Media of Hong Kong
Encyclopedia
Media in Hong Kong
are available to the public in the forms of: television
and radio
, newspapers, magazine
s and the Internet
. They serve the local community by providing necessary information and entertainment.
which is funded by Falun Gong
. It also once had numerous newspapers funded by Kuomintang
of Taiwan
but all of them were terminated due to the poor financial performance. The Holy See, who does not have an official diplomatic tie with China, publishes Kung Kao Po
, a weekly newspaper published by the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong
. Apple Daily
and Oriental Daily News
are the two best selling newspaper according to AC Nielsen, gaining more than 60% of readership. Both are known for its anti-Hong Kong government political positions, colorful presentations but sensational news reportage. Whereas Apple Daily is strongly regarded as pro-democracy, Oriental Daily is inclined to be pro-China government.
The freedom of press is effectively protected by the Bill of Rights, in contrast to the rest of China where control over media is pervasive. According to the Reporters Without Borders
, Hong Kong enjoys "real press freedom" and ranks the second in Asia after Japan in the Press Freedom Index
. Different views over touchy topics like Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
, the dictatorship of the China Communist Party (CCP) and the democracy progress are still dynamically discussed among media. Many banned books in China, such as the memoir of Zhao Ziyang
, the CCP party's leader stepped down in 1989, still find their homes in Hong Kong.
Although fears that the media in Hong Kong would lose their independence after 1997 have not yet to realize, worries that the business ties between Beijing and the media owners may affect the editorially-dynamic media have not been borne out. Several conglomerate
s are also known to exert influence through advertising revenue on editorial.
Besides self censorship, yellow journalism
is subject to a constant debate. Paparazzi
and Infotainment
, especially in the severely competitive Chinese language newspaper market, often lead to the voice for more control over media. However, newspapers in Hong Kong are also characterized by its prompt, responsive and outspoken report style.
In 2002, Hong Kong has:
Non-Governmental bodies:
and publication are enshrined in Article 27 of the Basic Law
, Hong Kong's mini-constitution
, and are also protected by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
(ICCPR) under Article 39 of the Basic Law.
There is no law called "media law" in Hong Kong. Instead, the media are governed by statutory law
s. In brief, there are 31 Ordinances that are directly related to mass media
. Six of which are highlighted below.
The rest of the Ordinances are of less importance since they do not aim at regulating mass media, but some of their provisions do affect the operation of media organizations and also the freedom of press.
The passing of Bill of Rights Ordinance (BORO) in 1986 strengthened the protection of fundamental human rights like press freedom or freedom of speech
. This has been reflected in the loosening of control over mass media. Laws that violate the principle of press freedom are gradually amended. For example, section 27 of Public Order Ordinance, which criminalized the publishing of false news, was repealed in 1989.
Nonetheless, there are still concerns among the media sector that some existing laws may still undermine the freedom of the press and publication, e.g. Official Secrets Ordinance (Cap. 521) and Public Order Ordinance (Cap. 245).
and TVB. The latter, launched in 1967, was the territory's first free-to-air
commercial station, and is currently the predominant TV station in the territory. Paid cable and satellite television have also been widespread. The production of Hong Kong's soap drama, comedy series and variety show
s have reached mass audiences throughout the Chinese-speaking world. Many international and pan-Asian broadcasters are based in Hong Kong, including News Corporation
's STAR TV
. Hong Kong's terrestrial commercial TV networks, TVB
and ATV, can also be seen in neighboring Guangdong
Province and Macau (via cable).
, Hong Kong News Executives' Association, Hong Kong Federation of Journalists, Hong Kong Press Photographers' Association). They could not deny the fact that the mass media were suffering decreasing respect of Hong Kong citizens. Journalism was no longer seen as a respectable profession. The public had little trust in newspapers. The news industry attributed this phenomenon to the citizens' complaints about the decreasing ethics
of journalists.
Stories were exaggerated often violating privacy
. A study was conducted by Hong Kong Journalists Association
in early 2007 to find that 58.4% of journalists in Hong Kong considered that the degree of freedom of speech
had decreased since the handover
in 1997. Furthermore nearly 60% of the interviewed journalists also thought that more self-censorship had been practiced then than 1997.
He caused a significant public outcry. Some days later, Apple Daily
published a front-page photograph showing Chan with two prostitutes soon after his family’s deaths. It was later revealed that the newspaper had paid Chan to pose for the photograph and the newspaper subsequently published a front-page apology.
