Journalism Around The World (Hong Kong)

By: Rachel Khoo & Grace Thian

Media System & Publications

Hong Kong has a vibrant media system - having a mix of local Chinese and international platforms.


The main publication outlets are:

✅ Newspapers,

✅ Television,

✅ Radio,

✅ Social media

✅ Magazines


Hong Kong’s media system is largely bilingual, operating in both English and Chinese languages. The locals mainly consume the Chinese media outlets, while the non-locals consume the English media outlets.

Press Freedom

The media landscape in Hong Kong has / in recent years undergoing major changes due to political developments and influence from China. There are currently lots of concerns regarding self-censorship and the erosion of press freedom in Hong Kong.

World Press Freedom Index published annually by Reporters Without Borders and assesses the state of press freedom worldwide. In 2022 index, Hong Kong’s ranking dropped. It fell from 80th place in 2021 to 148th place in 2022. This illustrates a decline in media freedom.

Political System

Hong Kong operates under a distinctive political system known as the "One Country, Two Systems" principle (two-tiered system of representative government and an independent judiciary), established in 1997. Under its constitutional document, Hong Kong is an autonomous Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China.

With the implementation of the National Security Law, it has significant implications for Hong Kong’s political system and the degree of autonomy it holds. Raising concerns about political freedoms and Hong Kong’s political scene.

Fun Facts

The media system in Hong Kong is not under control by other institutions such as the government or community, as these institutions may influence the type of media content that they put out. Therefore, Hong Kong’s media system strives to uphold their journalistic integrity by limiting the amount of censorships and focusing on uncovering stories that are of interest to the public, such as the power and class differences in society.

Examples of independent journalism in Hong Kong:

An outlet would be the Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) which is an online news platform which provides independent news concerning Hong Kong - mainly covering news about human rights, investigating reporting etc.

Fun Facts

Another example is Bao Choy who produced investigative documentaries examining police conduct in 2019 when the city was having protests in 2019, when the city was roiled by months of anti government protest.

Independent journalism allows the reader to have the ability to make more informed decisions, holding the media organization accountable as they offer a variety of opinions in the absence of government control.

Did you know...

As one of the most prominent and last remaining independent media outlets in Hong Kong, Stand News was forced to shut down after a police investigation case in 2021, after it was found that the media outlet was using journalism as a way to promote their pro-democracy ideologies and pursue their political interests, which involves inciting hatred towards the government in their publications.

References

Index. Bienvenue sur le site de Reporters sans frontières. (n.d.). https://rsf.org/en/index?year=2022


BBC. (2023, January 23). Hong Kong Media Guide. BBC News https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-16525992


(www.gov.hk), G. (2022, September 13). GovHK: Government Structure. GovHK 香港政府一站通. https://www.gov.hk/en/about/govdirectory/govstructure.htm#:~:text=Under%20its%20constitutional%20document%2C%20the,in%20defence%20and%20foreign%20affairs.


Ho, T. (2022, September 24). The Government of Hong Kong caused social polarisation by sustaining bilingual news channel. Medium. https://medium.com/@teddyhooo/how-the-government-of-hong-kong-causes-social-polarisation-just-by-creating-bilingual-social-media-faa62b836383


May, T. (2023, June 5). In rare victory for Media, Hong Kong Court overturns conviction of journalist. The New York Times. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/05/world/asia/hong-kong-bao-choy-appeal.html


Kwan, R. & Graham, E. (2021, December 21). Hong Kong media outlet stand news to close after police raid. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/dec/29/hong-kong-police-arrest-six-journalists-from-independent-media-outlet-stand-news