Abstract
In liberal states, governments seldom exert overt forms of control and suppression towards the news media. Instead, subtle strategies and tactics are adopted to influence news reporting. The manipulation of information is one of the control strategies. Journalists' news nets are developed around government institutions and there has been a tendency of relying on official sources in news reporting around the world. This gives the power centre a chance to control the media and shape news agendas.
Before the transfer of sovereignty in 1997, the press in Hong Kong enjoyed minimal government control under British colonial rule. Since 1997, Hong Kong Special Administration Region has been going through the process of reintegration with the Mainland and the new power centre is the SAR government backed up by the Beijing authorities. To stabilize its ruling, the new power centre attempts to reduce news coverage against the government and increases its control on local media. Instead of direct interference, the government exerts its control over the release of information.
Since the first handover Chief Executive, the government has been adopting the strategy of “spin doctoring” and misinformation. Compared with other western democracies, the spinning strategy is especially crucial to the Hong Kong government as the Chief Execute is not elected by citizens so the government has to use the media to create “public consensus”. Journalists criticized the government’s tactics in releasing information are underhand but successful. These tactics include using selected media to “drown out” adverse comment and holding unattributed media briefing over important issues and policies. Such practices discourage both critical journalism, undermine the public’s right to know and reducing the accountability of government officers.
Drawing on literature on political economy perspective and the concept of information subsidies, this study aims to investigate how a newly established power centre may control news production and content by manipulating news sources. It explores the changes of the use of sources and the stances in news media in Hong Kong.
We approached these research objectives using two methods. First, a content analysis of news coverage on the Policy Addresses by Chief Executives in newspapers was conducted to get a view on the change in the use of sources and the stances of coverage. Second, interviews with journalists were carried out to obtain insights into how and why news routines have been changed.
The results suggest that there has been an increase in the use of non-attribute sources in policy news. There are trends of official sources becoming unattributed sources and institutionalized “leak” of important information about policies along with the strengthening of the power centre. The increasing use of unattributed government sources is due to a number of constraints in journalistic practices. It is also related to the stances and the bosses of the newspapers. The more closer to the power centre, the more the newspaper use unattributed government sources.
Before the transfer of sovereignty in 1997, the press in Hong Kong enjoyed minimal government control under British colonial rule. Since 1997, Hong Kong Special Administration Region has been going through the process of reintegration with the Mainland and the new power centre is the SAR government backed up by the Beijing authorities. To stabilize its ruling, the new power centre attempts to reduce news coverage against the government and increases its control on local media. Instead of direct interference, the government exerts its control over the release of information.
Since the first handover Chief Executive, the government has been adopting the strategy of “spin doctoring” and misinformation. Compared with other western democracies, the spinning strategy is especially crucial to the Hong Kong government as the Chief Execute is not elected by citizens so the government has to use the media to create “public consensus”. Journalists criticized the government’s tactics in releasing information are underhand but successful. These tactics include using selected media to “drown out” adverse comment and holding unattributed media briefing over important issues and policies. Such practices discourage both critical journalism, undermine the public’s right to know and reducing the accountability of government officers.
Drawing on literature on political economy perspective and the concept of information subsidies, this study aims to investigate how a newly established power centre may control news production and content by manipulating news sources. It explores the changes of the use of sources and the stances in news media in Hong Kong.
We approached these research objectives using two methods. First, a content analysis of news coverage on the Policy Addresses by Chief Executives in newspapers was conducted to get a view on the change in the use of sources and the stances of coverage. Second, interviews with journalists were carried out to obtain insights into how and why news routines have been changed.
The results suggest that there has been an increase in the use of non-attribute sources in policy news. There are trends of official sources becoming unattributed sources and institutionalized “leak” of important information about policies along with the strengthening of the power centre. The increasing use of unattributed government sources is due to a number of constraints in journalistic practices. It is also related to the stances and the bosses of the newspapers. The more closer to the power centre, the more the newspaper use unattributed government sources.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Publication status | Published - 31 Jul 2016 |
| Event | International Association for Media and Communication Research Conference, IAMCR 2016: Memory, Commemoration and Communication: Looking Back, Looking Forward - Leicester, United Kingdom Duration: 27 Jul 2016 → 31 Jul 2016 https://leicester2016.iamcr.org/leicester2016.html (Link to conference website) |
Conference
| Conference | International Association for Media and Communication Research Conference, IAMCR 2016 |
|---|---|
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| City | Leicester |
| Period | 27/07/16 → 31/07/16 |
| Internet address |
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