Retrospective on Carolyn Shemwell, “Self-Censorship and the Press in Hong Kong” from Hong Kong: Asia’s World City Perspectives on Business and Economics, Volume 20, 2002 Carolyn (Shemwell) Kaplan '02 is a faculty member in world languages at St. Charles Preparatory School and adjunct faculty member in the Department of Teaching and Learning at The Ohio State University. Shemwell examined what factors contributed to self-censorship in the Hong Kong press and how self -censorship influenced press freedom from 1997 to 2002. How has Chinese legislation impacted censorship in Hong Kong since 2002? Shemwell discussed a 1999 report by the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), citing their fears that self-censorship was an ongoing issue. In the years since, censorship has worsened, according to the HKJA, mainly due to drastic legislative changes. Hong Kong’s press freedom score was 40.9 in 2018; its 2022 score fell to 25.7 (Hall, 2023). The deterioration has been driven by the passage of the Hong Kong national security law (NSL), passed in June 2020. This legislation criminalizes acts of subversion and penalizes such acts with a maximum sentence of life in prison (Tsoi and Wai, 2022). According to the UK foreign secretary, the legislation led to a “[crack] down on free speech, the free press and free association” (Tsoi & Wai, 2022). One recent application of the NSL as it pertains to journalist censorship was the case of Edmund Wan Yiu-sing, an online radio show host “accused of promoting the idea of Hong Kong independence and resistance against the government” (Walker, 2022). Wan’s 32month prison sentence represents a realization of fears expressed by the HKJA in 1999 and a stark demonstration of the shift in journalism in Hong Kong. What has come of inflammatory and critical publications, specifically Apple Daily? One notable feature of Shemwell’s article was the discussion of China-critical news outlets devoted to expressing their views regardless of potential repercussions from the government. Specifically, Apple Daily, founded in 1995 by entrepreneur and activist Jimmy Lai, adamantly adhered to publishing what they believed despite financial ramifications for Lai’s other business ventures in China. Decades later, following the passage of the NSL in 2020, Apple Daily “was raided twice by police and in August 2020 Lai was arrested” (Lok-kei, 2022). In the crackdown that followed, Apple Daily had funds frozen and was forced to close its publications (Lok-kei. 2022). The closure of Apple Daily, once hailed as a voice of Hong Kong’s pro-democracy movement, underlines a drastic change in the journalism landscape and the extent of censorship in the region. How has censorship in Hong Kong shifted in the global age? The globalization of foreign firms has led to an evolution of censorship, expanding to the online platforms these companies operate in Hong Kong. Due to the NSL, many internet freedoms are being revoked by the government through measures including website blocking, content removal, penalties for online publications, and surveillance (The Impact of the..., 2021). Compounding the decline of press freedoms, many global firms are also actively self-censoring. For example, Apple used its web browser to temporarily block GitLab through a “safe browsing” feature (Trial of Prodemocracy..., 2023). The economic incentives described by Shemwell in her 2002 publication clearly play a large role today in restrictions implemented by major multinational firms. References Hall, C. (2023, July 7). Hong Kong Journalist’s Association: ‘Press freedom index hits new low’. Jurist. The impact of the National Security Law on media and internet freedom in Hong Kong. (2021, September 8). Freedom House. Lok-kei, S. (2022, June 24). A year on from Apple Daily’s closure, what’s left of Hong Kong’s free press? The Guardian. Trial of prodemocracy activists, foreign tech selfcensorship, the Points news outlet launches. (2023, February 27) (Hong Kong Media Bulletin 2023). Freedom House. Tsoi, G., & Wai, L. C. (2022, June 28). Hong Kong national security law: What is it and is it worrying? BBC. Walker, T. (2022, October 14). In Hong Kong, ‘no way journalists can work freely’. VOA. Retrospective by Alexander Damle ‘24 Accounting and finance 2 Martindale Retrospectives August 2024
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MTA0OTQ5OA==