Editors have pointed to their vigorous coverage of the Chinese dissidents, for instance, as evidence that they have remained critical of Beijing. Unlike what some prophets of doom have predicted, the news media in the SAR have remained dynamic and aggressive, they assert.
Academic survey results, on the other hand, indicate that the public is still skeptical that the news media have refrained from confronting the Chinese authorities on sensitive issues. News organizations accused of suppressing bad news about China have defended their reputation emphatically.
The general public has clearly sided with the media whenever freedom of the press is perceived to be under threat. Individual Chinese officials' and office bearers' threatening remarks on the operation of the Hong Kong media have provoked strong local reactions.
Meanwhile, despite Hong Kong's new political identity, little has been done to relax the rules and regulations imposed on front-line reporters from Hong Kong working in Mainland China. The SAR government is also poised to introduce new laws that will have a significant impact on the operation of the media. These include new privacy provisions and an enactment against subversion and other crimes against the state.
While the surface may appear calm and smooth, there is a strong undercurrent of uncertainty that may undermine the role of the Hong Kong news media as a vigilant watchdog.
"Self-censorship among the news media has been a major concern both before and after the transfer of sovereignty" they said. "By nature, it is difficult to ascertain. Whether the Hong Kong media have lost their independent voice in criticizing the Chinese authorities has become a matter of public concern. Some are worried that those in a position to make editorial policies have bowed to their new sovereign masters for either political or financial considerations."
Liberal activists, such as former Hong Kong Journalists Association chairperson Lau Wai-Hing, and leaders of the Democratic Party have persistently complained that news coverage of the pro-democracy movement both in Hong Kong and in Mainland China has dwindled.
Others pointed out that media proprietors have been looking at the huge Chinese market. The most popular daily in Hong Kong has a circulation of about half a million. In contrast, the biggest newspaper in the neighboring provincial capital of Guangzhou boasts a circulation of close to 1.5 million. Although there is no sign of the Chinese authorities allowing Hong Kong publications to be circulated freely on the mainland, many are convinced that news organizations are eager to appease Beijing last they would lose out to their competitors once the Chinese gateway is open.
