The Price of a Free Press

Video posted May 7, 2015 in Hong Kong by Alanna Haefner/Centre County Report.

Journalists in the United States are protected under the First Amendment. In Hong Kong, however, journalists are increasingly being controlled by China's Communist government which has imprisoned more journalists than any other country in the world, according to Committee to Protect Journalists based in New York City. 

When Hong Kong was transferred to the People's Republic of China in 1997, the people were promised one country with two political systems for at least 50 years. However, some citizens are upset over the changes they already see. In September 2014, hundreds of students set up tents and filled the streets along the Legislative Council Complex, beginning a civil disobedience movement demanding universal suffrage. This effort is called the Umbrella Movement.

Journalists in Hong Kong are among those citizens watching these developments, concerned about their future. They are feeling the pressure to "self-censor" as news outlets and media owners foster economic relationships with the mainland and use what is published or broadcast as a bartering tool to garner favor with the Beijing government.  

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china , hong kong