Govt condemns false reports by Bloomberg on Article 23 legislation

The government on Wednesday "strongly disapproved of and condemned" the false reporting made by Bloomberg regarding the legislation of Basic Law Article 23.

The statement said three of the Bloomberg reports - with headlines "HK says Telegram should be prohibited in Article 23 proposal", "HK says Signal should be prohibited in Article 23 proposal" and "HK Security Law Public Consultation Lists Facebook, YouTube Ban" - were completely wrong and could have sparked misunderstanding and panic over the public sentiment on the legislative proposals on Article 23.

The statement solemnly stated that the government has not proposed to ban or legislate to ban the operation of any social media, video sharing or streaming platforms in the city.

It argued that Bloomberg only "one-sidedly handpicked" three entries out of a summary of written submissions received during the public consultation period and put up with biased headlines in an attempt to mislead the international community and the public into believing that the government is going to adopt such views or prohibit the relevant platforms from operating in the city. 

"Its intention is indeed suspicious," the statement read, adding that the fake news has undermined Bloomberg's trustworthiness and credibility in the media sector. 

"We request Bloomberg to ensure that future reports concerning the Basic Law Article 23 legislation would be fair and just to avoid any further misunderstanding by its readers," it added.

(Updated at 7.48 pm)

Read more: Paul Lam confirms no social media ban under Article 23 legislation