Global Press Freedoms Under Fire
What Hong Kong's Journalistic Crackdown Means
On September 26th, Former Stand News editors and Hong Kong natives Chung Pui-kuen and Patrick Lam were sentenced to 21 and 11 months in jail, respectively, after being convicted of conspiring to publish seditious materials under Hong Kong’s sedition law. Both had been detained for nearly a year before trial, meaning Lam’s sentence is already served, while Chung will remain in custody. The case centered on 17 articles, including news reports and opinion pieces, deemed seditious by authorities. For context, Stand News, a non-profit digital outlet, shut down in December 2021 following a police raid involving over 200 officers. The aftermath of the disassembly of the company consisted of this trial, which began in October 2022 and faced multiple delays, essentially marking the first sedition-related conviction of a media outlet and journalists since Hong Kong's 1997 handover to China. Now, with Donald Trump as the anticipated president-elect, the global stage shines a light on the US as a voice of reason to determine how lenient a journalist's freedom of the press truly is. But what happens when this so-called “voice of reason” considers the media an enemy of the state?
Trump’s combative relationship with the media has been ongoing since the 2016 election. Labeling journalists as "the enemy of the people" and dismissing unfavorable coverage as "fake news," Trump has painted a negative image for journalists that has resonated in many Western-esque regions, including Hong Kong. During his presidency, the U.S. dropped significantly on the World Press Freedom Index, ranking 45th in 2020, with Reporters Without Borders citing hostility toward journalists. Trump’s rhetoric and actions have been compared to authoritarian regimes, demonstrating how press freedom faces threats not just in overtly authoritarian states but also in democracies.
The sentencing of former Stand News editors in Hong Kong sets a global precedent. It creates a gray area allowing authoritarian governments to use legal frameworks to silence dissent. The Hong Kong case, involving accusations of sedition over journalistic content, merely hints at the vulnerability of independent media in politically charged environments that is to come, especially following Trump’s next four years and the future of journalistic freedoms in the US. Further, Donald Trump’s reelection also raises significant questions about the U.S.’s role as a global advocate for press freedom. During his first term, Trump’s antagonistic stance toward journalists contributed to a global erosion of trust in the press, with nations such as South Africa, Saudi Arabia, and now the region of Hong Kong, crackling down on its reporters. A second Trump presidency would mean further weakening the U.S.’s position as a champion of free speech, furthering authoritarian regimes to justify crackdowns on journalists by pigeonholing them to the “fake news” rhetoric at the cost of more debilitated nations.