https://www.scmp.com/rss/278827/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Brian Wong Brian Wong The Hong Kong Journalists Association has lost a judicial challenge against a government decision to restrict reporters’ access to its vehicle registry, despite a ruling by the city’s top court that journalism is a valid reason for use. The High Court on Friday ruled against the press union over the policy introduced in early 2024, following the Court of Final Appeal’s decision that a freelance producer was entitled to access Transport Department records while making a documentary critical of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3345653/hong-kong-court-upholds-limits-journalists-instant-access-car-registry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3345653/hong-kong-court-upholds-limits-journalists-instant-access-car-registry?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Mar 2026 03:23:03 +0000 SCMP Editorial SCMP Editorial The jailing of former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying brings to an end one of the longest and most widely scrutinised criminal trials in the city’s history. Lai was sentenced to 20 years’ imprisonment for conspiring to collude with foreign forces and publishing seditious articles. The sentence reflects the gravity of his crimes. He is the most prominent opposition figure to be convicted under the national security law passed by Beijing in 2020. Six former executives of Lai’s now-closed Apple... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3342955/jimmy-lai-trial-shows-hong-kongs-rule-law-remains-robust?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/comment/article/3342955/jimmy-lai-trial-shows-hong-kongs-rule-law-remains-robust?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 09 Feb 2026 23:15:15 +0000 Ng Kang-chung,William Zheng Ng Kang-chung,William Zheng Beijing’s national security office in Hong Kong has met representatives from foreign media outlets in the city and warned them against crossing “red lines”, following reports it said smeared the government’s fire relief efforts and attacked the Legislative Council election. According to sources, foreign media outlets that were requested to attend the meeting included Agence France-Presse, the Financial Times, The New York Times and Associated Press. Bloomberg News reported it also attended. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3335466/beijing-warns-foreign-media-hong-kong-over-crossing-red-lines-during-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3335466/beijing-warns-foreign-media-hong-kong-over-crossing-red-lines-during-meeting?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Dec 2025 12:50:31 +0000 Ng Kang-chung Ng Kang-chung Press freedom in Hong Kong has reversed a declining trend that started in 2018, climbing to 28.9 points out of 100 in 2024-25, according to a survey by the city’s trade union for journalists. The Hong Kong Journalists Association released the findings on Friday, saying the slight rebound reflected the “resilience” of the city’s media professionals within the “current landscape”, rather than an improvement in press freedom. The latest index stood at 28.9 out of 100, with higher scores indicating... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3329427/hong-kongs-press-freedom-rises-record-low-first-turnaround-2018?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3329427/hong-kongs-press-freedom-rises-record-low-first-turnaround-2018?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 17 Oct 2025 09:29:48 +0000 Willa Wu Willa Wu Beijing’s liaison office chief in Hong Kong has expressed hope that the local media will report more on the nation’s development for a global audience and support the administration’s efforts to boost the economy and improve people’s livelihoods. Office Director Zhou Ji also encouraged media professionals on Thursday to convey the public’s views while helping to build a consensus in society. He was speaking at a reception held by local media outlets to mark the 76th anniversary of the founding... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3328407/beijings-liaison-office-chief-hong-kong-lays-out-3-hopes-local-media?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3328407/beijings-liaison-office-chief-hong-kong-lays-out-3-hopes-local-media?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 09 Oct 2025 11:42:03 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying deliberately fabricated a negative image of Beijing to create an excuse for Western interference, prosecutors have said, accusing him of having a “resolute” intent to press on with his efforts even after the national security law took effect five years ago. West Kowloon Court on Tuesday resumed hearing the prosecution’s closing remarks in the marathon national security trial of the Apple Daily founder, who is contesting three conspiracy counts of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3322410/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-used-false-beijing-portrayal-urge-west-act-court-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3322410/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-used-false-beijing-portrayal-urge-west-act-court-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Aug 2025 12:40:18 +0000 Cannix Yau,Harvey Kong Cannix Yau,Harvey Kong Hong Kong’s tax chief has dismissed concerns that at least 20 reporters and their family members are being selectively audited, saying assessment procedures are applied uniformly and do not target specific industries or individuals based on their background. Earlier this week, the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) raised concerns about the number of reporters and their family members being subject to what they called unreasonable tax reviews for allegedly under-reporting their... