Freedom Of Press Slips

31 Jan 2013

In a span of 10 years since Hong Kong switched from a British colony to China’s Special Administrative Region, the island state slipped from 3rd position to 58 among 179 countries where the standing of press freedom has been rated by Reporters without Borders.

The fall in index rating is attributable to China’s increasing control of the public life in the island state. Already a debate is razing in Hong Kong over an attempt to suppress identification of corporate directors.  Since some of the directors were traceable to mainland China, a law is sought to be enacted to keep the addresses of directors of companies secret.  This would hamper the work of investigative journalists who would otherwise have much to probe. With the law restraining their work, they would only be running into blind alley for certain dubious transactions in the corporate world cutting across borders. 

Journalists have taken to the streets to protest against the proposed enactment, but it remains to be seen whether they could revert the process. China being so powerful and rising to the superpower status, the dragon is unlikely to yield. However, the media in the island state have a case to show following the fall in rating of press freedom to leverage their demand.