Beijing trying to curb press freedom, says AM730 founder Shih Wing-ching
AM730 founder accuses Beijing of trying to curb freedom of press, as Ming Pao saga rumbles on
The founder of a free newspaper says advertisers are backing away from the daily because of its editorial stance, in the latest example of pressure on press freedom in the city.
Shih Wing-ching, the founder of , accused Beijing of trying to curb press freedom in Hong Kong. "Beijing will try to shrink the press freedom of Hong Kong all around, as they have lost [out] in the city's public opinion since the handover," Shih told Commercial Radio yesterday.
The news from comes as staff of the Chinese-language newspaper decry the decision to replace its chief editor Kevin Lau Chun-to as a threat to editorial independence.
Shih said three of the city's four Chinese-language free sheets - , and - were pro-Beijing or had Beijing ties, leaving next in line to face suppression. "I thought it would be time for me [to earn money] after the shutdown of [Next Media's] . But no, it is time for me [to be suppressed]," he said.
Meanwhile, founding chairman of the Democratic Party, Martin Lee Chu-ming, left his legal column in blank yesterday, to voice his anger at the decision to remove Lau. The headline read: "With black hands covering the sun and moon, the newspaper has lost its light."
In Chinese, the characters for sun and moon together form the word "ming" in . Lee said he would continue to use his column to criticise the management's "ridiculous" decision.
Yesterday, Lau was quoted by Ong See Boon - a key management figure - as advising its contributors not to write about the ongoing saga. But Lau told the he had only called on the public to give management and staff space to resolve the conflict.
And the Hong Kong Journalists Association called on the public to write to Tiong Hiew King, executive chairman of 's parent company, Media Chinese International, urging him to safeguard editorial independence. is printed by the SCMP Group.
