Hong Kong Journalists Association said that this is a serious interference with press freedom.
This statement was originally published on HKJA’s Facebook page on 13 September 2024.
Hong Kong Journalists Association: This is a serious interference with press freedom, bullying should never be tolerated
The Hong Kong Journalists Association has tracked what appears to be a systematic and organised attack against journalists in the city, with a spike in harassment and increased severity of the type of incidents reported.
From June to August this year, dozens of journalists, their family members, or their family members’ employers, as well as neighbours and associates, were harassed and intimidated both online and offline. This includes trolling and intimidation on social media, sending emails or letters to the home addresses, workplaces and professional and societal organisations of journalists and their family members, threatening people’s personal safety, connections and employment, etc. Other journalists have been pressured or threatened to give up their professional or union positions.
This type of intimidation and harassment, which includes sharing false and defamatory content, and death threats, damages press freedom in Hong Kong and should not be tolerated.
The Hong Kong Journalists Association condemns these attempts by a small minority to use illegal means such as threats and harassment to hinder and scare journalists from performing their constitutionally-protected work. HKJA solemnly declares it will never condone or tolerate such behaviour, nor will it allow intimidation to succeed.
HKJA has contacted Meta and the Wikimedia Foundation – the two main online platforms used for this harassment campaign – and they immediately launched their investigations. Wikimedia identified a Wikipedia user who posted reporters’ personal information using multiple accounts, and banned their presence on the platform. After an investigation, HKJA was able to ascertain this user’s identity. HKJA had also reported similar actions to the police and the Office Of The Privacy Commissioner For Personal Data. HKJA does not rule out taking legal action against trolls and harassers in order to protect the freedom to work and constitutional rights of the journalism industry and its members.
If journalists in Hong Kong encounter similar problems, please do not be afraid. This harassment and intimidation does not seem to be directed at individual journalists, but rather targeting the journalist community systematically. HKJA urges colleagues who have encountered such harassment to contact us so that we can provide support. Only through solidarity and by collecting all information can we have a clearer picture of the harassment, avoid being isolated by those who seek to indimitate us, and make society more aware of the truth.
Details of the investigation
According to an investigation by HKJA, this systematic harassment campaign mainly took place between June and August this year, with the nuisance behaviour becoming more significant and frequent in mid-to-late August. HKJA has gathered detailed information on a number of affected journalists and organisations, which includes two journalism education institutions and 13 international and local media outlets, including the Executive Committee of the Hong Kong Journalists’ Association, Hong Kong Free Press, InMediaHK, and HK Feature.
Since June, self-proclaimed “patriots” have sent anonymous complaints by email or letter to at least 15 journalists’ family members, and their family members’ employers, landlords and related organisations, including charities, schools and private businesses. Multiple “complaint letters” were sent from Microsoft Outlook.com mailboxes.
The format of each email or letter is similar, but tailored to the different identities and characteristics of a given organisation or individual. For example, letters sent to a school took the role of concerned parent, while media organisations received letters ostensibly from readers or viewers. Larger businesses and organisations received letters in English, written in respectful, quasi-legalistic language, though often containing false and defamatory content; letters sent to smaller organisations were made to look like ransom letters, with threatening words and photos of journalists attached.
Many of the letters and emails threatened recipients that if they continue to associate with relevant journalists or their family members, they could be endangering national security or violating the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance (Article 23).
Since at least August, users of several private Facebook groups have also posted hateful content against certain media outlets and journalists, portraying legitimate reporting as problematic or illegal, and baselessly accusing articles of being inflammatory. According to HKJA’s investigation, at least 36 journalists were identified in these Facebook posts, from multiple different outlets, education institutions, and the HKJA itself.
HKJA also discovered at least four cases in which trolls used Facebook and Wikipedia to make threats of violence, including death threats. These included sharing photos of journalists, and members of the HKJA Executive Committee, with knives, blood, shooting targets and “memorial” signs next to them. A pattern emerged in which such posts were shared shortly after via screenshot with journalists’ or their family members, in a clear effort to scare and intimidate them. In addition, at least eight reporters received threatening letters at their home addresses; some letters were even sent to other units on the same floor, while employers received so-called “patriotic complaints.
How those engaged in this harassment campaign acquired the addresses and other personal information of affected journalists is unclear. HKJA is concerned about apparent leaks from government or other private databases, potentially in breach of the law. In addition to the harassment, three targeted individuals were searched by customs officers when entering Hong Kong in recent months, and two received threatening WhatsApp messages immediately after entering the territory.
HKJA, along with several affected individuals, has reported the harassment and nuisance behaviour to the police, and two journalists have also made criminal doxxing complaints to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner. HKJA calls on others affected to also report incidents to the PCPD and the police as soon as possible, and urges Hong Kong law enforcement agencies to investigate and bring the culprits to justice.
Any journalists who experience such harassment — whether individually or targeting their organisation — should notify their employers, colleagues and family members as soon as possible, in order to psychologically prepare them. They should also take screenshots and preserve threatening messages for potential future prosecution.
In similar campaigns around the world, such trolling has often been accompanied by cyber attacks, with the purpose to steal private photos and information and use this in subsequent campaigns. Journalists should avoid publicly sharing photos of family or friends on social media, and ensure they protect their information security, including enabling two-factor authentication, using secure passwords, and not reusing passwords.
HKJA has arranged counselling services for those emotionally affected by this campaign, and any targeted journalist or family member who experiences anxiety, panic attacks, etc should get in touch with HKJA or other relevant professionals immediately.
FOR REPORTERS AND MEDIA: When covering this story, should you learn the identity of reporters who have been harassed, HKJA urges you not to mention the name of the journalist or their employer in your report, so as to avoid causing secondary harm to them and unnecessary stress to their families.
