9 Years of HKFP: Keeping boots on-the-ground alongside Hongkongers – thanks to your support
Hong Kong Free Press
Throughout a near-decade of publishing, HKFP has weaved its way through non-stop financial, political and industry turbulence whilst cynics have said “give it a year.” But Hong Kong journalists are a stubborn and dedicated bunch, and our newsroom has expanded, invested and continually reinvented itself between protests, a pandemic, court reporting and the post-security law era.
Our profession – after all – is a vocation, and the only one which is protected, and baked into, constitutions across the world. Our continued work in Hong Kong relies on supporters – many of whom directly powered our newsroom with donations for many years – as we’ve professionalised and punch above our weight as a permanent fixture on the local news landscape.
When brainstorming names for the city’s only independent English-language outlet, it was unthinkable that “Hong Kong Free Press” could end up sounding like an oxymoron. But we continue to keep boots on the ground, ensuring the space we occupy for press freedom does not shrivel up.
See also: HKFP 2024 Reader Survey Results
Sadly, it is not possible in mainland China to bear witness at the courts and legislature, or pose difficult questions of officials and government departments, hence we choose to stay in the city to exercise privileges lost over the border.
Establishment papers or state-run outlets cannot be trusted to offer balanced reporting, updates from court that are inconvenient to the authorities, or live, multimedia coverage of occasions that discomfort the comfortable – but HKFP will hold the line.
A daily battle for press freedom
As we enter our ninth year, none of us can ignore the increasingly-restrictive environment in Hong Kong that has seen newsrooms raided, journalists put behind bars, and news outlets disappear. But we are devoted to keeping the journalistic tradition and our Trust Project-backed Ethics Code at the forefront of our minds and work, as we remain on-the-ground alongside Hongkongers.
Key to HKFP’s longevity has been our strictly impartial stance, our commitment to accuracy, and our unique level of corporate and financial transparency as a non-profit – and our dedicated team intends to continue writing the first draft of history in English, without fear or favour.
HKFP Awards, 2015-2024 – click to view
| Year | Award | Title | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Human Rights Press Awards: University English language writing | Sexual harassment at Hong Kong’s universities – rarely reported, but not rare | Merit |
| 2019 | Human Rights Press Awards: Student Video & Audio (English) | ‘I am prepared to be imprisoned’ – Chinese human rights lawyer Lin Qilei | Winner |
| 2020 | Index on Censorship’s 2020 Freedom of Expression Award | Hong Kong Free Press shortlisted | Finalist |
| 2020 | SOPA: Excellence in Photography (Regional) | Shots of the 2019 Hong Kong protest movement | Finalist |
| 2020 | SOPA: Excellence in Explanatory Reporting (Regional) | Hong Kong’s new methodology of protest, explained | Honourable mention |
| 2021 | Nobel Peace Prize | Hong Kong Free Press nominated | Nominated |
| 2021 | SOPA: Excellence in Opinion Writing (Regional) | Hong Kong’s protest movement in perspective | Honourable mention |
| 2023 | SOPA: Excellence in Opinion Writing (Regional) | Press Freedom Day: As long as there are journalists in Hong Kong, there will be journalism | Honourable mention |
| 2023 | Human Rights Press Awards: Single Image | Rolling up ‘Asia’s World City’ | Merit |
| 2024 | International Press Institute Free Media Pioneer award. | Hong Kong Free Press shortlisted | Finalist |
| 2024 | Hong Kong Press Photographers Association feature category. | Refuse collection point art at Kwai Chung Estate | Winner |
| 2024 | SOPA: Excellence in Explanatory Reporting (Regional) | Explanatory reporting on the 2023 District Council “patriots only” election | Nominated |
| 2024 | East-West Center Journalists of Courage & Impact | HKFP founder Tom Grundy | Winner |
With 27,800 articles under our belts, the HKFP team has seen it all during the past nine years: cyberattacks, threats, censorship in China, visa trouble, harassment, physical attacks, media bans, a columnist fleeing and more than our fair share of pepperspray and tear gas. But we have also won prestigious awards and grants, have been nominated for a Nobel, set regional standards for financial transparency and for freelancers, achieved top marks for credibility, successfully fought for digital media recognition and put on art, film, literary and music events over the years. We linked up with the Guardian, joined SOPA, IPI and the Trust Project, have been the subject of an Al-Jazeera documentary, and have raised millions of dollars to expand our newsroom. We created a free, open source fundraising site for the industry, launched the careers of almost 50 local journalists, and – in the past year – reported from Taiwan and began a podcast.
Made possible only be readers
For years, most local media outlets have self-censored out of fear or pressure from media bosses, their mainland umbrella companies or shareholders. HKFP is answerable only to readers, and is a truly people-powered platform – reliant on regular reader contributions averaging around HK$200 a month.
Despite a years-long funding crisis in media, we have vowed never to install a paywall and we rely on our monthly Patrons to help keep HKFP free to read for those who can’t afford to chip in. The price of a weekly coffee, the equivalent of an hour’s work per month, or whatever you can afford, will help us keep the lights on and return to sustainability.
Thanks to our hard-working team, Hongkongers can trust HKFP to continue to report on stories buried or ignored by others. But press freedom is not free. If you’ve never backed a media outlet before, now is the time and Hong Kong is the place where your contribution will make a real difference. If you believe in our mission, and want to help protect independent media, please consider supporting our newsroom with a one-off or monthly donation.
Thank you for reading, and thank you to all of our supporters!
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