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3311671/hong-kong-tax-chief-dismisses-claims-reporters-singled-out-audits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3311671/hong-kong-tax-chief-dismisses-claims-reporters-singled-out-audits?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 24 May 2025 11:21:46 +0000 Vivian Au Vivian Au Hong Kong authorities have reviewed the taxes of at least 20 reporters and their family members for allegedly under-reporting their income and have asked them to prepay about HK$1 million (US$127,770), the city’s largest journalism group has said, arguing there was insufficient evidence for the reassessments. The Hong Kong Journalists Association also said on Wednesday that the Inland Revenue Department’s moves had inevitably placed extra stress on the reporters and media organisations in a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3311275/hong-kong-journalist-group-slams-tax-review-20-reporters-groups?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3311275/hong-kong-journalist-group-slams-tax-review-20-reporters-groups?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 May 2025 14:05:40 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Hong Kong ranked 37th out of 73 places in safety for journalists according to a new global index, outperforming South Korea and Indonesia but falling below Singapore and other European counterparts. The Global Index on Journalists’ Safety, published on Tuesday, also saw the city score better than the United States when it came to the physical safety of reporters, but scored lower in areas measuring digital and psychological well-being. In response, the Hong Kong government on Wednesday strongly... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3309318/hong-kong-ranks-37th-overall-journalists-safety-new-global-index?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3309318/hong-kong-ranks-37th-overall-journalists-safety-new-global-index?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 May 2025 15:59:30 +0000 A bipartisan group of US House members has launched a fresh campaign to rename the address of Hong Kong’s trade office in Washington in honour of jailed media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying, a day after the US State Department sanctioned six officials in the city for “undermining Hong Kong’s autonomy”. Under a new bill introduced on Tuesday, the official address of the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office (HKETO) in Washington’s Dupont Circle neighbourhood would be changed from 1520 18th Street... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3304805/jimmy-lai-way-us-call-honour-jailed-tycoon-dc-address-hong-kong-trade-office?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3304805/jimmy-lai-way-us-call-honour-jailed-tycoon-dc-address-hong-kong-trade-office?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Apr 2025 15:00:08 +0000 China’s state-owned newspaper Global Times joined officials from Donald Trump’s administration on Monday in hailing cuts to the US Agency for Global Media, which oversees broadcasters like Voice of America and Radio Free Asia known for reporting that has been critical of Beijing. “When it comes to China-related reporting, VOA has an appalling track record,” Global Times said in an editorial on Monday. “From smearing human rights in China’s Xinjiang [Uygur autonomous region] to hyping up disputes... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3302756/chinas-global-times-praises-trump-funding-cuts-voice-america-radio-free-asia?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3302756/chinas-global-times-praises-trump-funding-cuts-voice-america-radio-free-asia?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Mar 2025 22:21:43 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has admitted trying to win a court’s permission for him to travel to the United States five years ago by withholding “politically sensitive” information about his plan to meet the nation’s vice-president. Lai, 77, made the remarks on Wednesday when his legal team re-examined their client’s evidence given during his national security trial, asking him to clarify statements he made during the previous 50 days in the witness box which could be deemed... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3301187/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-withheld-sensitive-information-meet-us-vice-president?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3301187/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-withheld-sensitive-information-meet-us-vice-president?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Mar 2025 10:48:33 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has denied being Chinese while maintaining Hongkongers have “nothing to do with” the Communist Party of China, prompting a judge in his national security trial to question whether he recognised the colour of his skin. A brief debate over national identity ensued on Wednesday after Lai denied seeking the collapse of the government in Beijing in a live broadcast interview before he was prosecuted and detained under the national security law in late 2020. West... