The Hong Kong SAR Government is less open than the previous administration and the Office of the Chief Executive, Tung Chee-hwa, is the most secretive within the whole Government.
These are the results of a survey conducted by the Hong Kong Journalists Association on its members. Although foreign correspondents were not polled, it is likely they would have supported their Hong Kong colleagues' observations.
It has been a short time since the handover. Already, foreign journalists are complaining about Mr Tung's inaccessibility and local reporters are grumbling about how little news they can get from the chief's office.
This is a big contrast to what they were used to when Chris Patten was governor.
Was not Mr Tung as active as Mr Patten in meeting the press and talking to the media before the handover? What has prompted his office to become less accessible? Are the senior officials who decline media enquiries not the same as those who served under Mr Patten? One simple answer is that the survey findings reflect Mr Tung's governing style - the relative inaccessibility of his office to the media must have his personal stamp of approval.
Clearly, Mr Tung is not media-shy. If he wants to, he is fully capable of handling the media, both local and overseas. The smooth transition on July 1 last year changed the scene - his proactive approach before the handover was most likely prompted by the need to counter any salvos fired from the Patten office. But now, given that Mr Tung does not have to be on the defensive, it is obvious he has abandoned media-oriented governing style.
Perhaps he believes that putting together good policies and making them work is more important than playing the public relations game. He may think that meeting the media is a waste of time as most journalists are only interested in negative news, and giving access only creates opportunities for them to attack him or his administration.