My Take | BBC journalists are safe in Hong Kong – but their jobs in London are not
Staff at the British broadcaster’s Chinese-language service say move to Hong Kong will compromise editorial integrity; the truth is they fear for their jobs
The BBC has a special place in my upbringing. It was not only where I listened to and learned proper English. From an early age, I have associated its journalists as intrepid professionals, fearless in their pursuit of “The Story”.
So I am a tad disappointed that its Chinese-language service staff now complain about having to relocate their main office from London to Hong Kong; apparently they fear for their safety.
Come again? They are talking about my hometown, not the mainland.
According to a report in The Guardian, staff are worried the plan “risks undermining the UK’s long-term national interest and so-called soft power” and “grossly underestimates the level of threat posed by the Chinese regime in Hong Kong to both BBC editorial integrity and safety of BBC journalists”.
Granted, the state of local journalism has been hit hard since the city’s return to Chinese sovereignty in 1997. Constant accusations of self-censorship have given the profession a bad rap. Hong Kong’s ranking of press freedom by Reporters Without Borders has dropped from 18th in 2002 to 69th this year.