Hong Kong Journalists Face Escalating Harassment, HKJA Reports

The Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) has reported a concerning trend of harassment and intimidation targeting media professionals in the city. Over the past three months, numerous journalists and their associates have faced threats and defamatory content, both online and in person.

Selina Cheng, HKJA chairperson, emphasized the detrimental impact of these actions on press freedom in Hong Kong. The affected parties include HKJA's executive committee, Hong Kong Free Press, Inmediahk, HK Feature, 13 other media outlets, and two journalism education institutions.

At least 15 journalists and their associates have received anonymous complaints from self-proclaimed "patriots" via email or letter. Some individuals have been targeted in private Facebook groups, with at least four cases involving violent threats, including death threats, on Facebook and Wikipedia.

The HKJA, founded in 1968, has long been an advocate for press freedom in Hong Kong. The city, once considered a hub for media freedom in Asia, has seen a significant decline in its press freedom ranking in recent years. According to Reporters Without Borders (RSF), Hong Kong now ranks 135th in the global media freedom index for 2024.

This deterioration comes in the wake of the National Security Law implementation in June 2020 and follows mass pro-democracy protests in 2019. The recent conviction of two editors on sedition charges marks the first such case against journalists since Hong Kong's handover from British to Chinese rule in 1997.

"My landlord and local property agencies were sent anonymous letters making wild claims and threatening 'unimaginable consequences' and 'collateral damage' unless I was evicted."

Inmediahk reported that an employee received harassment messages containing personal data, while HK Feature expressed shock at the varying degrees of harassment experienced by their journalists and relatives.

The HKJA has stated that several targeted individuals have filed complaints with the police and the privacy commissioner's office. As of the time of reporting, Hong Kong Police, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Wikimedia Foundation Trust & Safety, and Meta (owner of Facebook) have not responded to requests for comment.

These incidents raise serious concerns about the future of journalism in Hong Kong, a city of approximately 7.5 million people with a historically vibrant media landscape. The Basic Law of Hong Kong guarantees freedom of the press, but recent events have called this protection into question.

As the situation unfolds, the international community watches closely, recognizing the importance of a free press in maintaining transparency and accountability in any society.