Updates

May 27, 2016 (South China Morning Press) — A university student editor has started legal action against the government’s media managing arm for barring online reporters from press conferences. Teenie Ho Kar-hei, a third-year student and chief editor of Chinese University’s English magazine Varsity, filed a High Court writ on Friday seeking a judicial review against the head of the Information Services Department, Patrick Nip...

May 24, 2016 (South China Morning Post) — Op-ed by Cliff Buddle — Whenever central government officials comment on Hong Kong’s judiciary, they court controversy. State leader Zhang Dejiang’s (張德江) remarks about the rule of law during his brief visit to the city last week were no exception. The speeches he made in Hong Kong were generally well received and moderate in tone. Zhang, chairman of the National People’s Congress,...

May 23, 2016 (South China Morning Post) — Next Magazine was fined HK$3 million by the High Court for defaming a mainland manufacturer of a herbal shampoo that was once advertised by film star Jackie Chan. The fine was less than 0.5 per cent of the record HK$630 million in damages that BaWang International was seeking. Judge David Lok Kai-hong reduced the amount, saying the court had to ensure the damages awarded would not be an...

May 20, 2016 (Reuters) — Hong Kong will begin a review of its data privacy rules over the next 18 months, with a view to potentially updating them in line with technological developments and changes in European regulation, the territory’s privacy regulator said. Hong Kong’s data privacy legislation was drawn-up nearly 20 years ago and based at the time on European Union law, but recent changes to the EU framework and...

May 18, 2016 (South China Morning Post) — A bestselling book series criticized for its violent and sexually explicit content and unrestricted distribution among even primary school kids has been rated indecent by the city’s Obscene Articles Tribunal. This means that, although the two-book, Chinese-language series titled Deep Web may be sold in Hong Kong, the books must be wrapped with a notice to warn against their sale to...

May 16, 2016 (Hong Kong Free Press) — The Legislative Council will stop distinguishing online media from other types of media outlets when the new term begins in September. Reporters at digital news outlets will also be granted permanent media passes to report from the building. “No matter print, electronic or online media, if they registered legally, mainly engage in news reporting business and they come to the LegCo building...