Hong Kong Free Press

Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) is a free, non-profit news website based in Hong Kong. It was founded by independent journalists in response to concerns over declining press freedom in the territory; to provide an alternative to the dominant English-language news source, the South China Morning Post; and to provide quicker English coverage of local news.[1][2]

Hong Kong Free Press
Type of site
News
Available inEnglish
Headquarters
Wong Chuk Hang, Hong Kong
Founder(s)
  • Tom Grundy
  • Evan Fowler
URLhongkongfp.com
CommercialNo
RegistrationNone
Launched29 June 2015 (2015-06-29)
Current statusActive
Tom Grundy, co-founder

Tom Grundy has been the editor-in-chief since 29 June 2015.[2]

Beginning in late 2015, Chinese authorities blocked access to the site from mainland China.[3] In a 2019 survey conducted by the Chinese University of Hong Kong, HKFP was the third most credible online news outlet in Hong Kong with a credibility rating of 5.56 out of 10 (the overall media credibility rating in 2019 was 5.71).[4]

History

Before founding Hong Kong Free Press in 2015, Grundy was a social activist and a blogger. He wrote the blog Hong Wrong and ran the HK Helper's Campaign, a group advocating for rights of foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong.[1] He and co-director Evan Fowler established HKFP in response to concerns about worsening freedom of the press and media self-censorship in Hong Kong.[1] HKFP also aimed to provide quick news reports with context, which Grundy said Hong Kong's largest English-language newspaper, the South China Morning Post, does not do.[2]

Crowdfunding for HKFP took place on Fringebacker and aimed to raise $150,000 (US$19,342) in a month to support two journalists. The amount was raised in two days and the goal was raised to $500,000.[5] The fundraising campaign concluded in June 2015 with more than $600,000 raised. HKFP recruited more journalists and contributors and established headquarters in the offices of D100 Radio in Cyberport. The full website was launched on 29 June 2015.

In its first year of operation, HKFP published 4,400 news articles and commentaries and had over 3.5 million unique visitors.[6]

HKFP relocated from Cyberport to a co-working space in Kennedy Town in late 2017.[7]

In early 2020, HKFP suspended its coverage for a website relaunch. In the relaunch, HKFP introduced its code of ethics and fact-checking policy and recruited two reporters.[8]

Content

In the long term, HKFP plans to achieve financial sustainability through "continued crowdfunding efforts, advertising and sponsorship events" and by operating with minimal overhead costs.[5] Tom Grundy, a freelance journalist who co-founded the website, stated that the site would "start with simple local news, and investigative pieces about Hong Kong" and that "we have no political agenda. We simply aim to be credible".[5]

See also
  • FactWire – a crowdfunded Hong Kong news agency
  • Stand News – a Hong Kong Chinese-language non-profit online news website
  • The Standard – a Hong Kong English-language newspaper

References
  1. "Hong Kong Free Press launches crowdfunding campaign". Time Out Hong Kong. 10 May 2015. Archived from the original on 14 July 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2015.
  2. Baiocchi, Francisco (30 June 2015). "Activist turned editor who tried to arrest Tony Blair launches crowdfunded Hong Kong news website". Press Gazette.
  3. "Hong Kong Free Press falls foul of Great Firewall, blocked in China". Hong Kong Free Press. 6 November 2015.
  4. Centre for Communication and Public Opinion Survey (2019). "Tracking Research: Public Evaluation on Media Credibility - Survey Results" (PDF). The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Retrieved 14 March 2020.
  5. Sala, Ilaria Maria (20 May 2015). "Hong Kong to get new crowdfunded independent newspaper". The Guardian.
  6. "A year of Hong Kong Free Press: On our first anniversary, a look back at our best coverage". Hong Kong Free Press. 29 June 2016.
  7. "Hong Kong Free Press moves to The Hive co-working space in Kennedy Town". Hong Kong Free Press. 19 October 2017.
  8. Grundy, Tom (23 January 2020). "Editorial: Pause in coverage - HKFP's month-long timeline for relaunch". Hong Kong Free Press. Retrieved 2 May 2020.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.