Hong Kong Free Press

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Hong Kong Free Press
Logo-Hongkong-Free-Press.png
description Internet newspaper
language English
First edition June 29, 2015
Editor-in-chief Tom Grundy
Web link hongkongfp.com

Hong Kong Free Press , or HKFP for short, is an Internet newspaper for the common good based in Hong Kong . It was founded by independent journalists in response to concerns about declining press freedom in the region to offer an alternative to the South China Morning Post's dominant English-language news serviceand to make local news more quickly available in English.

Since the end of 2015, access to the service in China has been blocked by the local authorities .

background

Tom Grundy, co-founder and director of the Hong Kong Free Press

The lack of critical reporting on the governments of Hong Kong and China prompted the founders to start an independent news service in English. Organizations such as Reporters Without Borders , the Committee to Protect Journalists , the Hong Kong Journalists Association and PEN America had all previously denounced the shortcomings of press freedom in China's metropolis and Special Administrative Region . It is particularly endangered by self-censorship , as publications avoid criticism of the Chinese government in order not to lose advertising revenues. The South China Morning Post was long regarded as the leading English-language medium , but has also been accused of self-censorship since it was bought by Robert Kuoks Kerry Group in 1993 , as the group also has large holdings in mainland China . Since the purchase, numerous employees have had to leave the post office , allegedly for political reasons. It was also suspected that the Chinese government's liaison office had direct influence. Newspapers and journalists have also been the target of multiple physical attacks by pro-Chinese activists.

founding

Crowdfunding was started for the founding of the newspaper. The goal was to raise HK $ 150,000 over the course of a month to support two journalists. The goal of $ 150,000 was reached within two days, which is why it was increased to $ 500,000. The campaign ended in June 2015 with more than $ 600,000 in donations. HKFP therefore hired additional employees and established an editorial office in the Cyberport industrial park - 數碼 港 - in the Pok Fu Lam district in the Southern District in the south of Hong Kong Island . The website was officially launched on June 29, 2015.

In the long term, HKFP plans to achieve financial security through a mix of continuous crowdfunding efforts, advertising and sponsorship while keeping overhead costs as low as possible. Freelance journalist Tom Grundy, one of the website's co-founders, said the site would start with "simple local news and investigative research about Hong Kong." He expressly ruled out a political agenda. You just want to be “credible”.

In the first year since inception, HKFP published 4,400 journalistic works that were viewed by over 3.5 million unique visitors.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hong Kong Free Press launches crowdfunding campaign . In: Time Out Hong Kong , May 10, 2015. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved on May 16, 2020. 
  2. ↑ Activist turned editor who tried to arrest Tony Blair launches crowdfunded Hong Kong news website . In: Press Gazette , June 30, 2015. 
  3. ↑ Hong Kong Free Press falls foul of Great Firewall, blocked in China . In: Hong Kong Free Press , November 6, 2015. 
  4. ^ Fighting for a free press in Hong Kong . In: BBC News , June 30, 2015. 
  5. ↑ How press freedom in HK is being destroyed . In: Hong Kong Economic Journal , January 12, 2015. 
  6. ↑ Hong Kong paper loses four top voices: A pro-China 'coup'? . In: Christian Science Monitor , May 27, 2015. 
  7. ^ SAR defends rights record . In: The Standard , February 28, 2001. Archived from the original on February 6, 2015. 
  8. ↑ Leading Columnists Purged at Hong Kong's Paper of Record . In: Asia Sentinel , May 20, 2015. 
  9. ↑ Firebombs hurled at home of Hong Kong media tycoon Jimmy Lai were 'attack on press freedom' . In: South China Morning Post , Jan. 12, 2015. 
  10. ^ Offal attack on Lai as trio pelt tycoon with pig guts . In: The Standard , November 13, 2014. Archived from the original on July 20, 2015. 
  11. ↑ Kevin Lau, ex-Ming Pao editor injured in savage chopper attack, stable after surgery . In: South China Morning Post , Feb. 27, 2014. 
  12. ↑ Anti-Occupy mob roughs up Hong Kong journalists . In: Reuters , October 25, 2014. 
  13. ^ What the Apple Daily siege means for press freedom . In: Hong Kong Economic Journal , October 14, 2014. 
  14. ^ Anti-Occupy protesters defy court order, block Apple Daily delivery . In: South China Morning Post , October 14, 2014. 
  15. ↑ Hong Kong to get new crowdfunded independent newspaper . In: The Guardian , May 20, 2015. 
  16. ↑ A year of Hong Kong Free Press: On our first anniversary, a look back at our best coverage . In: Hong Kong Free Press , June 29, 2016.