The media has had its highs and lows over the past 10 years. While it still plays an influential role, if not a bigger one with the advent of online news, journalists are less optimistic about the future.
Half of 506 journalists interviewed in a poll this year believe press freedom is declining and 30 per cent admitted they practised self-censorship. The outlook from the Hong Kong Journalists Association survey says as much about problems within the industry itself as the broader market environment and freedom of expression.
The industry saw the height of its influence in Hong Kong with Albert Cheng King-hon, former host of the Commercial Radio show Teacup in a Storm, who at the peak of the 2003 Sars epidemic was crowned 'the chief executive before 10am', a nickname reflecting the popularity of his weekday morning show. He was largely driving the agenda, picking on officials who in his eyes had failed to perform. And his remarks were echoed in the print media.
But he was abruptly sacked by Commercial Radio in July 2004 after nine years of the show, and after he was wounded in a brutal chopping as he went to work in 1998.
That was the year that saw one of the media industry lows when an Apple Daily reporter paid HK$5,000 for Chan Kin-hong to engage a prostitute days after his wife jumped to her death with their two sons, aged 10 and six. The paper later apologised for paying for the 'exclusive'.
Another low was when Eastweek magazine suspended publication in November 2002 amid an outcry at a front-page photo of a naked and distressed actress taken against her will. Easyfinder magazine was embroiled in controversy for running pictures of Canto-pop idol Gillian Chung Yan-tung changing clothes in Malaysia and of 14-year-old pop singer Renee Lee Wan in a wet shirt.
