LAUREN CHEN WRITES — “Soon there will be no more Hong Kongers,” laments Yik Kan Cheung, post-production supervisor of GVAcreative, in response to Beijing’s stalwart censorship. Filmed in March, a satirical short film, called Hong Kong Will Be Destroyed After 33 Years, has been banned by Beijing’s propaganda authorities. The science fiction work depicts Hong…
Full Article HONG KONG: No More Hong Kongers?Author: Lauren Chen
HONG KONG: Asia’s Largest Film Market in the Midst of Media Turmoil
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – Hong Kongers mourn yet another shameless assault on two media executives just as the Hong Kong Film and Television Market (FILMART) and the Hong Kong International Film Festival (HKIFF) kick off. Business executives from over 760 companies and 30 countries gathered to attend FILMART, Asia’s largest film market, which promotes Hong…
Full Article HONG KONG: Asia’s Largest Film Market in the Midst of Media TurmoilHONG KONG: One Country, One System?
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – Media censorship in Hong Kong is on the rise, but it’s not just press freedom that’s at stake. Instead, say Samson Yuen and Kitty Ho of The Diplomat, at risk are the core values that have until now let the “Pearl of the Orient” shine. And it begs…
Full Article HONG KONG: One Country, One System?HONG KONG: Taking a Meat Cleaver to Press Freedom
LAUREN CHEN WRITES — This is difficult to believe, but here it is: Recently, in broad daylight, two men attacked former Ming Pao chief editor Kevin Lau Chun-to with a meat-cleaver and fled the scene. The attackers remain unidentified and, at this writing, Lau was recovering and in critical condition. Leading…
Full Article HONG KONG: Taking a Meat Cleaver to Press FreedomHONG KONG: Reporters Without Borders — Media Watchdog of the World
LAUREN CHEN WRITES–Hong Kong’s media independence is in jeopardy, according to the annual 2014 World Press Freedom Index. Reporters Without Borders released its latest study, considered an objective reference tool measuring press freedom, and ranked 180 countries based on aspects such as levels of censorship, number of attacks on journalists,…
Full Article HONG KONG: Reporters Without Borders — Media Watchdog of the WorldHONG KONG: Mainland’s War on Hong Kong Publications
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – Mainland authorities continue to usurp Hong Kong press freedom by silencing dissenting voices. Publisher Yao Wentian was arrested on what appear to be bogus charges of smuggling prohibited items, and has been detained for almost three months. Wentian is head of Morning Bell Press, a Hong Kong…
Full Article HONG KONG: Mainland’s War on Hong Kong PublicationsHONG KONG: Chinese Communist Party Supporter as Chief Newspaper Editor?
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – Kevin Lau Chun, editor in chief of the Ming Pao newspaper, transferred suddenly to the parent company’s new unit for electronic books and teaching materials. This action has been perceived as a threat to editorial independence. Word on the street is that Lau’s replacement will be Chong Tien-siong, Malaysian journalist and…
Full Article HONG KONG: Chinese Communist Party Supporter as Chief Newspaper Editor?HONG KONG: South China Morning Post–Captivating Readers for 110 Years
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – Hong Kong’s premier English language newspaper, the South China Morning Post, celebrates 110 years of captivating Hong Kong’s most affluent readers. SCMP has reported on Hong Kong, China and the rest of the world “from the rickshaws and the start of the electric tram.” By the early 20th century,…
Full Article HONG KONG: South China Morning Post–Captivating Readers for 110 YearsHONG KONG: More Free Than US?
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – In a column in the South China Morning Post, International author Graeme Maxton lauds Hong Kong for its press freedom. His perspective is based on his experience over the years, writing hundreds of articles and making radio appearances in Hong Kong without being censored for tackling controversial…
Full Article HONG KONG: More Free Than US?HONG KONG: Media Freedom Denied, Decision Unexplained
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – “Must we all buy the type of toilet paper designed by the government?” Disgruntled Hong Kong Television Network’s (HKTV) chairman, Ricky Wong Wai-kay asked this very question after his network was denied a free-to-air TV license. The unexplained denial has created backlash among many who feel as…
Full Article HONG KONG: Media Freedom Denied, Decision UnexplainedHONG KONG: Hong Kong Journalists Association Awaits Apology
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – After being told it was not only rude, but a security threat to shout questions at a recent economic summit, Hong Kong journalists in Bali, Indonesia refused to keep quiet and had their credentials yanked. According to ABC News, the reporters from Now TV, Radio Television Hong Kong and Commercial…
Full Article HONG KONG: Hong Kong Journalists Association Awaits ApologyHONG KONG: Elephant Alibaba Roars at Hong Kong Exchange
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – A co-founder of Chinese Internet giant Alibaba took to the blogosphere September 26 to criticize Hong Kong regulators. His complaint? The region’s market regulations are too restricting for the biggest IPO since Facebook. At issue are complex rules about the corporate ownership structure of a firm…
Full Article HONG KONG: Elephant Alibaba Roars at Hong Kong ExchangeHONG KONG: Disdain for Mainlanders, But Schools Need Children
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – Perhaps mainlanders aren’t locusts after all. Despite fervent disdain toward folks across the straight, Hong Kong schools have begun soliciting students from Mainland China. The negative feelings towards Mainlanders are accurately portrayed through popular Memes. A recent South China Morning Post article printed the view of an expat…
Full Article HONG KONG: Disdain for Mainlanders, But Schools Need ChildrenPHILIPPINES: Social Media Slaps Sticky Fingers in ‘Pork Barrel Scam’
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – Gone are the days of handing out flyers or haranguing your friends on the phone to support a worthy cause. Now all it takes to turn out a mega-march is a juicy scandal and populist call to arms on Facebook and Twitter. Filipinos gathered August 26…
Full Article PHILIPPINES: Social Media Slaps Sticky Fingers in ‘Pork Barrel Scam’PHILIPPINES: Newspaper Publisher Fails to Uphold Press Freedom
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – This February, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) recognized the late Philippine Daily Inquirer publisher Isagani Yambot Sr. and four others as “Press Freedom Heroes.” But try telling that to Inquirer cartoonist Pol Medina Jr., whose recent suspension, censorship and eventual resignation challenges…
Full Article PHILIPPINES: Newspaper Publisher Fails to Uphold Press FreedomPHILIPPINES: Bright Future with Broadened Media Freedom
LAUREN CHEN WRITES – Gone is the fear of being imprisoned for liking an offensive photo on Facebook. The Department of Justice (DOJ) is revising the currently suspended 2012 Cybercrime Law and in the process has dropped the provision penalizing online libel. According to Geronimo Sy, head of the DOJ…
Full Article PHILIPPINES: Bright Future with Broadened Media Freedom