This incident and other concerns over increasingly aggressive news coverage and paparazzi in the intensive media battles for readers and viewers began widespread public discussions regarding press practices and accompanying ethical concerns that continue to this day over issues of privacy, responsible reporting and journalistic standards.
which prohibits crimes against national security and sedition. The bill states that it is a legal offense for media to be seditious
and disclose national secrets, but the vague definition led to a concern that it may become a political tool for accusing dissidents' voice, as happened in the Mainland China.
The bill caused a significant public outrage and a mass demonstration of 500,000 people, forcing the government to withdraw the bill and several cabinet members to step down.
were distributed in East Magazine, and then Three Weekly in the span of a week. The photos were claimed to be taken in the early 90s when that actress was kidnapped. Though people from all social strata have shouted themselves hoarse to call on citizens to boycott the publications, many bought and read them even while condemning them for corrupting public morality. Those issues sold very well. Media ethics were raised as a hot topic; people investing in or working for "vile" publications were much criticized. As the public pressure grew, East Magazine finally ended publication.
of the local pop duo Twins filed a writ against Easyfinder Magazine for publishing photos of her changing backstage at a concert in Malaysia. This raised another media ethics and aggressive paparazzi
concern. And again, the magazine sold well, printing two runs of the magazine, selling out twice.
The Hong Kong Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority received 2875 complaints regarding the revealing photos and the incident was referred to the Obscene Articles Tribunal for further action. On 1 November 2006, Easy Finder
lost its appeal against an obscenity ruling on the published article and pictures. The appeal panel upheld the judgement, declaring the article "obscene", and saying it was a "calculated act of selling sexuality which is corrupting and revolting".
Hong Kong
Hong Kong is one of two Special Administrative Regions of the People's Republic of China , the other being Macau. A city-state situated on China's south coast and enclosed by the Pearl River Delta and South China Sea, it is renowned for its expansive skyline and deep natural harbour...
are available to the public in the forms of: television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
and radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
, newspapers, magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
s and the Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
. They serve the local community by providing necessary information and entertainment.
Overview
Hong Kong is home to many of Asia's biggest media players and remains as one of the world's largest film industries. The loose regulation over the establishment of a newspaper makes Hong Kong home to many international media such as Asian Wall Street Journal and FEER, and publications with anti-Communist backgrounds such as The Epoch TimesThe Epoch Times
The Epoch Times is a multi-language, international media organisation. As a newspaper, the Times has been publishing in Chinese since May 2000. It was founded in 1999 by supporters of the Falun Gong spiritual discipline....
which is funded by Falun Gong
Falun Gong
Falun Gong is a spiritual discipline first introduced in China in 1992 by its founder, Li Hongzhi, through public lectures. It combines the practice of meditation and slow-moving qigong exercises with the moral philosophy...
. It also once had numerous newspapers funded by Kuomintang
Kuomintang
The Kuomintang of China , sometimes romanized as Guomindang via the Pinyin transcription system or GMD for short, and translated as the Chinese Nationalist Party is a founding and ruling political party of the Republic of China . Its guiding ideology is the Three Principles of the People, espoused...
of Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
but all of them were terminated due to the poor financial performance. The Holy See, who does not have an official diplomatic tie with China, publishes Kung Kao Po
Kung Kao Po
Kung Kao Po — literally “Catholic newspaper” — is a Chinese language newspaper in Hong Kong. Launched on August 1, 1928, it is owned and published by the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong....
, a weekly newspaper published by the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong
Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong
The Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong is a Latin Rite ordinary diocese of the Catholic Church headed by Bishop John Tong Hon. Though the bishop is subject to the Roman Pontiff, he is not the vicar of the latter: he governs it in his own name. The diocese takes its name from the see city, the community...
. Apple Daily
Apple Daily
Apple Daily is a Hong-Kong-based tabloid-style newspaper founded in 1995 by Jimmy Lai Chee Ying and is published by its company, Next Media. A sister publication carrying the same name is published in Taiwan, Republic of China under a joint venture between Next Media and other Taiwanese companies...
and Oriental Daily News
Oriental Daily News
Oriental Daily News is a Chinese language newspaper in Hong Kong. It was established in 1969. It is one of the two newspapers published by the Oriental Press Group Limited , found by Ma's Family.-History:While Oriental Daily targets at a more mature reader group, Sun Daily Oriental Daily News is...
are the two best selling newspaper according to AC Nielsen, gaining more than 60% of readership. Both are known for its anti-Hong Kong government political positions, colorful presentations but sensational news reportage. Whereas Apple Daily is strongly regarded as pro-democracy, Oriental Daily is inclined to be pro-China government.
