According to the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), at least 10 journalists working for local and international organizations have had their applications rejected for “security reasons”. “With the media unable to send journalists to the ground, the HKJA regrets the strict reporting arrangements made by the authorities for such an important event,” the press team said on Tuesday. Reuters, the French news agency AFP and the Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post were among those whose reporters were prevented from covering the ceremonies, according to the HKJA. CNN contacted media companies for comment. A Hong Kong government spokesman said authorities were finding “a balance as much as possible between the need for media work and security requirements”. Reuters reported that two of his reporters were banned from covering the handover ceremony and the swearing-in of incoming Hong Kong CEO John Lee. A Reuters spokesman said the news agency was seeking more information on the matter. CNN’s request to watch the events has also been rejected. “The government told CNN that police rejected the request, but declined to give further details,” a company spokesman said. “CNN is disappointed that it is not attending official events, but will continue to report on the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping.” The spokesman said the Hong Kong government had told CNN it “will not comment on the outcome of the accreditation of individual organizations and individuals”. Journalists whose applications were rejected could not cover the national flag-raising ceremony and the swearing-in of Lee, the new city leader and former security chief. The government’s Information Services Department issued invitations to news organizations on June 16th, allowing only one journalist per media outlet to cover each event. Each media representative was required to undergo daily PCR testing from June 26 – prior to formal approval or rejection on June 28 – and to be quarantined at a hotel on June 29 as part of coronavirus-related prevention measures.
“Serious deviation” from the freedom of the press
The Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents Club said Wednesday it was “deeply concerned” by reports that accreditation had been denied. “In the past, similar official events have been open to media coverage without invitation or control,” the FCC said in a statement Wednesday. “The FCCHK considers these restrictions – which are imposed without elaboration – to be a serious departure from the stated commitment to freedom of the press,” he said. Hong Kong was once home to one of Asia’s liveliest media scenes and a place that declared freedom of speech and freedom of the press. But in recent years, it has lost almost all domestic independent news agencies. Beijing imposed a national security law on the city in the aftermath of anti-government protests in 2019. Since then, critics have argued that some of the freedoms China promised to protect in its 25-year-old tradition have been curtailed. The Hong Kong government rejects proposals that press freedom has been undermined, but the future of local independent reporting looks bleak. Although there are still large international media outlets – including CNN and Bloomberg – operating large newsrooms in the city, few important local independent media remain. Some of the city’s most pro-democracy media outlets were ousted after massive government pressure, a series of arrests and police raids on their newsrooms. – CNN office in Beijing contributed to this report.
