Hongkongers’ trust in the news has “increased substantially,” rising to 55 per cent of those surveyed for an annual study of news consumption habits in 47 countries and territories – the highest since the city was first examined in 2017.
The rise in Hongkongers’ trust in the news coincided with an increase in trust across news organisations featured in the study, including newspapers, broadcasters, and digital outlets, according to a report released on Monday by the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism.
“Trust in the news has increased substantially from 39 per cent [in 2023] to 55 per cent. All news brands… also registered increased brand trust scores, with percentages trusting the brands rising by 5 per cent to 15 per cent,” said Michael Chan, Francis Lee, and Chen Hsuan-ting, the team from the Chinese University of Hong Kong responsible for conducting the study in Hong Kong.
Digital news outlets remained relatively less trusted compared to conventional newspapers and broadcasters, the researchers added.
Among the news organisations surveyed, Now TV was the most trusted outlet with 70 per cent indicating trust. Meanwhile, online outlet Bastillepost was the least trusted with 50 per cent.
Newspapers Ming Pao and Sing Tao both had 63 per cent indicating trust, while online outlets such as Yahoo and InMedia had 65 and 55 per cent, respectively.
Government-backed broadcaster RTHK had 66 per cent, which represented a rise from two years ago, when the figure fell to 53 per cent following a government-mandated editorial overhaul.
The result put Hong Kong at seventh in terms of overall trust in the news among the 47 regions in the study.
When Hong Kong was first included in the study in 2017, 42 per cent of respondents indicated they trusted the news.
The lowest point was recorded in 2020, when only 30 per cent said they trusted the news, following large-scale protests and unrest in 2019.
The latest report did not elaborate on the possible factors behind the rise in Hongkongers’ trust in the news.
‘Challenges to journalism’
Separately, the report raised concerns about continuing challenges to press freedom in the city under national security legislations, highlighting a domestic security law passed in March.
It cited a poll by the Hong Kong Foreign Correspondents’ Club, which found that 67 per cent of its members had engaged in self-censorship and 73 per cent were concerned about being prosecuted for doing journalism in the city.
Many journalists had left the profession as indicated by a large drop in the memberships of the Hong Kong Journalists Association – from 800 in 2019 to around 300 at present – the report added.
“These challenges to journalism in Hong Kong will likely intensify with the enactment of the Safeguarding National Security Bill,” the researchers said, referring to the domestic security law.
But the report also noted the successful appeal by journalist Bao Choy as a “bright spot for press freedom.” Last year, the Court of Final Appeal quashed Choy’s conviction for making a false statement when she accessed government database for an investigative documentary about an attack in Yuen Long during the 2019 protests.
The report also said that YouTube had overtaken Facebook as the most popular online platform for accessing news, as 46 per cent of the respondents said they used the video-sharing platform for news.
“[This] partially reflects the trend of people paying attention to public affairs on the platform, including channels operated by commentators and activists who have emigrated overseas,” the researchers said.
Such changes in how people consume news had continued to batter the local media market, the researchers said, noting that free newspaper Sky Post ceased print publication last year and broadcaster TVB announced layoffs and reduce the number of its free channels.
Hong Kong has plummeted in international press freedom indices since the onset of the security law. Watchdogs cite the arrest of journalists, raids on newsrooms and the closure of around 10 media outlets including Apple Daily, Stand News and Citizen News. Over 1,000 journalists have lost their jobs, whilst many have emigrated. Meanwhile, the city’s government-funded broadcaster RTHK has adopted new editorial guidelines, purged its archives and axed news and satirical shows.
See also: Explainer: Hong Kong’s press freedom under the national security law
In 2022, Chief Executive John Lee said press freedom was “in the pocket” of Hongkongers but “nobody is above the law.” Although he has told the press to “tell a good Hong Kong story,” government departments have been reluctant to respond to story pitches.
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