Nikkei Asia July 1, 2025
The national security law has dramatically altered Hong Kong media.
KENSAKU IHARA
July 1, 2025 11:07 JST
HONG KONG — Barry Wood, an international economics correspondent for
Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), received an unexpected call on May 22
that brought his three-decade career at the broadcaster to an abrupt end.
The 81-year-old journalist, based in Washington, said RTHK’s news division
informed him that his contract would not be renewed. No reason was given, he
said — only that his final day would be the following week, despite his contract
running through September.
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Wood said he and some of his colleagues suspect his sudden dismissal was
related to a column he published years earlier, during the anti-government
protests that swept Hong Kong in 2019. He had compared how different models
of governance shaped political realities and lives in Hong Kong and Shanghai.
“I think it was a very balanced piece. I really liked it. But somebody didn’t like it,”
Wood said. “I tend to believe that is the reason now.”
RTHK did not respond to a request for comment. The group’s editorial policies
state that RTHK is obligated to “observe the constitutional duty and legal
responsibility of the [Hong Kong Special Administrative Region] to safeguard
national security,” including ensuring its staff abide by the law.
While the assertion that Wood’s column curtailed his career cannot be
confirmed, it is clear that RTHK has undergone sweeping changes in recent
years, since China imposed a strict national security law on Hong Kong in 2020.
Founded in 1928 under British colonial rule, RTHK was modeled after the BBC
and was long known for its editorial independence. After the 1997 handover —
Tuesday marks the 28th anniversary — the broadcaster came under the control
of the Hong Kong government, but remained as one of the most credible sources
of information in Chinese and English.
Under new leadership, however, it has gone through management reshuffles,
program cuts and a wave of staff departures. All of this is part of a broader
transformation of Hong Kong’s media landscape.
“It’s very hard to take a traditional, Western-style broadcaster and make it into
[a] Central China type broadcaster. That’s not an easy job,” Wood said. “So, I
guess somebody — again, no reason given — [decided] to get rid of these guys
who have talked about the protests or whose social media included anything
about the protests.”
Wood was not the only one let go. Another former RTHK journalist, who
previously worked for foreign media, was also dismissed this year without
explanation.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Hong-Kong-security-law/Hong-Kong-media-reshaped-by-dismissals-audits-and-red-lines 2/62025/7/1 上午11:45 Hong Kong media reshaped by dismissals, audits and red lines – Nikkei Asia
“They denied it was about budget or performance,” said the journalist, who
requested anonymity. “But they wouldn’t say why. I suspect it’s because of my
background in foreign media, and what that represents doesn’t align with the
government.”
A Hong Kong newsstand. Hong Kong ranked 18th in Reporters Without Borders’ global press freedom index in 2002.
This year, it placed 140th. (Photo by Yuki Kohara)
While early enforcement of the national security law centered on high-profile
arrests of journalists and pro-democracy figures like Jimmy Lai, founder of the
now-defunct outlet Apple Daily, recent years have brought quieter forms of
pressure: tax audits, along with indirect censorship and uncertainty over where
the red lines are.
Hong Kong ranked 18th in Reporters Without Borders’ global press freedom
index in 2002. This year, it placed 140th. A 2025 survey by the Foreign
Correspondents’ Club found that 62% of respondents believed working
conditions for journalists had worsened over the past year.
Targeted audits are a growing concern. In May, the Hong Kong Journalists
Association reported that at least eight independent outlets, along with their
founders, were subjected to tax probes. The association viewed it as selective
enforcement, citing a lack of evidence to justify most investigations.
https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/Hong-Kong-security-law/Hong-Kong-media-reshaped-by-dismissals-audits-and-red-lines 3/62025/7/1 上午11:45 Hong Kong media reshaped by dismissals, audits and red lines – Nikkei Asia
Chief Executive John Lee defended the audits as routine regulatory work.
“Journalists have no privilege to evade taxes,” he said.
Government officials have also repeatedly singled out news outlets. In 2024
alone, authorities issued at least six statements condemning specific media
organizations and published 14 “clarification” articles in response to foreign
media reports.
Among the journalists still working in defiance of the pressure is Lam Yin-pong,
founder of reNews — a one-man independent outlet.
“I’ve survived longer than I thought, both personally and financially,” said Lam,
40, who previously worked for Stand News before it was forced to shut down in
2021 following a police raid. Two of Stand News’s editors later received
sentences of 21 and 11 months in jail on sedition charges. A judge described the
outlet as “anti-Chinese,” citing 11 articles deemed seditious.
Lam launched reNews in 2022. The outlet has about 300,000 followers across
social media and runs entirely on donations. His reporting focuses on pro-
democracy figures and stories from Hong Kong’s protest movement that are
rarely covered by mainstream outlets.
Barry D. Wood 