Press freedom in Hong Kong hits 11-year low

Hong Kong’s press freedom index has continued its downward slide to an 11-year low, with many reporters fearing further restrictions due to the Article 23 national security legislation, a local press group said.

The Hong Kong Journalists’ Association released its annual press freedom rankings on Tuesday. The index comprised two sets of figures based on two surveys – one given to those working in the media industry, and the other to members of the public.

Carried out in partnership with the Hong Kong Public Opinion Research Institute, the index is based on around 1,000 phone interviews with randomly selected members of the public and surveys of 251 working journalists, between March and May 2024, asking their opinions about the state of press freedom and the effect of specific incidents within the past year.

The press freedom ranking representing journalists’ views stood at 25.0 this year, down from 25.7 last year. It marked the fifth consecutive year the index had fallen, also a record low for the index since it was established in 2013.

Meanwhile, the association said the press freedom ranking as rated by the public continued to hover around 42, which it has done since 2019, with a 0.8 increase to 42.2 in the latest survey.

When asked about views on the Article 23 national security legislation introduced in March 2024, 92 percent of journalist respondents and 39 percent of the public said it would significantly impact press freedom in the city.

The association said the discrepancy may be explained by the relatively less heated discussion around Article 23 compared to the 2020 National Security Law, and perceptions that the press was already restricted by that earlier legislation, whereas journalists are more cognizant of potentially running afoul of the new crimes created by Article 23 when reporting, such as offenses related to state secrets.