Overview
Hong Kong is home to many of Asia's biggest media players and remains as one of the world's largest film industries. The loose regulation over the establishment of a newspaper makes Hong Kong home to many international media such as Asian Wall Street Journal and FEER, and publications with anti-Communist backgrounds such as The Epoch Times which is funded by Falun Gong. It also once had numerous newspapers funded by Kuomintang of Taiwan but all of them were terminated due to the poor financial performance. The Holy See, who does not have an official diplomatic tie with China, publishes Kung Kao Po, a weekly newspaper published by the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. Apple Daily and Oriental Daily News are the two best selling newspaper according to AC Nielsen, gaining more than 60% of readership. Both are known for its anti-Hong Kong government political positions, colorful presentations but sensational news reportage. Whereas Apple Daily is strongly regarded as pro-democracy, Oriental Daily is inclined to be pro-China government.
The freedom of press is effectively protected by the Bill of Rights, in contrast to the rest of China where control over media is pervasive. According to the Reporters Without Borders, Hong Kong enjoys "real press freedom" and ranks the second in Asia after Japan in the Press Freedom Index. Different views over touchy topics like Tiananmen Square protests of 1989, the dictatorship of the China Communist Party (CCP) and the democracy progress are still dynamically discussed among media. Many banned books in China, such as the memoir of Zhao Ziyang, the CCP party's leader stepped down in 1989, still find their homes in Hong Kong.
Although fears that the media in Hong Kong would lose their independence after 1997 have not yet to realize, worries that the business ties between Beijing and the media owners may affect the editorially-dynamic media have not been borne out. Several conglomerates are also known to exert influence through advertising revenue on editorial.
Besides self censorship, yellow journalism is subject to a constant debate. Paparazzi and Infotainment, especially in the severely competitive Chinese language newspaper market, often lead to the voice for more control over media. However, newspapers in Hong Kong are also characterized by its prompt, responsive and outspoken report style.
In 2002, Hong Kong has:
- Daily newspapers: 54
- Chinese-language dailies: 27
- English-language dailies: 3
- English-language newspapers publishing 5 or 6 days a week: 6
- Bilingual dailies: 5
- Newspapers in other languages: 7
- Free-to-air commercial TV companies: 3
- Subscription TV licensees: 4
- Non-domestic television programme licensees: 12
- Government radio-television station: 1
- Commercial radio stations: 2
Read more about this topic: Media Of Hong Kong