Hong Kong press group chief won’t seek another term, cites growing pressure and smears
Hong Kong Free Press
The head of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) has said he will not seek another term after three years in the post since his re-election “may not be the best option” for the embattled press group.
The HKJA on Thursday also announced a postponement of its annual general meeting, which was scheduled next month when the next executive committee is due to be elected. It said in an email to members it had not received enough nominations to form the next committee and would extend the nomination period to the end of this month.
The decision came after Ronson Chan, who was elected as chair in 2021, said on Tuesday that he would step down at the end of his term. Chan said he originally planned to run for another term but feared his re-election would damage the press group.
“I believe it would be extremely difficult if I continue to hold the chair, and it would not be the best option for HKJA,” Chan wrote in a Chinese statement posted on Facebook.
“The attacks and attention directed towards Ronson Chan and HKJA together seem to be greater than that received individually,” he added.
Growing pressure
The HKJA has been under pressure from authorities and state-affiliated media since the pro-democracy protests and unrest in 2019. In February, Secretary for Security Chris Tang described the HKJA as “unrepresentative” and excluded it from a government consultation event for the city’s domestic national security legislation.
In 2021 Tang in an interview with state-owned Ta Kung Pao accused the HKJA of “breaching professional ethics” by backing the idea that “everyone is a journalist.” The association said it did not advocate such an idea.
Chan has been entangled in legal cases and found himself the target of pro-government criticism.
Chan is appealing against his conviction for obstructing a police officer while he was reporting in September 2022, which resulted in a five-day jail sentence being handed down in September last year. He has been granted bail pending the appeal.
The veteran journalist was also a senior editor at the now-shuttered Stand News in 2021, when authorities charged the news outlet with sedition and froze its assets totalling HK$61 million. Chan was briefly detained for questioning after a police raid at Stand News but was not prosecuted.
Chan said on Tuesday that he and the HKJA had been under pressure from “false information and malicious smearing,” such as claims that HKJA was controlling teenage reporters and that he himself was an “anti-police extremist.”
He urged media workers in the city to serve the association and safeguard press freedom and professionalism.
“I feel sorry for having to step down against my will,” he wrote. “I hope fellow [news workers] who are committed and have a clear understanding of current affairs will step forward.”
Last month, the HKJA cancelled a fundraising concert at the last minute, citing “irresistible force” without elaborating. It said it was facing operational and financial difficulties and urged people to continue their support.
Hong Kong placed 135 out of 180 countries and territories in the latest press freedom ranking by Reporters Without Borders, sandwiched between the Philippines and South Sudan. The global media watchdog said the city’s press freedom has “suffered an unprecedented series of setbacks since 2020,” when Beijing imposed a security law to quash dissent.
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