Frank Ching (1998) explained, "Media owners are frequently engaged in other kinds of businesses into China's growing market. They feel that they cannot risk the ire of the Chinese government. From that stems the desire to tone down criticisms of China, its officials, and its policies."
Therefore, concern about China's economic pressure seems to be the primary sources of self-censorship. China holds huge funds and resources which can be disbursed by its companies in Hong Kong through advertisements. "China's enterprises are not permitted to advertise in the blacklisted publications; in some cases, significant advertising was offered but later withdrawn," said Chin-Chuan Lee (1998), professor of journalism at the University of Minnesota.
Hong Kong journalists may also censor themselves for real or feared reactions from China. Ching said, "Many journalists believe that Chinese officials keep dossiers on them and fear that their writing may be used against them later." "Journalists are also vulnerable in that they need the cooperation of Chinese officials if they are going to write about China. If they are denied permission to travel to China and are cut off from sources of information, then they cannot function. Their careers as China reporters can easily be terminated," he added.
"Xinhua routinely keeps files on local journalists and closely monitors their work," Lee said (1998) "Those journalists falling into disfavor see their entry permits to China denied or their reporting efforts stymied by mainland authorities. Reliable veteran mainland journalists have been placed in local media. The jailing of several Hong Kong reporters on assignment to Beijing has further produced a chilling effect." Therefore, he believes that self-censorship is probably the most significant means of media control in Hong Kong.
"Clearly, self-censorship has emerged as one of the pressing problems facing Hong Kong journalists," Lo said early in 1999. "Unless measures are taken to remedy the growing practice of self-censorship, Hong Kong's coveted press freedom will be seriously eroded."
On too many occasions, China gets away with infringement on people's intellectual rights. China's leaders have every right to make Hong Kong "more of a Chinese city" if they want, but not a Communist city; trampling on the very freedoms that it has pledged to uphold is a travesty, a burlesque behavior
This bothers me; some people it doesn't bother.
