Announcement: Hong Kong Free Press completes expansion – meet the team, delve behind the scenes
Thanks to HKFP’s monthly supporters, our team of nine experienced journalists now includes a dedicated editor, photojournalist and social media/production manager, providing more capacity for original, on-the-ground, trusted reporting.
Hong Kong Free Press has completed its expansion, with the newsroom more than doubling in size since its 2020 relaunch.
Our team of nine experienced journalists now includes a dedicated editor, photojournalist and social media/production manager, providing more capacity for original, award-winning reporting. The investments were made possible byHKFP’s monthly Patrons, who provide regular, sustained support to protect our independence and press freedom.
Associate Editor Mercedes Hutton, Reporter Irene Chan, Photojournalist Kyle Lam, Reporter Kelly Ho, Editor-in-chief Tom Grundy, Reporter James Lee, Reporter Hans Tse, Social Media & Production Editor Shan Chan, Reporter Hillary Leung and News Hound Pixel (centre).
The latest recruits to take their seats at our new Kennedy Town newsroom are: award-winning journalist Irene Chan; Hans Tse, who has an academic research background; and James Lee, who joined us from The Standard. Together, they form our new, frontline reporting team. And Social Media and Production Manager Shan Chan will be bringing both a journalistic and marketing background to the team.
How we make the news
What does a day in the life of an HKFP journalist look like? How do we select stories, deploy and assign staff? How are deeper features planned, sourced and developed? And how does HKFP continue to operate in an ever-changing city? Watch our new “behind the scenes” video to see how HKFP makes the news…
Tom founded Hong Kong Free Press in 2015 and is the editor-in-chief. In addition to editing, he is responsible for managing the newsroom and company – including fundraising, recruitment and overseeing HKFP’s web presence and ethical guidelines.
He has a BA in Communications and New Media from Leeds University and an MA in Journalism from the University of Hong Kong. He previously led an NGO advocating for domestic worker rights, and has contributed to the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Al-Jazeera and others. More by Tom Grundy
Mercedes is a British journalist who has been based in Hong Kong since 2012. At Hong Kong Free Press, she has covered a number of local environmental issues, including climate inequality and marine biodiversity, and explored how Hong Kong’s arts scene reflects a changing city. She has contributed to the Guardian and BBC Travel, and previously worked at the South China Morning Post, where she wrote a weekly column about the social and environmental impact of tourism in Asia. More by Mercedes Hutton
Ho Long Sze Kelly is a Hong Kong-based journalist covering politics, criminal justice, human rights, social welfare and education. As a Senior Reporter at Hong Kong Free Press, she has covered the aftermath of the 2019 extradition bill protests and the Covid-19 pandemic extensively, as well as documented the transformation of her home city under the Beijing-imposed national security law.
Kelly has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from the University of Hong Kong, with a second major in Politics and Public Administration. Prior to joining HKFP in 2020, she was on the frontlines covering the 2019 citywide unrest for South China Morning Post’s Young Post. She also covered sports and youth-related issues. More by Kelly Ho
Irene Chan is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press and has an interest in covering political and social change. She previously worked at Initium Media as chief editor for Hong Kong news and was a community organiser at the Society for Community Organisation serving the underprivileged. She has a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Fudan University and a master’s degree in social work from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Irene is the recipient of two Society of Publishers in Asia (SOPA) awards and three honourable mentions for her investigative, feature and video reporting. She also received a Human Rights Press Award for multimedia reporting and an honourable mention for feature writing. More by Irene Chan
Hillary Leung is a journalist at Hong Kong Free Press, where she reports on local politics and social issues, and assists with editing. Since joining in late 2021, she has covered the Covid-19 pandemic, political court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial, and challenges faced by minority communities.
Born and raised in Hong Kong, Hillary completed her undergraduate degree in journalism and sociology at the University of Hong Kong. She worked at TIME Magazine in 2019, where she wrote about Asia and overnight US news before turning her focus to the protests that began that summer. At Coconuts Hong Kong, she covered general news and wrote features, including about a Black Lives Matter march that drew controversy amid the local pro-democracy movement and two sisters who were born to a domestic worker and lived undocumented for 30 years in Hong Kong. More by Hillary Leung
James Lee is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press with an interest in culture and social issues. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in English and a minor in Journalism from the Chinese University of Hong Kong, where he witnessed the institution’s transformation over the course of the 2019 extradition bill protests and after the passing of the Beijing-imposed security law.
Since joining HKFP in 2023, he has covered local politics, the city’s housing crisis, as well as landmark court cases including the 47 democrats national security trial. He was previously a reporter at The Standard where he interviewed pro-establishment heavyweights and extensively covered the Covid-19 pandemic and Hong Kong’s political overhauls under the national security law. More by James Lee
Hans Tse is a reporter at Hong Kong Free Press with an interest in local politics, academia, and media transformation. He was previously a social science researcher, with writing published in the Social Movement Studies and Social Transformation of Chinese Societies journals. He holds an M.Phil in communication from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Before joining HKFP, He also worked as a freelance reporter for Initium between 2019 and 2021, where he covered the height – and aftermath – of the 2019 protests, as well as the sweeping national security law imposed by Beijing in 2020. More by Hans Tse
Kyle Lam is a Hong Kong Baptist University graduate who has worked as a photojournalist and reporter since 2013. His work has been published by HK01, the European Pressphoto Agency, Bloomberg and Ming Pao. Lam is the recipient of several prizes from the Hong Kong Press Photographers Association and Human Rights Press Awards. More by Kyle Lam
Shan Chan is the social media and production manager at Hong Kong Free Press. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Shan holds a bachelor’s degree in Journalism and Communication from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Prior to joining HKFP in 2023, Shan worked at two local digital marketing agencies as a social media editor and copywriter. She also worked as an intern and part-time reporter at Radio Television Hong Kong in 2019, where she was on the frontlines covering the 2019 protests and unrest. More by Shan Chan
Our team is dedicated to remaining on-the-ground, amongst Hongkongers, as the city’s only English-language independent news outlet. Powered by reader support, we are dedicated to safeguarding the remaining space for press freedom, monitoring the courts and legislature, and asking tough questions of officials. Key to HKFP’s longevity has been our strict impartial stance, our commitment to accuracy, and our unprecedented level of financial transparency as a non-profit.
Despite a years-long funding crisis in media, we have vowed never to install a paywall and we rely on our monthly Patrons to help keep HKFP free to read for those who can’t afford to chip in. The price of a weekly coffee will help us keep the lights on and return to sustainability.
Tom founded Hong Kong Free Press in 2015 and is the editor-in-chief. In addition to editing, he is responsible for managing the newsroom and company - including fundraising, recruitment and overseeing HKFP's web presence and ethical guidelines.
He has a BA in Communications and New Media from Leeds University and an MA in Journalism from the University of Hong Kong. He previously led an NGO advocating for domestic worker rights, and has contributed to the BBC, Deutsche Welle, Al-Jazeera and others.
