Hong Kong Free Press has been shortlisted by the UK-based Index on Censorship for their annual Freedom of Expression Awards.
HKFP is up against three other individuals or media outlets in the journalism category, with the winner set to be announced on April 30 in London.
The NGO noted HKFP’s 2018 Free Expression Week, which went ahead despite one of the exhibiting artists – cartoonist Badiucao – having to withdraw his works from public display following threats. Index of Censorship also mentioned HKFP’s coverage of free expression issues over the years.
“The organisation’s journalists and employees have been injured during recent protests, have faced arrest and even received death threats. Despite being blocked in mainland China, they’ve gained international acclaim,” the NGO’s website said on Monday.
Editor-in-chief and co-founder Tom Grundy said the newspaper was launched in 2015 in the wake of the pro-democracy Umbrella Movement as a non-profit outlet funded by Hongkongers.
“We are grateful to be considered for this award and am proud of our team for building a much-needed, independent platform at a time when press freedom is under increasing pressure,” he said.
HKFP is set to relaunch this spring and commit to a new, public Code of Ethics.
Journalists in Burundi, Hong Kong, Poland and Venezuela are among the nominees for #IndexAwards20. Learn about their struggles to promote free speech https://t.co/bH7876H5Ek pic.twitter.com/IK3Afu0kVU
— Index on Censorship (@IndexCensorship) February 24, 2020
HKFP is up against SOS Médias Burundi – a 24-hour news channel in Burundi, Poland’s OKO – an investigative journalism and fact-checking portal, and Marco Ruiz Silvera – a journalist and head of the National Press Workers’ Union in Venezuela.
The winner will be enrolled on the Index’s Awards Fellowship programme and will receive dedicated training and support.
The 2019 journalism award winner was Cameroonian journalist Mimi Mefo.
