Cheung Hiu Tung

Will media in Hong Kong become as regulated as in China?

Will media in Hong Kong become

as regulated as in China?

Submitted by: Cheung Hiu Tung

30-10-2014

Cheung Hiu Tung

Will media in Hong Kong become as regulated as in China?

Will media in Hong Kong become as regulated as in China?

1. Abstract
This paper focuses on changes of the media in China and Hong Kong in the past 20
years. China media were a mouthpiece for the government and strictly restricted.
China government has controlled the release of news and message for a long period
of time. However, the widely use of the internet has change the situation in China.
Hong Kong media are generally free on the whole. However, Britain handed over
Hong Kong to China in 1997, Beijing starts exerting an influence both directly and
indirectly on the Hong Kong media. Media in Hong Kong is not as free as before
anymore, self-censorship is more and more common among them. This paper will
analyze Beijings influence over Hong Kong media and the internets influence over
the mainland media.

2. Introduction

Media in China
Media in China consists of newspapers, television, radio, magazines. Most of these
conventional media are own and run by the Chinese Government before 1980, they
are regarded as the mouthpiece of the Party. In early 1980s, there is an economic
reform in China. The traditional media has been liberated from the role of Partys
propaganda tools and concern with audience pleads (Tang L., Sampson H., 2012).
Independent media emerge since then, yet, the state-run media are still the

Cheung Hiu Tung

Will media in Hong Kong become as regulated as in China?

mainstream and the government still control them tightly, especially after the
Tiananmen Square Protest. The internet has also became an important media in 21st
Century. Noticing that the power of information flow on the internet, China
government has established one of the world most sophosticated filtering system in
order to control it (as cited in Tang L., Sampson H., 2012). According to the World
Press Freedom Index 2014 of
Reporters Without Broders, China
ranked 175th, the bottom six of the
index. Reporters Without Broders
pointed out that China continues to
censor and jail dissident bloggers
and journalists and even extend
their infulence over the media in

Figure 1. 2014 World Press Freedom Index (China)

Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan by its economic might, which led to such a low and
dropping rank in the index (2014 World Press Freedom Index, 2014). Although China
never stops censoring the internet, it is still widely used in todays society, which has
raised public discussion on public issues. According to CNNIC, the popularity and
accessbility of the internet in Chian has grown that the internet user population had
reached an estimated 384 million by the end of 2009 (as cited in Tang L., Sampson H.,
2012). People in China are more willing to express their opinions in such a relatively
safe platform (Yang, 2003, as cited inTang L., Sampson H., 2012).

Media in Hong Kong

The forms of media in Hong Kong are the same as China, including newspapers,
television, radio, magazines and the Internet. Most of them are independent media.

Cheung Hiu Tung

Will media in Hong Kong become as regulated as in China?

People in Hong Kong are protected by the Bill of Rights, they have the right to
express themselves freely, which is effectively protecting the press. According to
Reporters Without Borders, Hong Kong ranks the second in Asia after Japan in the
Press Freedom Index, which shows that Hong Kong enjoys real press freedom
(Media of Hong Kong, 2013). However, according to the World Press Freedom Index
2014, the freedom of media in
Hong Kong has been influenced
by Chinas growing economic
weight. In 2014, Hong Kong
ranked 61th in the Index, which is
the lowest ranking ever. (2014
World Press Freedom Index, 2014)
While comparing to the ranking in

Figure 2. 2014 World Press Freedom Index (Hong Kong)

2002, it has been dropped 43 places. (i.e. 18th in 2002) Obviously, Hong Kong is
losing its press freedom. A research in 1990 titled Fighting against the odds: Hong
Kong journalists in transition has conducted a survey. From the survey, the majority
of the journalist respondents believe that the press freedom will be reduced before
and after 1997, the transition of Hong Kong (Chan, J. M., Lee, C. C., Lee, P. S., 1992).
The researchers have concluded that the press freedom would be better under the
policy of one country, two system. However, it seems that is not the case when we
look back today. China is extending their infulence on media to Hong Kong after the
transition, expecially in the past ten years. It is more common for Hong Kong media
start practicing self-censorship. In 2013, the Public Opinion Programme of The
University of Hong Kong has conducted a survey, they observed that peoples net
satisfaction with press freedom have hit new lows. Nearly half of the respondents

Cheung Hiu Tung

Will media in Hong Kong become as regulated as in China?

believe Hong Kongs media have practiced self-censorship (HKU POP, 2013).

