, investigative reports, feature articles, court news, Chinese news, etc.. Although our coverage might not be the broadest, nor the fastest, but this little team of us has never stopped striving for depth and accuracies in our reports.

We started from having only 10 people in our team, now we are proud colleagues of dozens professionals, and from being a nobody, to hearing people saying they have been reading our articles.

It’s been 5 years. We truly thank all for your support.

─────────

The first news article of hkcnews, published on 1 Jan 2017.

"Hong Kong Citizen News was born on this special new year because we want you all to remember, regardless of situations, that 'This land we cherish, into our bones this love we’ve etched, happy or sad, in life or death, it's still Hong Kong, our land'."

We all love this place, yet with regret, we are not only facing a storm, but a tornado and tsunami.

We have never forgotten the reason we started. Unfortunately, with the radical change in our society, the environment for journalism has been deteriorating. We can no longer strive for our aim fearlessly.

Right in the eye of the typhoon, the little boat of us is in severe situation of waves and winds. We have to first make sure everyone in hkcnews is safe under such dangerous situation.

Therefore it is with utmost sadness that we announce:

Starting from 4 Jan 2022, Hong Kong Citizen News will cease operation. We will stop updating our websites, which will be shut down sometime later.

We sincerely thank our subscribers and readers for all of your support, which we will hold dearly onto, and remember, forever.

All those we have gone through in the past 5 years will be cherished memories of ours.

Hong Kong Citizen News

Source: Citizen News; #Jan2
#Media #CloseDown #Solidarity #Humanity #PressFreedom #PoliticalOppression #Readers #Hongkongers #WhiteTerror

#Solidarity
Hongkongers Express Gratitude to #StandNews

[Editor's notes: The following open letter to Stand News was published by Liber Research, an independent research organization in Hong Kong with a focus on local studies. Liber Research expressed gratitude to Stand News in the past years for defending the freedom of the press and information in Hong Kong.

Stand News was forced to shut down on December 29, 2021 after the Hong Kong authorities arrested 7 current and former senior staff of the news outlet on the same day.]

"Thank you so much, Stand News, for reporting local news and publishing our studies over the years.

The articles, videos, news reports, webcasts, commentaries, investigative reports, and interviews of Stand News enabled our research to be covered every few days.

With the support of Stand News, our work has become all rounded.

Stand News never neglects the burning issues in Hong Kong society. Professional investigations, in-depth interviews, local sensitivity, topical issues, and reflective discussions had defintely made Stand News a legend despite difficult times.

The sudden closure of Stand News will make civic organisations lose their key dissemination platform, impacting on how social reality could be reflected in the long run.

Following the deterioration of the media freedom in Hong Kong this year, Hongkongers can see the changes of information dissemination.

It is quite certain that the closure of Stand News will further restrict information flow with regard to public issues, especially for critical studies. Room for publication with depth and breadth is diminishing.

Regardless, let us wish best of luck to all Stand News journalists. Let us treasure what's left and keep each other in company until the very end.

'As long as local opinions persist, no one can cover the sun with one finger.'"

Source: Liber Research #Dec29

#PressFreedom #Research #Regime #PoliceState

#WhiteTerror #Censorship
Newspaper in Hong Kong States in Editorial: "No Intention to Incite Hatred"

In late December 2021, six former and current senior staff members of Stand News were arrested for "conspiracy to publish a seditious material". The authorities said that it contravened sections 9 and 10 of the Crimes Ordinance.

The former chief-editor Chung Pui-Kuen and the former acting editor-in-chief Patrick Lam Shiu-Tung were both detained and denied bail. Stand News immediately announced to cease operation.

On January 6, 2022, #MingPao, a Chinese-language newspaper in Hong Kong, stated in its editorial that the newspaper has no intention to "incite hatred, dissatisfaction, and hostility" and they are only "pointing out the wrongdoings and suggesting a legal improvement to the society".

Following #StandNews, #CitizenNews and other 5 media have been recently closed down.

The chief-writer in Citizen News Chris Yeung Kin-Hing worried about the unpredictable redline. He was not comfortable to be a journalist as any article, report and interview can be classified as incitement.

Chief Executive #CarrieLam, however, claimed that the number of media registered on the information service department has increased in the past year, when she was asked whether press freedom has declined.

