Press Ideology and Organizational Control in Hong Kong

Abstract

This survey of journalists shows that in Hong Kong press ideology is a major determinant of its organizational control. The press imposes a stringent control on staff recruitment, resulting in a high ideological consonance between reporters and their respective newspaper organizations. Because of this high ideological consonance, many reporters do not feel subjected to explicit policy guidance in news reporting. Nevertheless, the party-owned press is more likely to interfere with the coverage of social conflicts than the nonparty press. More educated reporters are less compliant at both types of newspapers.