Journalists firm on gaining full access to data
Journalists turn down counter-offer by government to give media companies accounts to get company directors’ details
Journalists have rejected a counter-offer by the government over the proposal to bar access to key personal information of company directors, insisting on the status quo of unlimited access for all members of the public.
The counter-offer was floated in separate meetings between the government and representatives of the Hong Kong News Executives' Association, the Hong Kong Journalists Association and the Foreign Correspondents' Club.
It is understood officials proposed that reporters in future would be allowed to obtain residential addresses and full personal identity card numbers of company directors in a public database - provided they did it with an account and password assigned to their companies.
But it is not clear how officials would define "media companies", and whether the term includes new journalism online platforms, apart from traditional newspapers and TV stations.
Journalists Association chairwoman Mak Yin-ting said her organisation would not support the proposal. "We are not talking about restrictions on journalists only, but the rights of other citizens and the freedom of information," she said.
"There are many social groups who investigate dirty deals through company searches and they release the findings to the public. The new law would make them unable to do so."