HONG KONG -- The Hong Kong Journalists Association released its annual report on media freedom on Thursday. Titled "Freedom in Tatters," the report decried the rapid deterioration of the media environment over the past year since the enactment of the national security law by Beijing to crack down on dissident activities.
Hong Kong's pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, known for its critical coverage of the Chinese Communist Party, was forced out of print in June. Referring to this and other developments, the report presented a grim assessment, stating, "Suppression from the authorities is felt across different forms of media; freedoms have seriously deteriorated under a repressive government."
The power to interpret the law is vested in Beijing. "With the law in place, 'red lines' are everywhere and fear prevails," the report said. It also pointed out a growing trend of self-censorship in the media, including a hesitancy to report on politically-sensitive issues.
The report also referred to the shakeup brought on Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), a public broadcaster known for its journalistic willingness to criticize the government. Following the ouster of the broadcaster's director by the Hong Kong government in favor of a senior administrative official with no journalistic background, much of the station's former pro-democracy programming has been replaced. "The public broadcaster fails to retain its role as an independent watchdog. Instead, it's been turned into a government propaganda apparatus," the report said.
According to the report, more and more political commentators are exiting the profession or leaving Hong Kong altogether over fear of persecution.
Hong Kong ranked 80 out of 180 countries and regions in this year's World Press Freedom Index, released in April by the Paris based international NGO Reporters Without Borders. The ranking marked a precipitous drop from 2002, when Hong Kong stood at 18 on the list, the highest in Asia.
At the Hong Kong Book Fair, which returned on Wednesday for the first time following the introduction of the national security law, widespread self-regulation was evident among vendors, with only a few selling books that would appeal to readers in the pro-democracy camp.
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