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Hong Kong

Govt: No blogger accreditation in Hong Kong

By thomascrampton ⋅ June 24, 2008 ⋅ Post a comment

Ernst Herb Betty FungHong Kong does not recognize bloggers for accreditation to official media events, Betty Fung, the Hong Kong government’s Director of Information Services, told me today.

(Fung, the top spokesperson for the government, is seated next to Ersnt Herb, the recently elected president of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Hong Kong.)

The lack of blogger accreditation in Hong Kong stands in contrast to India, the US and many others governments and companies that recognize bloggers as important purveyors of information.

But Fung said the issue is not about keeping bloggers out of government press conferences: She has never received a request for accreditation from a blogger.

“We are constantly reviewing our policy for access to media events and keep them as open as possible - sometimes even to students,” Fung said. “The thing is that I don’t think we have ever received a request for access from a blogger.”

Are Hong Kong bloggers apolitical or does a vibrant blogging community about politics only exist with full democracy?

Any bloggers coming to cover the equestrian olympic events in Hong Kong?

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Hong Kong, Internet, Media

Discussion

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Comments for “Govt: No blogger accreditation in Hong Kong”

  • Harm
    What are some of the governments that have officially allow internet/online journalists press accreditation? Besides the US and India, of course. I've been googling and find that the general consensus is that most governments have yet to review their accreditation policy to cater to the online journalists.
  • Indeed Alex, to me it's the first one. Yes, I'd like to blog about the Olympic equestrian events!
  • I have applied for local accreditation to events in East Africa, only to be told several times that opportunities are restricted to only traditional media (TV and newspaper)
  • Lonnie,

    I don't know if the FCC has an explicit "policy" on bloggers, but the organization would likely be very liberal in interpreting the definition of a blogger/journalist.

    I am certain, for example, that no blogger would ever be stopped from covering a news event.

    Tom
  • lonnieb
    Thomas,

    Where does the FCC stand on the issue with regards to membership? If say a writer for BNN (Blogger News Network) or Huffington Post wanted to join up, could he/she do so?
  • AlexBowman
    Edit in response to the Disqus Terms of Service.
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Thomas Crampton was a correspondent for the International Herald Tribune and The New York Times for more than a decade, reporting from five continents, writing a column on Asia and covering Asian politics, economics and culture. Currently based in Hong Kong, he writes here about China, the Internet and New Media seen from Asia, while also advising companies on digital communication strategies. For more information click here...