3. Changes in Media

Importance of the Internet in China

In 2010, there is a famous quote in the internet, which is My Father is Li Gang!.
There is a sad story behind this quote. That year, a car accident took place in Hebei
University, a 22-year-old female student, Ms Chen, was knocked down and dead
eventually. After knocking down Chen, the driver did not stop but tried to drive away.
The school security guards and students blocked the entrance to force the driver get
out of his car, but the driver yelled at them that My father is Li Gang!. Li Gang is the
deputy police Chief in the Beishi district of Baoding, and Li Qiming is his son, the
driver. The meaning behind the qoute was Li try to escape punishment by his status
of guan er dai, the child of privileged government officials. The Central Propaganda
Department has covered the incident at first, and the incident was only mentioned
on the school news channel (Wines, 2010). However, the incident was disclosed to
the public through Weibo, a microblogging in the internet, and was discussed by the
public extensively. Under the pressure of public condemn, the police are forced to
look into the incident seriously and finally arrested the driver.

Apart from Weibo, citizen journalists also make good use of the internet in China.
Sensitive materials might be filtered and track down by the Great Firewall set up by
the Chinese authorities. However, internet in China stills enjoys considerable
freedom in both uploading and editing. Take Zhou Shuguang as an example, he is a

Cheung Hiu Tung

Will media in Hong Kong become as regulated as in China?

famous Chinese blogger regarded as Chinas first Citizen Journalist. He has

aroused the awareness of the international media on the incident of Nail Houses.
Lin Jiashu is another Chinese blogger
who established an online radio
called Antiwave in 2005. Many
sensitive

topics

in

China

like

anti-Japanese, freedom of speech

and homosexuality are discussed.
These topics are treated as taboos
to mainstream radio programmes.

Figure 3. Nail House in China

Self-censorship in Hong Kong

In 2009, a reporter of Esquire Magazine (Hong Kong edition) has written a 16 pages
feature story about the 4 June massacre. The magazine has sent to printing and going
to be published in the June issue oringinally. However, the senior manager of the
South China Media Group (the publisher of the magazine) has stopped the publishing
of the special report. The reporter was even fired in one month because of writing
the feature story. The Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) condemned the
decision of the South China Media Group lay off the reporter and parctise
self-censorship. HKJA also concerned that the action against the reporter will have
chilling effect on other Hong Kong journalists (HKJA condemns South China Media,
2009).

Cheung Hiu Tung

Will media in Hong Kong become as regulated as in China?

And

recently,

there

is

an

Umbrella Movement in Hong

Kong. It is a protest that Hong
Kong people demand for a free
and

fair

election

for

Chief

Executive. The government and

the

police

suppressed

have
the

harshly

movement. Figure 5. Protesters used umbrellas to shield tear gas

Whether the movement can be reported in a fair and balanced manner is a litmus
test to the media in Hong Kong. Television Broadcasts Limited (TVB) has failed in this
test. Hong Kong police tried to clear the movement areas around Admiralty and
Tamar Park on 15th October morning. The scene of a group of police forcibly took a
protester to a dark corner, beat
and kick him for several minutes
was videotaped. TVB broadcast
the

footage

in

its

morning

news, saying A protesters two

hands were tied and brought
away by six police officers. They
lifted him up to a dark corner of Figure 4. Police seen beating, kicking a handcuffed protester
Tamar Park. Then they put him down to the ground and began to beat and kick the
protester. However, this introductory narration was deleted in following TVB news
broadcasts. At noon, TVB added one sentence back to the report, saying Police
officers are suspected of using violence against the protester. The same day, 46 TVB
anchors and journalists released a public letter which stated that TVB management

Cheung Hiu Tung

Will media in Hong Kong become as regulated as in China?

had improperly reported the violence footage, and called on the entire HK society to
value freedom of the press that they still have. Hong Kong Journalist Association also
jointly declared support for TVB journalists and called on media management to
respect journalists and their professional judgments, and protect freedom of press as
a core value of Hong Kong. (Occupy Central Again Raises Freedom of the Press Issues
in Hong Kong, 2014)

4. Reason Behind the Changes

People Fight for the Truth in China

Journalists in China have been monitored by the government for a long time. They do
not have the chance to find out the truth. Even they know the truth, there is no
platform for them to publish it. The internet is legitimate and thus relatively safe to
cover issues that already have public attention. Therefore, the internet precisely not
only provide leads for investigation, but also provide a degree of protection (de
Burgh, 2003; Tong and Sparks, 2009, as cited in Tang L., Sampson H., 2012). In
addition, the Internet provides synchronized communication, such that a message
can be widespread and commented in tenfold within a few hours (Cheng, 2009). The
internet definitely brought a powerful change in the media in China.

