Hong Kong News is one of the most popular Chinese language publications in Hong Kong. It is published by the China Daily newspaper and is accessible at all newsstands and news shops. It carries Hong Kong information as well as stories from the Chinese mainland, including advertisements from local manufacturers, tour guides, restaurants, and hotels. The magazine is published every week, and on Fridays a one-day special is issued. It carries a wide range of topics related to Hong Kong, China and the Hong Kong SAR government.
The aim of the Hong Kong News, as stated by the editorials and articles, is to provide “a balanced view of China”. It aims to combine objective and subjective reviews, and present both the positive and negative sides of China and Hong Kong’s economic relationship. Most of the issues and reviews are written in a tongue-and-grove style, and the language is usually passable. Most of the articles are written in Mandarin and some use simplified Chinese.
One of the major contents in this periodical is the “Beijing Declaration” section, which provide an overview of the Basic Law, the document which introduced the Basic Law, and the PRC constitution which are in force in Hong Kong. In the “Beijing Declaration” section, the writer comments that the Basic Law was adopted by consensus of the entire population of Hong Kong, and the document is supposed to be accepted by other countries as well. He also comments that the Basic Law does not include any reference to the existence of China as a nation, and that it does not mention the existence of China as a separate entity from the PRC. According to him, this provision was incorporated to avoid any confusion with the Basic Law. He indicates that China’s attitude towards the formation of a border is to remain neutral and according to the decisions of the international community.
According to him, freedom of speech is very broad in Hong Kong, and a person is free to express whatever views he may have. There are no laws that prevent him from publishing news or statements, which he feels to be necessary in the interest of the public. He says that the freedom of the press is limited to specific areas such as freedom to criticize the government or the policies of the government. He admits that the press enjoys a strong support in Hong Kong, and the majority of the local people enjoy a good relationship with the press. He added that the “umbrella” of press freedom includes all media in Hong Kong, and it is not easy for any individual or organization to serve the media properly in Hong Kong.
He said that the most effective way of ensuring the protection of press freedom in Hong Kong is to monitor the activities of local correspondents and make sure that they do not exercise their right of independence of expression. He added that there are some instances when editors of some local newspapers were found to be interfering in the routine of journalists working. There are also instances when they were allowed to meet with foreign correspondents, and they provided them with Chinese translations. He warned that the practice of self-journalism could be destructive for the economy of Hong Kong and called on all commercial enterprises to respect the freedom of the press, and refrain from publishing any material which could cause offense to the audience. He recommended the introduction of a code of conduct for the newspaper industry and urged the Hong Kong broadcasting authority to protect the rights of the audience by setting guidelines for the type of language used by the media.
Professor Ho had earlier presented a paper on the Basic Law and had also addressed the annual meeting of the Hong Kong Journalists Association. He had joined the ranks of the Hong Kong Journalists Association shortly after its establishment in 1992. The former chief editor of the Ming Pao Daily was among the first members of the Hong Kong Journalists Association. Today, he is one of the directors of the Hong Kong News Network, and is also a member of the steering committee of the Hong Kong Press and Film Council.