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3300259/jimmy-lai-denies-being-chinese-tells-trial-we-are-hong-kong-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3300259/jimmy-lai-denies-being-chinese-tells-trial-we-are-hong-kong-people?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Feb 2025 12:34:40 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Hong Kong’s largest journalism group has been forced to “temporarily” cancel its annual fundraising dinner after a second hotel in a week pulled out from hosting the event, with the group’s chairwoman suggesting the venues had faced “political pressure”. In an email sent to attendees on Thursday and seen by the Post, the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) Executive Committee said the Eaton HK informed the group a day before that the hotel in Kowloon was unable to host the event. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3299465/hong-kong-journalists-association-cancels-annual-dinner-after-2-hotels-axe-booking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3299465/hong-kong-journalists-association-cancels-annual-dinner-after-2-hotels-axe-booking?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Feb 2025 09:47:27 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has denied intending to incite violence among radical protesters when he urged them to set up a leadership team, saying he instead wanted the frontline faction to set out some basic principles for its actions. Lai on Tuesday defended an opinion piece published in the now-defunct Apple Daily tabloid newspaper in which he appealed to the “valiant” protester group to establish a leadership structure so it could filter out infiltrators who were keen to... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3299187/jimmy-lai-denies-inciting-violence-among-valiant-hong-kong-protesters-2019?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3299187/jimmy-lai-denies-inciting-violence-among-valiant-hong-kong-protesters-2019?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Feb 2025 11:02:38 +0000 Fiona Chow Fiona Chow The head of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) has launched a private prosecution against her former employer, The Wall Street Journal, accusing it of firing her over her union role, after the Labour Department refused to press charges. Eastern Court on Thursday for the first time heard that Selina Cheng Kar-yue was accusing Dow Jones Publishing Co (Asia) of sacking her for exercising her right to be an officer of a trade union, which she said violated the Employment Ordinance. Cheng... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3298495/hong-kong-press-union-head-launches-private-prosecution-against-ex-employer?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3298495/hong-kong-press-union-head-launches-private-prosecution-against-ex-employer?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Feb 2025 06:42:29 +0000 Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has denied concealing a plan to meet the US vice-president when he unsuccessfully sought court permission to visit his granddaughter in the country five years ago. But Lai on Monday acknowledged it would have been a mistake to go on the proposed trip in 2020, as his meetings could have amounted to collusion with foreign powers under the Beijing-imposed national security law that took effect on June 30 that year. The 77-year-old founder of the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3297202/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-denies-concealing-plan-meet-us-vice-president-2020?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3297202/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-denies-concealing-plan-meet-us-vice-president-2020?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Feb 2025 11:06:13 +0000 Brian Wong Brian Wong Former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has admitted to aggressively urging the United States to revoke visas granted to the children of Chinese officials as part of his push for Western sanctions before the national security law took effect in Hong Kong. Lai told West Kowloon Court on Wednesday that he had suggested retaliatory measures against the overseas family members of those in power in Beijing and Hong Kong, an idea he earlier attributed to an American official, in a New York Times article... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3295851/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-admits-urging-us-revoke-visas-officials-children?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3295851/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-admits-urging-us-revoke-visas-officials-children?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Jan 2025 12:16:33 +0000 Kahon Chan Kahon Chan Hong Kong must preserve its cultural advantage of having a “high tolerance” of differing views, the justice minister has said, citing press freedom and the free flow of information as critical to the financial hub’s global status. Secretary for Justice Paul Lam Ting-kwok also said on Saturday that Hong Kong’s political predictability was a key attraction for outside investors, though he conceded it would be difficult to fix the city’s perception problem in the short term. President Xi Jinping... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3295334/hong-kongs-high-tolerance-diverse-views-key-citys-success-minister?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3295334/hong-kongs-high-tolerance-diverse-views-key-citys-success-minister?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 Jan 2025 13:31:18 +0000 Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying took the stand on Friday to explain his responses to the Beijing-decreed national security law after its enactment on June 30, 2020. Lai previously spent 11 days in the witness box at West Kowloon Court, denying trying to manipulate foreign policies in mainland China and Hong Kong and distancing himself from global lobbying efforts in support of sanctions. But the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper admitted he had advocated hostile... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3289641/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-said-he-was-jailed-because-he-embarrassed-beijing-court-hears?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3289641/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-said-he-was-jailed-because-he-embarrassed-beijing-court-hears?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 06 Dec 2024 06:02:16 +0000 Former Hong Kong media owner Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has explained his views on sanctions and international support raised in his commentary articles and communications with staff members of the now-defunct Apple Daily as the high-profile trial resumes on Thursday. The 77-year-old has pleaded not guilty to two charges of conspiring to collude with foreign forces under the security law and a third count of conspiracy to print and distribute seditious publications in breach of colonial-era... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3289475/jimmy-lai-denies-saying-his-arrest-will-be-seen-suppression-media-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3289475/jimmy-lai-denies-saying-his-arrest-will-be-seen-suppression-media-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 05 Dec 2024 06:45:56 +0000 Former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has admitted he called on the US to use its “moral authority” to start a “war of competing values” against mainland China, as he underscored he was “desperate” for international support after Beijing imposed the national security law on Hong Kong. Lai told West Kowloon Court on Monday he wanted to add “a new dimension” to the US-China trade war initiated by then American president Donald Trump in 2018, with the hope of forcing Beijing to respect what he... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3289035/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-urged-us-start-war-competing-values-against-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3289035/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-urged-us-start-war-competing-values-against-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Dec 2024 12:32:03 +0000 Former media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has admitted he wanted the US to impose “draconian” sanctions to compel Beijing to reconsider imposing the national security law on Hong Kong, while maintaining the “fight for freedom” should persist without regard to personal safety. Lai, 77, also denied on Friday that he ever told a paralegal involved in international lobbying to continue his work after the security legislation took effect in June 2020, adding it would be “totally ridiculous” to appeal for... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3288758/jimmy-lai-wanted-us-impose-draconian-sanctions-stop-hong-kongs-security-law?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3288758/jimmy-lai-wanted-us-impose-draconian-sanctions-stop-hong-kongs-security-law?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 29 Nov 2024 12:51:51 +0000 Former Hong Kong media boss Jimmy Lai Chee-ying has said he wanted his now-defunct newspaper to attract overseas readers by publishing “negative” articles in English about mainland China, while dismissing accusations he also intended to trigger Western sanctions. Lai, 77, told West Kowloon Court on Monday that he felt a newspaper’s credibility was not built upon balanced coverage, but on reporting what it perceived to be the truth. The ex-mogul’s oral testimony in his high-profile trial entered... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3288069/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-wanted-lure-foreign-readers-negative-mainland-china-news?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3288069/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-wanted-lure-foreign-readers-negative-mainland-china-news?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 25 Nov 2024 10:43:30 +0000 Former media boss and opposition activist Jimmy Lai Chee-ying took to the witness stand for the first time on Wednesday in his high-profile national security trial, admitting he had donated money to local and overseas groups but denying that he used those connections to manipulate foreign policies on Hong Kong and mainland China. Beijing rebuffed criticism by Western politicians of Lai’s prosecution, branding him as a “pawn of anti-China forces” as the trial of the owner of the now-defunct Apple... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3287441/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-admits-donating-money-overseas-groups-denies-having-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3287441/hong-kongs-jimmy-lai-admits-donating-money-overseas-groups-denies-having-agenda?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 Nov 2024 16:14:33 +0000 As the national security trial of the former media magnate Jimmy Lai Chee-ying resumes in Hong Kong, his situation has been misrepresented elsewhere. A London-based international legal team, led by Caoilfhionn Gallagher KC, styling itself as “international counsel for Mr Jimmy Lai and Mr Sebastien Lai”, has complained about Lai’s treatment in custody. It has also sought his immediate release, even though this is legally impossible. Not only has Lai served less than half of his sentence of five... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3287077/those-sympathetic-jimmy-lai-must-stick-facts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3287077/those-sympathetic-jimmy-lai-must-stick-facts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 Nov 2024 00:30:09 +0000 Hong Kong’s security minister has accused a former lawmaker of glorifying seditious acts in an opinion piece about the recently jailed editor-in-chief of the closed outlet Stand News. Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung also warned Chinese-language newspaper Ming Pao, which ran lawyer and ex-lawmaker Margaret Ng Ngoi-yee’s article, against becoming a platform for inciting or supporting illegal activities. He issued the warning in an open letter to the newspaper on Monday, the same day... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3280663/hong-kong-security-chief-accuses-ex-lawmaker-glorifying-sedition-op-ed-stand-news?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3280663/hong-kong-security-chief-accuses-ex-lawmaker-glorifying-sedition-op-ed-stand-news?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 01 Oct 2024 06:45:55 +0000 Harvey Kong Harvey Kong Hong Kong’s leader has warned the media industry against letting its credibility and ethics become “corrupted” by those with ulterior motives, a day after two former editors of a defunct news outlet were jailed for conspiring to publish seditious content. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu said on Friday that no one, including journalists, was above the law. “The credibility and ethics of the news industry cannot be corrupted by people who use the platform of news for personal purposes, to destroy... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3280247/hong-kongs-john-lee-warns-news-industry-against-becoming-corrupted-after-stand-news-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3280247/hong-kongs-john-lee-warns-news-industry-against-becoming-corrupted-after-stand-news-case?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Sep 2024 09:22:10 +0000 The jailing of two Hong Kong journalists under the colonial-era sedition law will reinforce a “chilling effect” on the media but will not have a significant immediate impact on news outlets, which have already become more cautious in recent years, observers and academics have said. They also said the case reflected the “real dangers” journalists in Hong Kong were facing while performing their duties. But a government adviser insisted that the ruling would not have any deterrent effect on the... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3280108/jailing-hong-kong-journalists-sedition-will-have-chilling-effect-media-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3280108/jailing-hong-kong-journalists-sedition-will-have-chilling-effect-media-experts-say?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Sep 2024 00:30:14 +0000 Natalie Wong Natalie Wong Two former editors of the now-defunct Stand News in Hong Kong have been sentenced to up to 21 months in prison for conspiring to publish seditious articles, with one being given immediate release as he suffered from a rare disease. The District Court judge handed down his sentence on Thursday, almost a month after the journalists were found guilty in the landmark case, the first involving media professionals being charged under a colonial-era sedition law since Hong Kong’s return to Chinese rule... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3280092/hong-kong-court-jails-2-former-stand-news-editors-21-months-sedition?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3280092/hong-kong-court-jails-2-former-stand-news-editors-21-months-sedition?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Sep 2024 11:26:59 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft Media outlets should foster understanding rather than “paranoia”, a spokesman for the Chinese foreign ministry’s arm in Hong Kong has said, insisting the city remains an international hub for the press despite recent cases of foreign journalists being denied work visas or refused entry. Huang Jingrui, spokesman for the Commissioner’s Office of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Hong Kong, said on Wednesday that residents enjoyed “all the freedom” provided under the “one country, two systems”... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3279964/western-media-urged-stop-telling-one-sided-stories-about-hong-kong-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3279964/western-media-urged-stop-telling-one-sided-stories-about-hong-kong-mainland-china?