"The shut down of the media is their personal choice that we should not directly connect it with #FreedomofPress. The government and the police force only act in accordance with the law."

The editorial posted by Ming Pao reads:

"Criticism in the journal was to point out the mistakes or weaknesses of the related systems, policies or regulations and aim to correct or to eliminate them with legal improvement. There are no hatred, dissatisfaction, or hostility incitement to the government or other social groups."

Source: InMedia #Jan6
https://bit.ly/3JLmArq

#CarrieLam #YeungKinHing #ChungPuiKuen #LamShiuTung #NSL #CrimesOrdinance #PressFreedom #MediaLandscape

#PressFreedom
#852Post Founder Relocated to Taiwan to Speak on Hong Kong Matters

#YauChingYuen, the founder of 852 Post, a pro-democracy news platform, revealed in a Youtube video released on February 8, 2022 that he has left Hong Kong for Taiwan on January 17, 2022. His wife just arrived in Taiwan and was currently in quarantine.

Yau revealed that he received a visa issued by the Taiwan government last February, but he thought he could stay in Hong Kong for a longer while.

The authorities' suppression of Stand News, an independent news outlet in Hong Kong, changed his mind.

Yau described the situation in Hong Kong as "Cultural Revolution" alike. He realised that he could only leave Hong Kong in order to speak up.

Source: Youtube #Feb8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUS3p_cyOSw

#PressFreedom
Pro-democeacy news anchor stumbles in career development in Hong Kong

Young news anchor, Ingrid #TseHingYee worked for three media outlets in three years. Her disrupted career, is a sad reflection of Hong Kong's stifled media and banished press freedom.

Most recently, Tse was seen hosting a press briefing for the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institution.

She thanked her supporters after the briefing, saying that she is pondering possible developments in her career.

Tse joined #AppleDaily in 2021 after resigning from i-Cable in 2019 due to arguments about editorial decisions.

The 25-year-old journalist moved to work in online media Hong Kong #CitizenNews after Apple Daily was folded in June 2021.

In January 2022, Citizen News announced plans to close after some 200 police raided #StandNews, another independent media outlet in Hong Kong, citing concerns about the safety of its staff.

Source: inmediahk; #Feb12
https://bit.ly/3gVtGwl

#PoliceState #PressFreedom
IG's attempt to remove a video showing youngsters being subdued by Hong Kong police triggers concern over press freedom

In Hong Kong, a 15-year-old boy was reportedly pinned to the ground by three plainclothes officers at a basketball court in Wong Tai Sin, according a video shared by online media Channel C HK.

The footage – shot by an eyewitness – appeared to show three men holding down a teenager whose mask came off as they struggled. The boy can be heard saying: “You pushed first.”

This 6-min footage, uploaded on Instagram, received over 300,000 views.

Although the footage has included comments from Hong Kong police, the video was lifted by IG for 10 hours, citing "assisting to hurt people" as reason.

Hours later, the video was released again, although IG failed to provide any reason.

The online media outlet expressed frustration and disappointment as IG has never explained their actions.

Source: Channel C; #Mar10
https://youtu.be/I81DlV6_K7M

#PressFreedom #Censorship
Pro-democracy media rejected at government funded events

A Hong Kong government funded community group, newly established to combat COVID-19 outbreak extended invitation to local media to publicise their attempts to relief supply shortage of anti-epidemic items in elderly homes.

Reporters from Inmediahk, a pro-democracy online media were among those being invited.

Unfortunately, when reporters from Inmediahk showed up at the press briefing, they were stopped at the door and rejected.

A staff member said only those "friendly media" are invited. Without providing any convincing reasons, they were barred from entering the venue and asked to leave.

Source: inmediahk; #Mar10
https://bit.ly/363rmRx

#PressFreedom #Accountability
Now news ‘deeply sorry’ over reporter’s question to HK leader about complaint mechanism for medical staff from China

As the government waived registration requirements for mainland Chinese medics coming to Hong Kong to help treat COVID patients, questions of medical accountability begun to surface. During Carrie Lam's daily pandemic briefing on March 16, a #NowTV reporter asked about the process by which a patient could lodge a complaint, in case of a medical mishap while being treated by a mainland medic.

The question, however, was not well received by the government and the pro-Beijing camp in Hong Kong.