The freedom of press is effectively protected by the Bill of Rights, in contrast to the rest of China where control over media is pervasive. According to the Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders
Reporters Without Borders is a France-based international non-governmental organization that advocates freedom of the press. It was founded in 1985, by Robert Ménard, Rony Brauman and the journalist Jean-Claude Guillebaud. Jean-François Julliard has served as Secretary General since 2008...
, Hong Kong enjoys "real press freedom" and ranks the second in Asia after Japan in the Press Freedom Index
Press Freedom Index
The Press Freedom Index is an annual ranking of countries compiled and published by Reporters Without Borders based upon the organization's assessment of their press freedom records. Small countries, such as Andorra, are excluded from this report...
. Different views over touchy topics like Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
Tiananmen Square protests of 1989
The Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, also known as the June Fourth Incident in Chinese , were a series of demonstrations in and near Tiananmen Square in Beijing in the People's Republic of China beginning on 15 April 1989...
, the dictatorship of the China Communist Party (CCP) and the democracy progress are still dynamically discussed among media. Many banned books in China, such as the memoir of Zhao Ziyang
Zhao Ziyang
Zhao Ziyang was a high-ranking politician in the People's Republic of China . He was the third Premier of the People's Republic of China from 1980 to 1987, and General Secretary of the Communist Party of China from 1987 to 1989....
, the CCP party's leader stepped down in 1989, still find their homes in Hong Kong.
Although fears that the media in Hong Kong would lose their independence after 1997 have not yet to realize, worries that the business ties between Beijing and the media owners may affect the editorially-dynamic media have not been borne out. Several conglomerate
Conglomerate (company)
A conglomerate is a combination of two or more corporations engaged in entirely different businesses that fall under one corporate structure , usually involving a parent company and several subsidiaries. Often, a conglomerate is a multi-industry company...
s are also known to exert influence through advertising revenue on editorial.
Besides self censorship, yellow journalism
Yellow journalism
Yellow journalism or the yellow press is a type of journalism that presents little or no legitimate well-researched news and instead uses eye-catching headlines to sell more newspapers. Techniques may include exaggerations of news events, scandal-mongering, or sensationalism...
is subject to a constant debate. Paparazzi
Paparazzi
Paparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
and Infotainment
Infotainment
Infotainment is "information-based media content or programming that also includes entertainment content in an effort to enhance popularity with audiences and consumers." It is a neologistic portmanteau of information and entertainment, referring to a type of media which provides a combination of...
, especially in the severely competitive Chinese language newspaper market, often lead to the voice for more control over media. However, newspapers in Hong Kong are also characterized by its prompt, responsive and outspoken report style.
In 2002, Hong Kong has:
- Daily newspapers: 54
- Chinese-language dailies: 27
- English-language dailies: 3
- English-language newspapers publishing 5 or 6 days a week: 6
- Bilingual dailies: 5
- Newspapers in other languages: 7
- Free-to-air commercial TV companies: 3
- Subscription TV licensees: 4
- Non-domestic television programme licensees: 12
- Government radio-television station: 1
- Commercial radio stations: 2
Media authorities
Statutory bodies:- Hong Kong Broadcasting AuthorityHong Kong Broadcasting AuthorityThe Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority is an organization responsible for licensing and regulating the broadcasting industry in Hong Kong. It was formed in 1987...
(BA) regulates broadcasters in Hong Kong by licensing and penalties according to the Broadcasting Regulation. - Television and Entertainment Licensing AuthorityTelevision and Entertainment Licensing AuthorityTelevision and Entertainment Licensing Authority or TELA is the entertainment regulatory agency in Hong Kong under the HKSAR government.- Mission :...
(TELA) is responsible for monitoring television and radio broadcasting to secure proper standards. - Radio Television Hong KongRadio Television Hong KongRadio Television Hong Kong is a public broadcasting organisation in Hong Kong that is operated as an independent department in the government under the Broadcasting Authority. RTHK operates seven radio channels, and produces television programmes that are then broadcast through local television...
, operates as an independent government department.
Non-Governmental bodies:
- Press Council was established in July 2000. The objective of the Council is to promote the professional and ethical standards of the newspaper industry, defend press freedom, and deal with public complaints against local newspapers. It is an independent organization.
Media regulation
Freedom of the pressFreedom of the press
Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the freedom of communication and expression through vehicles including various electronic media and published materials...
and publication are enshrined in Article 27 of the Basic Law
Hong Kong Basic Law
The Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, or simply Hong Kong Basic Law, serves as the constitutional document of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China...
