Authorities have criticized Liu, who is editor of the opinion page of the Hong Kong Economic Times, for pushing objectivity and criticizing Mainland China.
"The specter of self-censorship is increasing." Liu told me in his tiny Wanchai office.
On the Website of the South China Morning Post, the archive listing of "special reports" fails to mention the issue of self-censorship as something the paper has looked into, although there are glowing chronicles of the late Deng Xiaoping and new Chief Executive Tung Chee-hwa.
Briton George Adams, whose satirical "NOT the South China Morning Post" Website has been a cyberworld thorn in the side of the SCMP since the handover says self-censorship is blatant.
In the December 9, 1998 edition of his online report, Adams wrote under the headline "The Sin of Omission".
"What's this? A report in the South China Morning Post, prominent position of page four basement on a new Chinese-language Website devoted to human rights to celebrate fifty years of the Universal Declaration! But hang on. No mention of where the Website actually is."
Adams goes on "Obviously Mr. Feng Xiliang, former China Daily editor and SCMP's 'editorial consultant' is becoming something of a crossover artist and his influence now extends into local news. Whenever (SCMP Editor) Jonathan Fenby opens his mouth to deny censorship and disinformation, examples like the above, frequently on a daily basis, spring to mind and must be explained. Of course, they never are."
In fairness to Fenby and the SCMP, the Post carried reports on the rash of arrests of dissidents in China over the Christmas holidays. But editorial comments on the incidents did not have the rapier sting one might have read in the pre-handover SCMP.
The SCMP, which is arguably Asia's best English-language newspaper, took a hit in 1998 when it announced a big decline in profits. As part of the fallout, Hong Kong rumors say, editor Fenby has been asked by the management to stop jousting Adams in public.
A new face and byline on the scene is that of Robert Keatley, formerly with the Wall Street Journal. His solid commentaries give the SCMP editorial page an added dimension and an American rather than British tilt. There is talk that as Deputy Editor, he may soon ease into the editor's chair.