The Economic Bond between Hong Kong and China

There are many resons for Hong Kong media start practicing self-censorship.
Businessmen with strong economic ties to mainland China acquired some media in
Hong Kong. To benefit from their business, businessmen dare not to upset the
mainland authorities by letting their media to report touchy topics (TaoZhang, 2006).

Cheung Hiu Tung

Will media in Hong Kong become as regulated as in China?

This probably is the reason of the self-censorship case of Esquire Magazine. The boss
of the South China Media Groups parent company, Kerry Holding Limited, is Rober
Kuok Hock-nien. Rober has business interests in China, in order to make profit from
other business in China, pressure of self-censorship was thus put on the media. Also,
mainland China attracts Hong Kong media give up their freedom on reporting by
allowing electronic media like newspapers and magazines to be published in the
mainland. The media can earn a large amount of profit and China can control the
media in Hong Kong in the meanwhile to create a win-win situation (TaoZhang,
2006).

5. Conclusion
Hong Kong media starts lossing their freedom, and practising self-censorship, which
lead Hong Kong media becoming more restricted like the media in China. Just like
what Zhang mentioned, if the mainland China keep on restrict Hong Kong press
freedom and Hong Kong do nothing to stop the situation, it will be too late for Hong
Kong to revolt and regret (TaoZhang, 2006). Will the media in Hong Kong become as
regulated as the media in China, especially after the promoise of 50 years unchange
in the way of life by the Hong Kong Basic Law is due? Time will tell. And for China, it
is a good start to pursue press freedom through the internet. However, the
government pracitise internet censorship which built a great barrier to journalist and
netizens to express their own opinion. As Yang mentioned, not most of the posting
exposing injustice are quickly buried online under new postings, maybe only those
cases which have strong resonate with collective opinions have the chance to
mobilize the public. (as cited in Tang L., Sampson H., 2012) Journalists in China still
have a long way to go to enjoy the press freedom.

Cheung Hiu Tung

Will media in Hong Kong become as regulated as in China?

References
2014 World Press Freedom Index. (2014, 1 31). Retrieved 9 30, 2014, from Reporters
Without Broders: https://rsf.org/index2014/data/index2014_en.pdf
Chan, J. M., Lee, C. C., Lee, P. S. (1992). Fighting against the odds: Hong Kong
journalists in transition. . International journal for mass communication
studies international journal for mass communication studies. Gazette, 50(1).
HKJA condemns South China Media. (2009, 7 28). Retrieved from Hong Kong
Journalists Association:
http://www.hkja.org.hk/site/portal/Site.aspx?id=A1-803&lang=en-US
HKU POP. (2013). HKU POP releases people's appraisal of local news media. Hong
Kong: HKU POP.
Lam, O. (2010, 10 22). China: My father is Li Gang! Retrieved 10 26, 2013, from
Global Voices:
http://globalvoicesonline.org/2010/10/22/china-my-father-is-li-gang/
Media of Hong Kong. (2013, 11 30). Retrieved from Anti Essays:
http://www.antiessays.com/free-essays/442535.html
Occupy Central Again Raises Freedom of the Press Issues in Hong Kong. (2014,
October 19). NTD.TV. Retrieved from
http://www.ntdtv.com/xtr/b5/2014/10/20/a1147427.html
Tang L., Sampson H. (2012). The interaction between mass media and the internet in
non-democratic states: The case of China. Media, Culture and Society, 34 (4).
Wines, M. (2010, 11 17). Chinas Censors Misfire in Abuse-of-Power Case. The New
York Times. Retrieved 10 3, 2014, from
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/18/world/asia/18li.html?pagewanted=all
&_r=0

Cheung Hiu Tung

Will media in Hong Kong become as regulated as in China?