The future of investigative reporting in Hong Kong could be at stake following the prosecution of a journalist that has set new boundaries for information searches serving the public interest, lawyers and media scholars warned on Wednesday.
A closer look by the Post at three different government search platforms – providing details of vehicle and company ownership, as well as marital status – found some departments have modified their declaration requirements in recent years in ways observers say could expose journalists to legal risks.
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Francis Lee Lap-fung, director of Chinese University’s journalism school, lamented the recent tightening of access to information he believed was in the public interest, saying he feared this week’s arrest was a signal the government and police force would no longer provide journalists the flexibility they had previously enjoyed.
“These rules and laws are undermining press freedom and the common understanding that journalists will not be prosecuted when doing searches. Media organisations should seek clarification,” he said, adding they should also weigh the risks involved in future searches.
“At this moment, I would suggest media organisations look into the terms of different search platforms to avoid crossing these new boundaries set up by the force,” he said.
Pro-establishment lawmaker Micheal Tien Puk-sun also said the incident had created a negative public perception and urged the government to explain why the Transport Department would discreetly amend the form.
He also called for the inclusion of an option for media reporting in the declaration form to uphold the city’s press freedom guarantees.
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