Is it time for a shake-up in Hong Kong’s long-established media industry? The question dominated a vibrant and sometimes fiery debate at the latest afterhours@edelman event on Tuesday night (July 7, 2015).
The discussion took place against a backdrop of an industry in crisis. Between 2013 and 2014 trust in media plunged from 63% to 41%, according to Edelman’s Trust Barometer. Notably, people said they trusted media even less than they trusted the embattled Hong Kong government.
Addressing the slump, speakers from the media industry — Shirley Yam, vice chairperson at Hong Kong Journalist Association; Wang Feng, editor in chief, Financial Times Chinese, Tom Grundy, founder, Hong Kong Free Press and Grace Leung senior lecturer, Chinese University Hong Kong – blamed threats to press freedom, the rise of self-censorship and polarized reporting. They said the true nature of Hong Kong’s media was revealed during Occupy Central, which saw most publications camped at extremes of the political spectrum with few remaining neutral.
Driving the changes in media, they cited the increasing influence of China, changes in ownership and the erosion of editorial independence. Some of the speakers said these factors would ensure that Hong Kong media remains in a holding pattern for the foreseeable future.
Others said change was already afoot with new media emerging with a mandate to uphold editorial independence and integrity. They cited the recently-launched Hong Kong Free Press – a crowd-funded, fiercely independent English-language website that promises straight-up factual reporting.
Another start up in the works is Initium Media. It aims to deliver serious and professional reporting on Hong Kong finance, politics and current affairs in Chinese. It is rumored to be led by former bankers and lawyers with a mandate to bring better quality news to Hong Kong, and is actively seeking editorial, business and technology talent.
But even as Hong Kong embraces media startups, the speakers noted how media in Hong Kong has been slow to adapt. Compared to the U.S. and Europe, Hong Kong still has a thriving print media market with limited commitment to digital transformation.
China is light years ahead, according to Wang Feng from the FT Online (Chinese). For him, the future for media lies in the hands of companies such as Alibaba and Tencent, which are carving up existing media companies and bringing on board content teams.
Wang Feng’s future for media is one of four future scenarios identified in a report from the Dutch Journalism Fund Nieman Lab. Other scenarios include independent communities and citizen journalists to a “Darwin” model of evolved and adaptable media – a hybrid of both traditional and startups where transparency and journalistic excellence rule.
As a former journalist I’m all for the Darwin model. What about you? And to show that things might well be changing – another rumor to emerge from the afterhours@edelman, print giant Apple Daily is going all digital!
For more on the Edelman Trust Barometer: http://www.edelman.com/2015-edelman-trust-barometer/
Hong Kong data: http://www.edelman.hk/sites/en/pages/insights.aspx
By Chee-Sing Chan
#afterhours@edelman Facebook Twitter
The discussion took place against a backdrop of an industry in crisis. Between 2013 and 2014 trust in media plunged from 63% to 41%, according to Edelman’s Trust Barometer. Notably, people said they trusted media even less than they trusted the embattled Hong Kong government.
Addressing the slump, speakers from the media industry — Shirley Yam, vice chairperson at Hong Kong Journalist Association; Wang Feng, editor in chief, Financial Times Chinese, Tom Grundy, founder, Hong Kong Free Press and Grace Leung senior lecturer, Chinese University Hong Kong – blamed threats to press freedom, the rise of self-censorship and polarized reporting. They said the true nature of Hong Kong’s media was revealed during Occupy Central, which saw most publications camped at extremes of the political spectrum with few remaining neutral.
Driving the changes in media, they cited the increasing influence of China, changes in ownership and the erosion of editorial independence. Some of the speakers said these factors would ensure that Hong Kong media remains in a holding pattern for the foreseeable future.
Others said change was already afoot with new media emerging with a mandate to uphold editorial independence and integrity. They cited the recently-launched Hong Kong Free Press – a crowd-funded, fiercely independent English-language website that promises straight-up factual reporting.
Another start up in the works is Initium Media. It aims to deliver serious and professional reporting on Hong Kong finance, politics and current affairs in Chinese. It is rumored to be led by former bankers and lawyers with a mandate to bring better quality news to Hong Kong, and is actively seeking editorial, business and technology talent.
But even as Hong Kong embraces media startups, the speakers noted how media in Hong Kong has been slow to adapt. Compared to the U.S. and Europe, Hong Kong still has a thriving print media market with limited commitment to digital transformation.
China is light years ahead, according to Wang Feng from the FT Online (Chinese). For him, the future for media lies in the hands of companies such as Alibaba and Tencent, which are carving up existing media companies and bringing on board content teams.
Wang Feng’s future for media is one of four future scenarios identified in a report from the Dutch Journalism Fund Nieman Lab. Other scenarios include independent communities and citizen journalists to a “Darwin” model of evolved and adaptable media – a hybrid of both traditional and startups where transparency and journalistic excellence rule.
As a former journalist I’m all for the Darwin model. What about you? And to show that things might well be changing – another rumor to emerge from the afterhours@edelman, print giant Apple Daily is going all digital!
For more on the Edelman Trust Barometer: http://www.edelman.com/2015-edelman-trust-barometer/
Hong Kong data: http://www.edelman.hk/sites/en/pages/insights.aspx
By Chee-Sing Chan
#afterhours@edelman Facebook Twitter
