La Croix: Does freedom of the press still exist in Hong Kong?
Keith Richburg : Everyone was surprised at how quickly the situation evolved. L’Apple Daily closed in June 2021, then Stand News and now Citizen News. It was the last major independent media. I am stunned and worried about the future of media in Hong Kong.
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Of course, freedom of the press still exists, but the space for critical journalism is shrinking every day. Since the introduction of the National Security Law (in June 2020, Editor’s note), journalists no longer know where the red line is. Anything can be a pretext for accusations of “Sedition” or from “Threat to national security”. The authorities have been asked for clarification on what can be punished without ever getting them. The only answer was this platitude: “Just obey the law. “ Whereas, precisely, the problem is that we do not know what the law is.
The government intentionally maintains the vagueness because the resulting self-censorship is a much more effective form of control than a formally imposed ban. Many journalists prefer to avoid certain subjects. They are also more careful, especially in their use of social networks. Some have left WhatsApp for encrypted messengers like Signal or Telegram because they are afraid their conversations will be monitored.
Local independent media are in the sights of the authorities, what about foreign correspondents?
K. R. : It is certain that foreign correspondents enjoy more freedom than their local colleagues. For the moment. Some visa applications were refused. It is very unusual for Hong Kong. Is this a trend or isolated cases? The government never explains why it does not grant a visa. But the regional headquarters of major international media remain present.
Hong Kong journalists are under more pressure. First, because they write in Cantonese and are therefore more read by the authorities. They have more sources, know more people in the field. And then, unlike correspondents, who are not permanent residents, they cannot leave when they want to. They have their family, their apartment here. It’s home.
Are you worried that the international media will be the next target?
K. R. : The situation will not get any easier for journalists, but foreign media have less to worry about. Foreign journalists and correspondents are important to Hong Kong’s success. The city cares about the image it conveys internationally; it wants to be recognized as a business center and a place where the media are welcome. For their part, the international media continue to see Hong Kong as a good story to cover. They do not leave, on the contrary, they rather seek to come.
Moreover, I do not think that the Foreign Correspondents’ Club will be targeted by the government, because we are not a press organ. But if the Hong Kong Journalists Association, much criticized recently by local pro-Beijing media, were targeted, it would be a coup de grace for press freedom.
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