While Carrie Lam stressed a sense of gratitude for China should come first, former chief executive Leung Chun-ying lashed out at the reporter on Facebook, questioning if "her brain had a problem, or her morals had a problem".

Other pro-Beijing groups went on to describe the reporter's question as "unprofessional" and "spreading hate speech."

Politihk Social Strategic, a group of pro-Beijing activists formed to support former CE Leung, claimed that the NowTV reporter had triggered “public anger” with her question.

The group posted photos of the female reporter online, and called for an online petition condemning her conduct as unprofessional and a possible violation of the #NationalSecurityLaw.

Owing to public pressure, the TV station issued a statement of apology on the same day.

“We are deeply sorry that the question about mainland medics at yesterday’s Covid-19 press briefing caused concern and discontent among citizens,” the statement read. “The fifth-wave outbreak is still severe, and we are extremely thankful to the central government and the mainland’s selfless support.”

The Hong Kong Journalists Association (#HKJA) expressed regret for Now TV's apology, as well as concern that such attacks on a journalist's question would exacerbate the self-censorship among editorial staff. The association noted that a similar question was posed by pro-Beijing LegCo member Tang Fei on March 15, the day before the press conference.

The association stressed the journalistic value of posing these questions at press conferences, as it gives officials an opportunity to explain their policies to the public. Furthermore, the question received informative replies, showing that government officials also recognized the question's value. The association hopes that the public could better understand the workings of journalism, and would view the work of reporters without political preconceptions.

#WuhanPneumonia #RuleByFear #GratitudeEducation

Source: Inmediahk; #Mar17
https://bit.ly/3IiqAh0

#FailedState #Oppression #PressFreedom
Satisfaction with Hong Kong’s press freedom slumps to record low: Survey

On April 1, 2022, the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute (#HKPORI) published the results of a telephone survey involving 1,004 respondents’ “appraisal of news media.”

Findings revealed record low results since 1997 - only 28% of respondents are satisfied with #PressFreedom in Hong Kong.

The survey also reported a record-high proportion of respondents saying that local news outlets did not utilise their freedom of speech, the highest rate since September 1997.

The overall satisfaction with media outlets’ performance also dropped from 8% (2021) to 2% (2022), a record low since records began in September 1997.

Chris Yeung, former chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalist Association said that the closure of media outlets was “definitely” a factor contributing to people’s dissatisfaction with press freedom.

Source: LuminantHK, #Apr1
https://publielectoral.lat/luminanthk/5403

#PressFreedom
Hong Kong Drops to the 148th Ranking out of 180 in 2021 World Press Index

The Reporter Without Borders (#RSF) announced the latest World Press Index on May 3, 2022. The ranking of Hong Kong drops from the 80th to the 148th place, hitting the city's lowest record and claiming the largest drop among all 180 territories included in the survey.

RSF in their report called Hong Kong "once a bastion of press freedom" which "has seen an unprecedented setback since 2020 when Beijing adopted a National Security Law aimed at silencing independent voices."

Regarding the media landscape, RSF pointed out that "since the 1997 handover to China, most media have fallen under the control of the government or pro-China groups. In 2021, two major independent news outlets, #AppleDaily and #StandNews, were forcefully shut down while numerous smaller-scale media outlets ceased operations, citing legal risks."

RSF also detailsd how the Hong Kong SAR government "froze the assets of Apple Daily and Stand News, forcing them to cease operations and causing the unemployment of 860 of their staff."

The National Security Law is also a cause to the massive drop in Hong Kong's ranking in the World Press Index. According to RSF, the law is "a pretext to gag independent voices in the name of the fight against “terrorism”, “secession”, “subversion”, and “collusion with foreign forces”. Due to its ambiguous phrasing, the law looks like it could apply to any journalist covering Hong Kong, regardless of their location."

Source: RSF; Mingpao #May3

https://bit.ly/3FebcSL

https://rsf.org/en/country/hong-kong

#Censorship #PressFreedom
Hong Kong Public Broadcaster cuts pro-democracy representation in Advisory Panel overseeing programme quality

A Hong Kong public broadcaster, Radio & Television Hong Kong (#RTHK), announced on May 10 that it is set to streamline its consultation framework.

Under the new framework, the advisory panel on programme standards that comprised several members of pro-democracy parties have ceased operation since April 2022. However, panellists from the pro-establishment camp can be retained.

