Who defines ‘fake news’ in Hong Kong, and is a law needed? Calls for legislation spark fears of curbs on media, critics
- City leader Carrie Lam has promised new legislation while police chief calls for more control, but an expert suggests education could be the answer instead
- New laws elsewhere, including Singapore, are controversial for targeting critics and opposition
Police chief Chris Tang Ping-keung accused the newspaper of “inciting hatred” and declared that he would back a new law banning fake news.
All at once, it appeared that Hong Kong could be the next place in Asia after Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand to have a law against fake news or misleading information.
But leading scholars talking to the Post warned that such a law may further dampen free speech and press freedom in Hong Kong, as examples from those Southeast Asian countries showed the legislation was introduced when governments were under increased political pressure and could be used to crack down on political opponents and activists.
While the Hong Kong government has not spelled out what it has in mind, pro-establishment legislator Priscilla Leung Mei-fun, a member of the Basic Law Committee, said she supported a law that regulates “malicious publishing”.
