The Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong, is deeply concerned about the reports of digital and physical harassment that targeted Hong Kong-based journalists and their families recently, in particular the harassment of Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) members.

The FCC condemns any harassment and trolling of journalists and strives to support journalists in carrying out their duties.

The HKJA is a non-profit organisation and a registered trade union that advocates press freedom and supports journalists and journalism in Hong Kong.

Freedom of the press and the right to form and join trade unions are enshrined in the Hong Kong Basic Law.

Between February and March, the FCC Press Freedom Committee surveyed Correspondent and Journalist members in an annual exercise to understand how the sentiment and perception of the local environment has changed for the Club’s media professionals.

The survey received 78 anonymous responses, representing a 27% response rate, compared to 21% last year.

67% of respondents said the working environment for them as a journalist had changed for the worse in the last 12 months, and more than 50% said sources had become less willing to be quoted during the same period.

65% of respondents said they have a clear sense of what subjects are sensitive, compared to 78% last year. 37% percent of them said they had not at all encountered censorship in their news organizations, with 28% experiencing “slight” censorship and 15% “considerably.”

33% of respondents said their organizations have downsized in Hong Kong, with 33% of them citing both the changing political and legal environment as well as corporate cost-cutting as the reason. 17% of them said their organizations have increased staffing in the city over the past year, with 40% of them citing both the growing importance of Hong Kong and more investment from the parent company as the reason.

The FCC supports journalists’ fundamental right to conduct their work freely and without fear of intimidation or harassment.

We will continue to safeguard press freedom in the city, via engagement with the journalism community and relevant stakeholders, in order to make sure that Hong Kong remains an international hub for media, business and finance.

Read the full results of the survey in the latest edition of the club’s magazine, The Correspondent.

On the occasion of World Press Freedom Day 2026, the Foreign Correspondents’ Club Hong Kong stands in solidarity with journalists and media professionals worldwide, and supports their efforts to continue their work without interference and physical or online violence.

Globally, the state of press freedom is deteriorating. Economic pressures on media outlets, ownership concentration, and the increasing use of AI threatens jobs and creates misinformation and audience distrust among other factors, leading to worsening working conditions for journalists.

Recent figures from Reporters Without Borders and the Committee to Protect Journalists show that press freedom is still being undermined by lethal violence and widespread detention of journalists around the world.

In addition, government censorship through actions such as management control of media outlets, blocking of the internet, restricting journalist visas or freedom to travel, and using legal means to silence critics is on the rise.

Independent journalism is essential to truth, accountability, and informed public life, and it must be protected wherever it is under pressure. Journalism is not a crime.