Fighting against the odds: Hong Kong journalists in transition

Abstract

Hong Kong's media have been in a state of flux, prompted by the colony's prospective reversion to Chinese control in 1997. The media have acquiesced to China as a new power center in editorial and organizational terms. With a sample covering half of the journalist population (N = 522), this study represents the only major survey examining the impact of political transition on working journalists in Hong Kong. The political ideology of the journalists is found to relate systematically to organizational control, social and professional outlook, self-censorship, and aspired media roles. Despite the ideological polarization in Hong Kong, journalists express considerable pessimism about the future of the island and that of their profession. While journalists are apprehensive toward criticizing China, many aspire to use the mass media to maximize local interest. Norms of media professionalism are widely accepted among journalists alongside their sharp partisan rifts.