, Hong Kong's mini-constitution
Constitution
A constitution is a set of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is governed. These rules together make up, i.e. constitute, what the entity is...
, and are also protected by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights is a multilateral treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 16, 1966, and in force from March 23, 1976...
(ICCPR) under Article 39 of the Basic Law.
There is no law called "media law" in Hong Kong. Instead, the media are governed by statutory law
Statutory law
Statutory law or statute law is written law set down by a legislature or by a legislator .Statutes may originate with national, state legislatures or local municipalities...
s. In brief, there are 31 Ordinances that are directly related to mass media
Mass media
Mass media refers collectively to all media technologies which are intended to reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit their information electronically and comprise of television, film and radio, movies, CDs, DVDs and some other gadgets like cameras or video consoles...
. Six of which are highlighted below.
- Registration of Local Newspapers Ordinance (Cap. 268), provides for the registration of local newspapers and news agencies and the licensing of newspaper distributors.
- Books Registration Ordinance (Cap. 142) (Cap. 106), provides for the registration and preservation of copies of books first printed, produced or published in Hong Kong.
- Telecommunications Ordinance (Cap. 106), makes better provision for the licensing and control of telecommunicationTelecommunicationTelecommunication is the transmission of information over significant distances to communicate. In earlier times, telecommunications involved the use of visual signals, such as beacons, smoke signals, semaphore telegraphs, signal flags, and optical heliographs, or audio messages via coded...
s, telecommunications services and telecommunications apparatus and equipment. - Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles Ordinance (Cap. 390) controls and classifies articles which consist of or contain material that is obscene or indecent. Obscene Articles Tribunals are established to determine whether an article is obscene or indecent.
- Broadcasting Authority Ordinance (Cap. 391), provides for the establishment and functions of a Broadcasting Authority.
- Broadcasting Ordinance (Cap. 562), licenses companies to provide broadcasting services and regulate the provision of broadcasting services by licensees.
The rest of the Ordinances are of less importance since they do not aim at regulating mass media, but some of their provisions do affect the operation of media organizations and also the freedom of press.
The passing of Bill of Rights Ordinance (BORO) in 1986 strengthened the protection of fundamental human rights like press freedom or freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
. This has been reflected in the loosening of control over mass media. Laws that violate the principle of press freedom are gradually amended. For example, section 27 of Public Order Ordinance, which criminalized the publishing of false news, was repealed in 1989.
Nonetheless, there are still concerns among the media sector that some existing laws may still undermine the freedom of the press and publication, e.g. Official Secrets Ordinance (Cap. 521) and Public Order Ordinance (Cap. 245).
Television
Hong Kong has two broadcast television stations, ATVAsia Television Limited
Asia Television Limited is one of the two free-to-air television broadcasters in Hong Kong, the other being rival Television Broadcasts Limited . It launched in 1957 under the name Rediffusion Television as the first television station in Hong Kong...
and TVB. The latter, launched in 1967, was the territory's first free-to-air
Free-to-air
Free-to-air describes television and radio services broadcast in clear form, allowing any person with the appropriate receiving equipment to receive the signal and view or listen to the content without requiring a subscription or one-off fee...
commercial station, and is currently the predominant TV station in the territory. Paid cable and satellite television have also been widespread. The production of Hong Kong's soap drama, comedy series and variety show
Variety show
A variety show, also known as variety arts or variety entertainment, is an entertainment made up of a variety of acts, especially musical performances and sketch comedy, and normally introduced by a compère or host. Other types of acts include magic, animal and circus acts, acrobatics, juggling...
s have reached mass audiences throughout the Chinese-speaking world. Many international and pan-Asian broadcasters are based in Hong Kong, including News Corporation
News Corporation
News Corporation or News Corp. is an American multinational media conglomerate. It is the world's second-largest media conglomerate as of 2011 in terms of revenue, and the world's third largest in entertainment as of 2009, although the BBC remains the world's largest broadcaster...
's STAR TV
STAR TV
Satellite Television Asia Region is an Asian TV service owned by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation. It is headquartered in Hong Kong, with regional offices in mainland China, Taiwan....
. Hong Kong's terrestrial commercial TV networks, TVB
Television Broadcasts Limited
Television Broadcasts Limited, commonly known as TVB, is the second over-the-air commercial television station in Hong Kong. It commenced broadcasting on 19 November 1967...
and ATV, can also be seen in neighboring Guangdong
Guangdong
Guangdong is a province on the South China Sea coast of the People's Republic of China. The province was previously often written with the alternative English name Kwangtung Province...
