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TODAY, OCTOBER 1, is a public holiday in Hong Kong, as it is throughout China, ostensibly to celebrate the country’s National Day.
An occasion that is traditionally marked with a fireworks display has been tempered this year by the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning no mass gathering is allowed.
It is also the first National Day in five years that I will not spend in Hong Kong.
After living and working as a journalist in the city since 2015, I left earlier this week following the Hong Kong government’s decision to reject my visa renewal application.
I am not in a better position than any outside observer to speculate why this decision was made, as reasons for such denials are normally not given. It would also be bold of me to compare my own circumstances with those of foreign correspondents facing the most challenging conditions prevailing in neighboring mainland China.
Last month, we read accounts from Australian correspondents Bill Birtles and Michael Smith, who were forced to take refuge in their country’s diplomatic facilities while consular officials negotiated their safe departure from China.
Restricted press freedom
My own story is not a dramatic escape story. It was simply an administrative decision that meant that I had to leave the city that I had called home for five years. However, the Hong Kong Immigration Department’s practice of not stating the reason for such decisions allows speculation to rage, at a time when the city’s media freedoms are under increasing scrutiny with the recent passage of the national security law.
The law, which came into force in June this year, calls on China’s representative offices in the city to work together with the local Hong Kong government “to strengthen management and services for” foreign news organizations, but it doesn’t offer details on what that means. in practice.
In August, a police investigation into media mogul Jimmy Lai’s foreign connections resulted in dramatic images of hundreds of police officers conducting a search of a local newsroom.
Apple Daily, the newspaper whose offices were searched, is known for its outspoken pro-opposition stance, which often puts it at odds with the local government.
New media, changing landscape
The changing environment for Hong Kong journalists covers more than just the staff of a partisan publication.
The sometimes violent protests that rocked Hong Kong in the second half of 2019 were one of the biggest global news stories of the year, drawing reporters from major news organizations around the world, as well as citizen journalists with little more than a Facebook page on which to post content.
They frequently converged on dozens of scenes of conflict between police and protesters, prompting the Hong Kong police force to complain that “fake reporters” obstructed their work.
This led to a policy change last month when the police force decided that, for the purpose of providing assistance at public events or issuing invitations to press conferences, it would only recognize journalists who work for media organizations registered with the government of Hong Kong. as reputable non-local organizations.
The full impact of the change, which effectively withdraws recognition of press passes issued by local Hong Kong journalists’ unions, remains unclear, but is believed to create more risks for freelancers and students.
It has even raised fears that journalists without such recognition will be treated in the same way as protesters by police officers on the ground. Public guarantees of the Police Commissioner that the force respects press freedom will be tested in future events.
Big obstacles ahead
In other parts of the Hong Kong media landscape, public concern remains at a fever pitch. The Irish have always had a wide range of views on RTÉ’s editorial decisions, but it is generally accepted that such decisions are made without external pressure.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong’s public broadcaster RTHK received a reprimand from a government minister in April for a current affairs program in which a journalist asked a World Health Organization official about the future involvement of Taiwan in the world health body.
The minister accused RTHK of violating the principle of recognizing Taiwan as a province of China, although the program did not make direct reference to Taiwan’s political status.
RTHK is now undergoing a government-led review of its management systems, which is expected to be completed by the end of 2020. The Hong Kong media will be watching with anxiety how the results of that review will affect RTHK’s editorial practices in the future. community.
Hong Kong is a modern first world destination, and conditions for journalists in the city are not comparable to those prevailing in some of the world’s most conflictive war zones and in the most controlled autocracies.
However, Hong Kong’s position on RSF’s Press Freedom Index has fallen from 18th in 2002, when the 180-country index was first published, to 80th in 2020. The most recent ranking was published earlier. of the passage of the national security law, the full impact of which has only begun to be felt.
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It has already led to the arrest of protesters carrying signs with slogans deemed separatist, showing that the words posted are not outside the scope of the new law. The question for Hong Kong journalists surely must be whether their published words will make them the next target.
Aaron Mc Nicholas is an Irish journalist who lived in Hong Kong from 2015 to 2020. He worked for Storyful news agency as well as Bloomberg during his time in the city and occasionally appears on RTÉ and BBC programs providing news updates on Hong Kong. Kong. Twitter: @aaronMCN
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