The Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) has reported a surge in online harassment and intimidation cases against dozens of journalists and their families over the last three months.
This wave of threats and false information has compromised press freedom in Hong Kong, affecting multiple media outlets and institutions.
HKJA Chairperson, Selina Cheng stated on Friday that threats and the sharing of false and defamatory content will damage press freedom in Hong Kong and should not be tolerated.
The targeted journalists and media companies include HKJA’s executive committee, Hong Kong Free Press, Inmediahk, HK Feature, 13 other international and local media outlets, and two journalism education institutions.
According to Cheng at least 15 journalists, their families, and associates, including landlords, charities, schools, and private businesses have received anonymous complaints via email or letter from self-proclaimed ‘patriots’.
She added that some journalists or their associates were targeted in private Facebook groups. In at least four cases, trolls used Facebook and Wikipedia to make violent threats, including death threats.
Tom Grundy, director and founder of Hong Kong Free Press, told Reuters that his landlord and local property agencies received anonymous letters making ‘wild claims and threatening unimaginable consequences and collateral damage’ unless he was evicted.
Similarly, Inmediahk reported that an employee received harassment messages involving personal data.
‘We hope the public will take journalism work seriously and support our work so that fear will no longer hold back reporting” added an HK Feature representative.
This surge in harassment comes amid a national security clampdown by authorities after mass pro-democracy protests in 2019.
Recently, two editors were convicted of sedition, the first conviction against journalists or editors since Hong Kong’s handover from Britain to China in 1997.
The HKJA stressed that several targeted individuals have complained to the police and the privacy commissioner’s office over the past few months.
However, the Hong Kong Police, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner for Personal Data, Wikimedia Foundation Trust & Safety, and Meta have yet to make an official statement.
