Eight in 10 journalists in Hong Kong against fake news law, survey finds, with improved media literacy education seen as best way to tackle misinformation

Eight in 10 journalists are opposed to Hong Kong legislating a fake news law to deal with disinformation, with many favouring a boost in media literacy among the public instead, a survey has found.

Eighty per cent of 162 news workers recently surveyed by Baptist University said they feared such a law could lead to abuses, while 76 per cent were worried about the effects on press freedom.

Almost half of the respondents said they believed the situation regarding disinformation in the city was serious, especially in areas related to political affairs, pandemic information and social news.

But slightly more than 70 per cent also felt that having a fake news law could threaten freedom of speech, with 94 per cent of them believing better education on media literacy was a more important way to tackle permeating falsehoods.

The university’s school of communications and film, which interviewed 162 editors and journalists between September 16 and October 18 for its survey, revealed its findings on Wednesday at a seminar on ways to tackle misinformation.

Guests included academics, lawyers and news editors, who proposed a range of alternatives, such as stronger fact-checking efforts, stepped up media literacy education, and a self-regulatory mechanism.

Legal experts also compared disinformation laws among various jurisdictions.