Abstract
Press freedom in Hong Kong is in an international spotlight because of the impending assumption of sovereignty by China, whose record of press freedom is deplorable. Hong Kong has two separate classes of news media: English and Chinese. China already is pressuring both classes but is especially concerned with publications in Chinese. Unfortunately, many Hong Kong journalists are bending under the pressure. Hong Kong itself maintains laws permitting press suppression, although this has almost never happened. Hong Kong journalists have no praise for British or Hong Kong officials' defense of press freedom, and some point to the United Kingdom itself as “the most secretive government among Western countries.” Hong Kong press freedom is steadily eroding, even before 1997. The bad news is that there is less news.
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