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 25 Sep 2024 15:26:21 +0000 The government’s revamped policy on journalists’ access to a vehicle registration database is inconsistent with a ruling by Hong Kong’s top court, a press union has argued at the start of a judicial review hearing over the revised rules. Senior Counsel Nigel Kat, representing the Hong Kong Journalists Association, told the High Court on Tuesday that the current policy on reporters accessing the database was “contrary to the needs of journalistic professionals”, noting the rights of the press... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3279814/hearing-over-media-access-car-registration-database-begins-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3279814/hearing-over-media-access-car-registration-database-begins-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Sep 2024 16:06:29 +0000 Hong Kong’s immigration policies are “in no way different” from other jurisdictions and all actions are carried out in compliance with the law, the chief executive has said after the Post learned that a French photojournalist was recently denied entry to the city. A source said Louise Delmotte, who works for Associated Press in Hong Kong, was questioned by authorities when she arrived at the city’s airport as a tourist on September 14. She was then turned away and repatriated to France. The... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3279657/award-winning-french-photojournalist-louise-delmotte-denied-entry-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3279657/award-winning-french-photojournalist-louise-delmotte-denied-entry-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Sep 2024 13:16:55 +0000 Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at letters@scmp.com or filling in this Google form. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification The UK government and Chris Patten, the last British governor of Hong Kong, among many others, have been fiercely critical of Hong Kong’s national security law and the recent Hong Kong District... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3278432/uk-can-hardly-criticise-hong-kong-press-freedom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/letters/article/3278432/uk-can-hardly-criticise-hong-kong-press-freedom?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 15 Sep 2024 06:30:08 +0000 The foundation that operate online encyclopaedia Wikipedia said on Saturday that it had taken the “extremely rare action” of globally banning a user who was found to be involved in alleged acts of trolling, doxxing and intimidation against Hong Kong journalists. The city’s police chief, Raymond Siu Chak-yee, revealed that the force had so far received two reports regarding claims by the Hong Kong Journalists Association that dozens of reporters, their family members and employers had been... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3278559/wikipedia-bans-user-alleged-trolling-doxxing-and-intimidation-hong-kong-journalists?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/society/article/3278559/wikipedia-bans-user-alleged-trolling-doxxing-and-intimidation-hong-kong-journalists?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 14 Sep 2024 16:32:26 +0000 A journalists’ group in Hong Kong has said dozens of reporters, their family members and employers, as well as neighbours and landlords, have been harassed in what it described as a “systematic attack against media workers”. The Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) on Friday condemned the harassment as “a serious interference with press freedom”, adding the matter had been reported to police. The undersecretary for security said he was unaware of the claims and reiterated the city was a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3278484/hong-kong-journalists-union-says-reporters-relatives-and-their-bosses-targeted-harassment-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3278484/hong-kong-journalists-union-says-reporters-relatives-and-their-bosses-targeted-harassment-campaign?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Sep 2024 13:56:08 +0000 The long-running satirical television show Headliner was popular but often controversial. It was suspended by RTHK in 2020 and has not returned after an episode made fun of the police. The Communications Authority received more than 3,000 complaints and ruled it breached the code of practice for television programmes. Last week, the Court of Appeal quashed findings made by the authority in a ruling that recognised the role of satire in reflecting public concerns while demonstrating the... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3278306/ruling-satirical-hong-kong-tv-show-underlines-citys-judicial-independence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3278306/ruling-satirical-hong-kong-tv-show-underlines-citys-judicial-independence?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Sep 2024 22:15:07 +0000 Is the press sacred and untouchable in today’s world? Some think it is. Yes, press freedom is a universal value and fundamental to a free society, but what are its limits, if any? These are pressing questions many struggle to answer. The answer recently given by the Hong Kong court in relation to Stand News, convicting the paper and its editors of sedition, however, is not very palatable to many. It may be instructive to revisit a similar case in 1998. In that case, the publisher of a mainstream... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3277869/no-threat-hong-kong-press-freedom-after-court-ruling-stand-news?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3277869/no-threat-hong-kong-press-freedom-after-court-ruling-stand-news?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Sep 2024 01:30:08 +0000 Hong Kong authorities have dismissed as “baseless smears” claims about the state of the city’s press freedom made by a coalition of 23 countries after the recent sedition conviction of two former local editors. The Media Freedom Coalition, whose members include the US, the UK and France, said on Monday it was alarmed by the guilty verdict against the ex-editors of now-closed online outlet Stand News and the “wider suppression of media freedom” in the city. It expressed “grave concern” and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3277905/23-nation-coalition-concerned-over-sedition-conviction-2-hong-kong-stand-news-editors?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3277905/23-nation-coalition-concerned-over-sedition-conviction-2-hong-kong-stand-news-editors?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 10 Sep 2024 06:01:20 +0000 A Hong Kong court has quashed a communications watchdog’s finding that public broadcaster RTHK insulted police in a now-suspended satirical show four years ago, ruling the controversial portrayal could be excused because it targeted officers’ allegedly unprofessional conduct and not their social status. The Court of Appeal on Wednesday handed a partial victory to RTHK’s Programme Staff Union and the Hong Kong Journalists Association in a judicial review over the propriety of an episode of... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3277163/hong-kong-court-quashes-media-watchdogs-case-against-rthk-comedy-show-satirised-police?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3277163/hong-kong-court-quashes-media-watchdogs-case-against-rthk-comedy-show-satirised-police?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Sep 2024 08:22:55 +0000 Unfounded allegations against Hong Kong authorities, the promotion of resistance and the dissemination of fears over the national security law were among the reasons provided in a court verdict that concluded Stand News was an anti-Chinese localist media outlet used as a tool for smearing and vilification. A 129-page judgment handed down by the District Court on Thursday sought to underline the danger posed by 11 articles published by the now-defunct portal and show the seditious intent of its... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3276574/how-did-hong-kong-judge-decide-stand-news-was-localist-outlet-used-smear-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3276574/how-did-hong-kong-judge-decide-stand-news-was-localist-outlet-used-smear-beijing?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 30 Aug 2024 10:00:25 +0000 A Hong Kong court will hand down its verdict on Thursday on whether a now-closed online news service was guilty of publishing seditious material in the aftermath of the 2019 anti-government protests. The District Court’s ruling on Stand News and two former senior editors will mark the first time a judge hand-picked by the city leader to preside over proceedings under the Beijing-decreed national security law has demarcated acceptable reporting boundaries. The verdict, first slated for last... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3276152/hong-kong-court-deliver-verdict-sedition-case-against-closed-stand-news-thursday?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3276152/hong-kong-court-deliver-verdict-sedition-case-against-closed-stand-news-thursday?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 28 Aug 2024 04:00:13 +0000 The recent departure of a British judge sitting on Hong Kong’s top court from an advisory board of an international media freedom group might reflect that foreign judicial figures in the city are facing mounting pressure from critics, a scholar has said. David Neuberger has stepped down from his role as chairman of the High Level Panel of Legal Experts on Media Freedom, an independent advisory body of the Media Freedom Coalition, a role he held for nearly five years. In a statement made on... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3274838/panel-departure-uk-judge-serving-hong-kong-may-reflect-pressure-critics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3274838/panel-departure-uk-judge-serving-hong-kong-may-reflect-pressure-critics?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 16 Aug 2024 14:52:38 +0000 The chairwoman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association has said “it is clear” The Wall Street Journal fired her to have its staff avoid being perceived as advocating press freedom in the city, after the security minister suggested the newspaper did so to distance itself from a union that lacked recognition. Selina Cheng told the Post on Friday that her former supervisors had explicitly told her not to take up the chairwoman position at the Hong Kong Journalists Association, a warning that she... