2009-07-05 07:50:01 -
HONG KONG (AP) - A local journalists' group accused Hong Kong newspapers and TV stations Sunday of limiting coverage of the 20th anniversary of China's crackdown on pro-democracy protesters at Tiananmen Square.
Hong Kong media have long been seen as an important window for unfiltered information about mainland China, where most news outlets are state-controlled. But many observers believe self-censorship is increasing in this former British colony that returned to Chinese rule in 1997 with the promise of freedom of speech.
Announcing the group's annual report on media freedom, Hong Kong Journalists Association Chairwoman Mak Yin-ting said local publications and broadcasters scaled back their coverage last month of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown in Beijing to avoid upsetting the Chinese government.
The June 4 military action _ in which hundreds, possibly thousands died _ is openly protested in Hong Kong. Tens of thousands attended a candlelight vigil last month, but the crackdown remains taboo in China, where the government still calls the student protests a «counterrevolutionary riot.
Out of the dozen or so newspapers in Hong Kong, only two or three devoted significant coverage to the anniversary, while leading TV stations aired just a few special programs, with some appearing to follow China's line, Mak said.
«Considering the importance of the 20th anniversary of the Tiananmen crackdown, the extent and depth of coverage was disproportional,» she said at a press conference.
The report also said the Hong Kong edition of the men's style magazine Esquire pulled a story from its June issue about how celebrities commemorated the crackdown anniversary. Calls to Esquire on Sunday went unanswered, and the magazine didn't immediately respond to an e-mail seeking comment.
Chinese censors also removed pages about the Tiananmen anniversary from Hong Kong newspapers that were delivered to the mainland, according to the report.
«Self-censorship in Hong Kong media is on the rise,» Mak said, adding «people are guessing what will be liked or disliked by the Chinese government.
The report also urged China to get rid of restrictions on Hong Kong journalists requiring them to apply for permits for each assignment on the mainland, and called on the Hong Kong government to not enact national security legislation wanted by Beijing.
Hong Kong officials first tried to pass a national security bill in 2003 but were forced to shelve it after 500,000 people protested it as a threat to civil liberties, including freedom of speech. Some activists fear the government may try again after neighboring gambling enclave Macau passed a similar measure in February.
