Background
Every year, HKJA produces a report on the press freedom status in Hong Kong. It is widely circulated to foreign consulates and non-governmental organisations and is often quoted in foreign media reports about Hong Kong. The 2006 report describes the challenges facing the media in Hong Kong, including the government's attempts to influence the editorial direction of the public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong .
Prior to 2006, the report was annually produced in partnership with ARTICLE 19, a London-based rights group.
HKJA is an affiliated member of the International Federation of Journalists, the world's largest journalists' organisation.
HKJA is also a member of the International Freedom of Expression Exchange, a global network of non-governmental organisations that monitors censorship worldwide and defends journalists, writers, Internet users and others who are persecuted for exercising their right to freedom of expression.
Hong Kong's press consists of 23 Chinese dailies, 13 English dailies , 8 bilingual dailies and 5 Japanese publications. Of the 23 Chinese dailies, 17 mainly cover local and overseas news, while 4 specialise in finance. 3 Chinese dailies and 4 bilingual dailies are published on the Internet.
Funding
In order to maintain its neutrality, HKJA is funded by membership fees and other fund-raising activities, such as annual dinners, seminars , training courses etc.
Membership classifications
One may choose to join HKJA as a Full Member, Associate Member, Public Relations Member or Student Member. For further details, you may refer to the official website.
Board
Executive Committee:
The Chairperson for 2006 to 2007 is Serenade WOO Lai-wan , formerly chief reporter on the court beat at Hong Kong Economic Times.
The Vice-chairperson is LO King-wah , the reporter of Hong Kong Cable Television, CATV.
The other Executive Committee Members are:
* Raymond CHENG
* CHEUNG Ping-ling
* Kenny COYLE
* Don GASPER
* HO Fu-yee
* Una SO Man-sze
* TANG Kong-fai
* Freda WAN
* Wayne YIM Kim-ho
* Mandela YIP
Ethics Committee:
Every year, the Executive Committee appoints three members to the Ethics Committee after the Annual General Meeting. The committee's responsibility is to investigate alleged breaches of HKJA's Code of Ethics and to make recommendations to the Executive Committee. The Convenor for 2006-2007 is Mr. LO King Wah.
Subcommittees :
There are five subcommittees which members can join. They are:
# Press Freedom
# Membership, Training and Welfare
# China Concern
# International Relations
# Publication
For more information about these subcommittees, feel free to browse through
Activities
The Association organizes various activities to inform their members of the latest news/developments in the field. These include seminars, workshops and overseas tours.
Certificate Courses:
HKJA has organized training courses for junior journalists that will take place in November 2006. These courses cover topics such as how to conduct effective interviews in political, court or hospital settings. Guest lecturers are invited to the courses, most of which are well-known in the journalism field. A certificate will be given to candidates who complete the courses.
HKJA news
Latest judgment made by the Ethics Committee
The judgment was made on October 16, 2006. The complaint was about several journalists from a Hong Kong magazine "Easy Finder " who took photos of a local female artist,Gillian Chung , in a dressing room using a hidden camera.
There were three main parts of the judgment:
# HKJA received more than 20 complaints about the 761th issue of "Easy Finder" magazine, which was published on August 23, 2006. In the issue, the magazine published photos of Gillian Chung in a dressing room located in Malaysia.
# According to the fifth article of the HKJA Code of Ethics, "A journalist shall obtain information, photographs and illustrations only by straightforward means. The use of other means can be justified only by over-riding considerations of the public interest. The journalist is entitled to exercise a personal conscientious objection to the use of such means."
# HKJA concluded that publishing a photo of an artist who was undressing could not be justified as being in the public interest. Using a hidden camera in order to get the photos was a violation of individual privacy as well as HKJA Code of Ethics.
For the Chinese version, please visit: http://www.hkja.org.hk/ethics/judgement/j_index.htm
Latest news
2nd Nov, 2006
Mary Lau, the wife of detained journalist Ching Cheong, issued her latest statement on her husband's case on November 2, 2006. She called for his immediate release
HKJA held a press conference and also called for Ching Cheong's release.
Press freedom issues in Hong Kong
Radio Television Hong Kong
Questions over Hong Kong's press freedom were raised when the government announced plans to set up a committee to review public broadcasting in January 2005. The greatest concern that arose from the establishment of the committee seemed to be the controversy over the editorial independence/freedom of Radio Television Hong Kong . The broadcaster is known for airing views and opinions that challenge the government's policies. Consequently, there were fears over whether RTHK's editorial freedom would remain. On the one hand, the government wanted to use RTHK as an outlet to disseminate its views. On the other, Hong Kong people want to be able to voice their concerns freely. The Hong Kong Journalists Association responded to the issue by saying that RTHK should maintain its freedom and remain independent from the government .
So the question becomes, will RTHK change and act as the government's megaphone, or will it live out its values and mission and continue to value editorial independence and serve the public?
:For more information, feel free to take a look at the following sites:
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Article 23
Introduced as a law to protect national security, of the Basic Law created much concern and debate over Hong Kong's right to freedom of speech. On the one hand, the government wanted to pass the bill to help the country and protect it from any threats, while on the other, individuals wanted to be able to express themselves freely. In a response to the issue, HKJA opposed the bill as it felt that Article 23 posed a threat to freedom of expression and was also unnecessary . Due to the dissatisfaction of the people, on July 1, 2003 approximately 500,000 people protested against Article 23. On September 5 later that year, the government announced that it had decided to withdraw the bill.
:For more information, feel free to take a look at the following sites:
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More details concerning the Press Freedom statements issued by HKJA can be read from the following link:
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Hong Kong Press Ratings
On October 26, 2006, Ming Pao reported the findings of a survey in which Hong Kong people were asked to rate the local press.
It showed that the press received a relatively steady approval rating from the general public.
However, another survey conducted by the University of Hong Kong, showed that public support for the press in Hong Kong has been decreasing and has reached its lowest point in three years.
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Major local magazines
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Foreign newspapers
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