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3272069/wall-street-journal-firing-over-press-freedom-stance-hong-kong-selina-cheng-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3272069/wall-street-journal-firing-over-press-freedom-stance-hong-kong-selina-cheng-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jul 2024 12:46:38 +0000 Connor Mycroft Connor Mycroft International press organisations and a top US congressional panel are leading a growing chorus of support for Hong Kong Journalists Association chairwoman Selina Cheng, who said she was fired by The Wall Street Journal for assuming her leadership role in the union. The Asia Chapter of the Asian American Journalists Association said it “stands in support” with Cheng, a member of the group, while calling on all news organisations to allow their journalists’ advocacy for press... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3271052/overseas-groups-step-support-hong-kongs-selina-cheng-over-wall-street-journal-sacking?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3271052/overseas-groups-step-support-hong-kongs-selina-cheng-over-wall-street-journal-sacking?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 19 Jul 2024 04:57:53 +0000 The Wall Street Journal’s US-based union has urged the newspaper to restore reporter Selina Cheng to her role a day after she said she was sacked for taking up the leadership of the Hong Kong Journalists Association earlier this month. The Independent Association of Publishers’ Employees, which represents employees of The Wall Street Journal and its parent company, Dow Jones, said on Thursday that it was “very sorry” to hear of Cheng’s dismissal. “The union is always concerned when Dow Jones... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3270967/hong-kongs-foreign-correspondents-club-deeply-concerned-over-sacking-selina-cheng?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3270967/hong-kongs-foreign-correspondents-club-deeply-concerned-over-sacking-selina-cheng?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Jul 2024 10:14:27 +0000 The Hong Kong government has hit out at a US report on religious freedom that downgraded the city’s freedom of expression and belief. Authorities said on Saturday that they “rejected the slandering remarks” in the US State Department’s Report on International Religious Freedom, which downgraded the city’s rating “due to evidence that the broader crackdown on dissent has prompted some churches to self-censor sermons and curtail other religious activities”. Religious groups in Hong Kong faced... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3268575/hong-kong-government-denounces-slander-us-report-downgrading-citys-religious-freedom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3268575/hong-kong-government-denounces-slander-us-report-downgrading-citys-religious-freedom?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 29 Jun 2024 10:17:00 +0000 Two new members of the governing body of Hong Kong’s largest journalists’ group quit immediately upon election on Saturday after the city’s security chief earlier pointed to foreign correspondents and non-reporters as being among the candidates. Ronson Chan Ron-sing, outgoing chairman of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), pushed back at Secretary for Security Chris Tang Ping-keung’s criticism, stressing that its membership was rigorously vetted and the body remained... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3267666/2-newly-elected-committee-members-quit-security-chief-takes-aim-hong-kong-journalists-group?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/politics/article/3267666/2-newly-elected-committee-members-quit-security-chief-takes-aim-hong-kong-journalists-group?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Jun 2024 12:33:39 +0000 Lawyers for Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai Chee-ying have said they will seek his acquittal in the middle of the mogul’s national security law’s trial on the grounds of insufficient evidence. Three judges presiding over the high-profile case are expected to hear submissions next month on whether prosecutors can establish a prima facie case against the founder of the now-defunct Apple Daily newspaper. Defence Senior Counsel Robert Pang Yiu-hung told West Kowloon Court on Monday his team would... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3263373/jimmy-lai-trial-hong-kong-tycoons-lawyers-will-seek-acquittal-grounds-insufficient-evidence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/law-and-crime/article/3263373/jimmy-lai-trial-hong-kong-tycoons-lawyers-will-seek-acquittal-grounds-insufficient-evidence?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 May 2024 09:52:24 +0000 The role played by journalists in providing readers with news they can trust has never been more important, at a time of rampant misinformation, disinformation and propaganda. But recent assessments of the global media environment make depressing reading. Press freedom is in decline in many parts of the world amid war, geopolitical tensions, state crackdowns and climate change. Hong Kong’s journalists face their own challenges. So it was good to see them honoured at the Hong Kong News Awards on... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3263214/journalists-should-be-able-work-without-fear-violence-or-arrest?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/article/3263214/journalists-should-be-able-work-without-fear-violence-or-arrest?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 18 May 2024 18:00:13 +0000