Province and Macau (via cable).
Radio
- Radio Television Hong KongRadio Television Hong KongRadio Television Hong Kong is a public broadcasting organisation in Hong Kong that is operated as an independent department in the government under the Broadcasting Authority. RTHK operates seven radio channels, and produces television programmes that are then broadcast through local television...
(RTHK) - government-funded, operates seven networks in Cantonese, Mandarin and English - Commercial Radio (CR) - operates CR1, CR2 networks in Cantonese and mediumwave (AM) English-language station AM 864
- Metro Radio Hong Kong (MRHK) - operates Metro Showbiz, Metro Finance and English-language Metro Plus
Magazines
This list is very incomplete.- Next MagazineNext MagazineNext Magazine is a Chinese weekly magazine, published in Hong Kong and Taiwan with different versions. Owned by Jimmy Lai , both magazines are the number one news magazines in both markets in terms of audited circulation and AC Nielsen reports...
- East TouchEast TouchEast Touch is a weekly Chinese language magazine written in Cantonese style in Hong Kong. It is published every Tuesday by East Touch Publishing Limited, part of Global China Group Holdings Limited.-Content:...
- East WeekEast WeekEast Week is a Hong Kong-based weekly Chinese language magazine which was established by Oriental Group on October 29, 1992 and sold to the Emperor Group in September 2001...
- HK MagazineHK MagazineHK Magazine is a free-distributed English language city-living magazine. It is a Hong Kong-based English-language weekly published by Asia City Publishing Limited. Premiering in 1991, it targets young metropolitans. It offers discussions on social issues as well as entertainment listings. New...
- HIM http://www.him.com.hk
- Cheng Ming Magazine] (爭鳴) http://www.chengmingmag.com/
- City Magazine(HK) 《號外》
- Sai Kung MagazineSai Kung & Clearwater Bay MagazineSai Kung & Clearwater Bay Magazine is a free-distributed English language lifestye magazine. It is a Hong Kong-based English-language monthly published by Fast Media Ltd. Premiering in 2009, the magazine targets highly-affluent professionals who work in Hong Kong but raise their families in the...
Internet radio stations
These are non-profit and unregulated internet radio stations operated by hobbyists and non-profit organisations. Most of these stations tend to be quite political and influential, although a variety of apolitical programs are gradually appearing in prominence.- HKGFM.net"" http://www.hkgfm.net/
- Openradio Hong Kong http://www.openradiohk.com/
- People's Radio Hong KongPeople's Radio Hong KongPeople's Radio Hong Kong or its abbreviation PRHK.org is a defunct online radio station in Hong Kong...
http://www.prhk.org/ - Hiradio.net http://www.hiradio.net/
- WM6471.net http://www.wm6471.net/
- Radio71 http://www.radio71.hk/
- Inmediahk.net http://www.inmediahk.net
- MyRadio http://www.myradio.hk/
Credibility
Ethical studies have been conducted by four journalism groups (Hong Kong Journalists AssociationHong Kong Journalists Association
The Hong Kong Journalists Association was established in 1968 for practising journalists in Hong Kong "to enhance press freedom and the integrity of news coverage"...
, Hong Kong News Executives' Association, Hong Kong Federation of Journalists, Hong Kong Press Photographers' Association). They could not deny the fact that the mass media were suffering decreasing respect of Hong Kong citizens. Journalism was no longer seen as a respectable profession. The public had little trust in newspapers. The news industry attributed this phenomenon to the citizens' complaints about the decreasing ethics
Ethics
Ethics, also known as moral philosophy, is a branch of philosophy that addresses questions about morality—that is, concepts such as good and evil, right and wrong, virtue and vice, justice and crime, etc.Major branches of ethics include:...
of journalists.
Stories were exaggerated often violating privacy
Privacy
Privacy is the ability of an individual or group to seclude themselves or information about themselves and thereby reveal themselves selectively...
. A study was conducted by Hong Kong Journalists Association
Hong Kong Journalists Association
The Hong Kong Journalists Association was established in 1968 for practising journalists in Hong Kong "to enhance press freedom and the integrity of news coverage"...
in early 2007 to find that 58.4% of journalists in Hong Kong considered that the degree of freedom of speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
had decreased since the handover
Handover
In cellular telecommunications, the term handover or handoff refers to the process of transferring an ongoing call or data session from one channel connected to the core network to another...
in 1997. Furthermore nearly 60% of the interviewed journalists also thought that more self-censorship had been practiced then than 1997.