Although Tik Chi-yuen, a member of the Advisory Panel, told the reporters that he was surprised by the RTHK's action, he defended it and said that it doesn't mean RTHK is not listening to public opinion.

Another member Fung Ying-him, a representative of Our Hong Kong Foundation supporting the new framework, said such an arrangement was "fine", as the Advisory Panel did not have an active role, but only met once a year.

Source: Inmediahk, #May12
https://bit.ly/3sviEny

#TikChiYuen #FungYingHim

#HongKong Bashes #GlobalMedia With Hundreds of Complaint Letters

//From Slovakia to Japan, top Hong Kong officials have fired off at least 500 letters in 2022 blasting critical foreign media coverage, as the city wages a global battle to safeguard its reputation as a liberal financial hub.

At least 174 media outlets in almost 30 countries received missives from city leaders -- including its now chief executive, #JohnLee -- since China announced in May 2020 that it would impose a national security law on the former British colony. The correspondence, often written both in English and the publication’s native language, was uploaded to the “Clarifications” tab of the government’s communications platform known as Brand Hong Kong.

About half of the letters, which responded to a mix of reports and editorials, hit back at criticism of Beijing’s sweeping security law, while roughly a third defended a mandate that only Communist Party loyalists can hold office in the city. Neighboring Asian nations got 42% of the complaints, led by Japan and South Korea, while business publications including the Financial Times, the Wall Street Journal and the Economist got the most letters. Bloomberg received seven...

Hong Kong’s crackdown on freedoms has eroded the city’s reputation among many foreign governments...

Hong Kong’s press freedom ranking has plummeted since the security law clamped down on free speech. The city came 148 in the Reporters Without Borders 2022 World Press Freedom Index, representing a fall of 68 places from last year.//

Source: Bloomberg #Jul25
https://t.co/OHZN4fVjye

#Whitewash #Censorship #PressFreedom #NationalSecurityLaw #PoliceState #Authoritarianism

"Will of the People": Hong Kong Woman Describes Large Turnout of Mourners at British Consulate, but NowTV Quickly Deletes Interview

The British Consulate in Hong Kong had seen long queues of Hongkongers coming to pay tribute and sign the book of condolence for the late Queen Elizabeth II. On Sept 12, #NowTV News interviewed citizens waiting in the line; one of them, Ms. Chung, said, "I'm here to remember this great leader. Look how many people came; this is the will of the people."

The news clip was aired on the station's TV channel as well as its Facebook page. The post quickly received hundreds of likes.

Merely half an hour later, however, the post was taken down, and the station had also cut Ms. Chung's interview from the TV news segment.

The edit was reportedly ordered by NowTV News director Chan Tit-biu, who had the day off. Chan was a former news director at the pro-Beijing TVB News.

However, screenshots and video clips of the interview spread quickly, and the phrase "will of the people" (民心所向) soon became viral on social media. Netizens sarcastically commended Chan for making Ms. Chung's words of praise for the late Queen even more widely heard. "Receive our gift, Your Majesty!" one comment reads.

source: ReNews #Sep12

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=129455019839797&set=a.128212953297337

#PressFreedom #Censorship #WillOfThePeople #RIP #QueenElizabethII

UK vows to stand up to "Chinese aggression" and defend Hong Kong's freedoms

In a recent PMQ (Prime Minister's Questions) session, British Prime Minister #RishiSunak was asked to respond to the case of jailed media tycoon #JimmyLai, who is also a British citizen.

Speaking in parliament, Sunak insisted on Britain's right to get involved in its former colony. He pointed out that UK has admitted hundreds of thousands of HongKongers fleeing China's crackdown. He said it will remain robust in standing up to "Chinese aggression".

Sunak also condemned China's oppression and persecution and criticized China for breaking the Sino-British Joint Declaration.

He further stated that he will continue to handle Hong Kong affairs and defend Hong Kong's freedom.

Members of the Conservative Party, including former leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, have met with Jimmy Lai's son Sebastien and called for the UK government to issue a warning to China and consider revoking Hong Kong's special administrative region status if China continues to prosecute citizens.

Source: Winandmac; #Jan11

https://www.winandmac.com/2023/01/uk-pmq-jimmylai-case/

#PressFreedom