Daily US Times: The New York Times will move some of its Hong Kong staff to South Korea’s Seoul as concerns mount over the implications of a severe new security law for the city. The US news outlet announced.
It said the law “unsettled news organizations and created uncertainty about the city’s prospects as a hub for journalism”.
Reporters will remain, but the digital editing team will relocate over time, NYT says.
Media organisations from abroad often face restrictions on the mainland but Hong Kong had been an exception so far. The controversial security law criminalises subversion, secession and collusion with foreign forces.
According to a report published on the paper’s own website, New York Times executives wrote in an email to staff, saying: “China’s sweeping new national security law in Hong Kong has created a lot of uncertainty about what the new rules will mean to our operation and our journalism.”
“We feel it is prudent to make contingency plans and begin to diversify our editing staff around the region.”
Who is moving and why?
The New York Times had a presence in Hong Kong for decades. It did not say exactly how many staff would be moving but said it would be around a third of the overall headcount. They will not include correspondents covering Hong Kong but staff from the digital operation which handles online coverage when offices in London and New York are offline.
Ari Isaacman Bevacqua, the paper’s director of communications said: “We will maintain a large presence in Hong Kong and have every intention of maintaining our coverage of Hong Kong and China.”
She said: “We plan to retain our business and print hub in Hong Kong while, over time, moving our digital editing hub to Seoul, giving us flexibility while keeping all of our resources easily accessible and in the region.”
The paper acknowledged that several of its staff faced difficulties securing work permits saying they were “hurdles that are commonplace in China but were rarely an issue” in Hong Kong.
Are journalists under pressure in Hong Kong?
A number of international media organisations including the BBC, CNN, Bloomberg, and CNBC have staff in Hong Kong.
Ms Bevacqua said: “Hong Kong has been a leader in supporting the rights of a free press in Asia for decades, and it is essential that it continues to do so, particularly given the treatment of members of the independent press within mainland China and the global nature of the coronavirus pandemic.”
When the UK handed back the territory to China in 1997, it was guaranteed substantial freedoms under the “one country, two systems” principles.
But even before the 2020 security law China has been accused of increasingly undermining freedom of speech and the media.
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