Hong Kong’s journalists should unite to tell “good Hong Kong stories” to counter “slander and attacks” from the West, Chief Executive John Lee has said.
Addressing reporters in Mandarin at a reception held by the pro-establishment Hong Kong Federation of Journalists on Wednesday, Lee said that politicians and media outlets from the West were “time and again targeting Hong Kong by fabricating lies, spreading false narratives, slandering Hong Kong, and intentionally speaking of Hong Kong like a place with no freedom.”
“In the face of these immoral people, Hong Kong’s journalists should all the more unite, take the initiative and be professional,” Lee said.
“[Journalists] should tell good stories of Hong Kong’s special advantages, international business environment and captivating nature at our doorstep… to counter the slander and attacks aimed at Hong Kong,” he added.
Lee’s statements came as the city has plummeted down global press freedom indices since Beijing’s national security law was implemented in 2020, under which pro-democracy news outlets including Apple Daily and Stand News have been forced to shut.
The city was ranked 140th among 180 regions by media watchdog Reporters Without Borders in 2023, behind countries including the Philippines and Colombia. In 2019, Hong Kong was in 73rd place.
Meanwhile, media mogul Jimmy Lai – the founder of Apple Daily – is on trial facing charges of conspiring to publish “seditious” materials and conspiring to collude with foreign forces. He could be sentenced to life imprisonment if convicted.
The government, however, has maintained that the national security law restored stability to the city and that Hong Kong still enjoys press freedom.
“The media may exercise their freedom of expression in accordance with the law, and comment on or even criticize the work of the HKSAR government,” authorities wrote in a report to the United Nations ahead of a routine human rights review this month.
The number of media organisations registered with the government was up 39 per cent compared to 2018, the authorities added. However, several independent media organisations have shuttered since the onset of the security law.
‘Group of patriots’
Founded in 1996, the Hong Kong Federation of Journalists describes its founders as a “group of patriots,” with members working in traditional print media, online media and other parts of the industry.
The association regularly issues statements condemning “foreign forces,” most recently at the end of December, when global media watchdog Media Freedom Coalition released a statement saying that it was “deeply concerned” by Hong Kong and mainland Chinese authorities’ “continued attacks on freedom of the press.”
The statement was issued to mark the second anniversary of the closure of Stand News, the coalition said.
Last September, when veteran journalist and chairperson of the Hong Kong Journalists Association Ronson Chan was found guilty of obstructing police officers while reporting, the pro-establishment group said the judge’s decision demonstrated justice being served.
“[The verdict] sends an important message… no one is above the law,” the group wrote.
Chan’s case related to an incident in September 2020, when he was arrested after declining to show his identification card to a police officer who said he was acting “suspiciously.”
The group also said it was “firmly in support” of police actions after officers raided Stand News’ office and arrested a number of top executives in December 2021. Two of the outlet’s top editors endured a 56-day trial – which ended last September – after pleading not guilty to conspiring to publish “seditious” materials. The verdict has been delayed pending the outcome of a higher court ruling.
Addressing the association on Wednesday, Lee also said the city’s journalists should serve as a bridge between the government and residents, as well as promote patriotism.
“Members of the media, I look forward to you deepening Hongkongers’ understanding of [China]’s history and culture… and strengthening national identity and national confidence through your professional reports,” he said.
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