Yellow Journalism
On 19 October 1998, a woman killed her two young children by pushing them out of a window from a high-rise building and then jumped to kill herself. The husband Chan Kin Hong was widely reported to have little remorse on their death, saying he has "high libido" but his wife lost sexual drive after giving a birth to the latest baby and he had to visit prostitutes regularly. He also met another woman and planned to have his new life.He caused a significant public outcry. Some days later, Apple Daily
Apple Daily
Apple Daily is a Hong-Kong-based tabloid-style newspaper founded in 1995 by Jimmy Lai Chee Ying and is published by its company, Next Media. A sister publication carrying the same name is published in Taiwan, Republic of China under a joint venture between Next Media and other Taiwanese companies...
published a front-page photograph showing Chan with two prostitutes soon after his family’s deaths. It was later revealed that the newspaper had paid Chan to pose for the photograph and the newspaper subsequently published a front-page apology.
This incident and other concerns over increasingly aggressive news coverage and paparazzi in the intensive media battles for readers and viewers began widespread public discussions regarding press practices and accompanying ethical concerns that continue to this day over issues of privacy, responsible reporting and journalistic standards.
National Security
In 2003, the government attempted to implement the so-called Article 23Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23
Hong Kong Basic Law Article 23 is the basis of a security law proposed by the Government of Hong Kong. It states:On 24 September 2002 the government released its proposals for the anti-subversion law. It is the cause of considerable controversy and division in Hong Kong, which operates as a...
which prohibits crimes against national security and sedition. The bill states that it is a legal offense for media to be seditious
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
and disclose national secrets, but the vague definition led to a concern that it may become a political tool for accusing dissidents' voice, as happened in the Mainland China.
The bill caused a significant public outrage and a mass demonstration of 500,000 people, forcing the government to withdraw the bill and several cabinet members to step down.
Capitalize on Victims
Some nude photos of actress Carina LauCarina Lau
Carina Lau Kar-ling is a Hong Kong actress. She was especially notable in the 1980s for her girl-next-door type roles in films....
were distributed in East Magazine, and then Three Weekly in the span of a week. The photos were claimed to be taken in the early 90s when that actress was kidnapped. Though people from all social strata have shouted themselves hoarse to call on citizens to boycott the publications, many bought and read them even while condemning them for corrupting public morality. Those issues sold very well. Media ethics were raised as a hot topic; people investing in or working for "vile" publications were much criticized. As the public pressure grew, East Magazine finally ended publication.
Invasion of Privacy
In August 2006, Gillian ChungGillian Chung
Gillian Chung is a Hong Kong based singer and actress. She is a member of Cantopop group Twins, along with Charlene Choi.-Early life:...
of the local pop duo Twins filed a writ against Easyfinder Magazine for publishing photos of her changing backstage at a concert in Malaysia. This raised another media ethics and aggressive paparazzi
Paparazzi
Paparazzi is an Italian term used to refer to photojournalists who specialize in candid photography of celebrities, politicians, and other prominent people...
concern. And again, the magazine sold well, printing two runs of the magazine, selling out twice.
The Hong Kong Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority received 2875 complaints regarding the revealing photos and the incident was referred to the Obscene Articles Tribunal for further action. On 1 November 2006, Easy Finder
Easy Finder
Easy Finder was a weekly Chinese tabloid magazine which was first published on September 13, 1991 in Hong Kong. Published by Next Media Limited which is owned by Jimmy Lai. It stopped publishing on May 23, 2007. Easy Finder was commonly known to participate in Yellow journalism Easy Finder...
lost its appeal against an obscenity ruling on the published article and pictures. The appeal panel upheld the judgement, declaring the article "obscene", and saying it was a "calculated act of selling sexuality which is corrupting and revolting".
See also
- Newspapers of China
- Hong Kong Audit Bureau of CirculationsHong Kong Audit Bureau of CirculationsThe Hong Kong Audit Bureau of Circulations , or HKABC in short, was established in April 1995.It is a non-profit organization which aims at promoting the cause of circulation auditing in Hong Kong...
- Communications in Hong KongCommunications in Hong KongA wide-ranging and sophisticated communications network has developed in Hong Kong, reflecting its thriving commerce and international importance....
- Media of the People's Republic of ChinaMedia of the People's Republic of ChinaMedia of the People's Republic of China primarily consists of television, newspapers, radio, and magazines. Since 2000, the Internet has also emerged as an important communications medium....