Jack Ma's SCMP joins Hong Kong media groups facing China control

As information broke that China is pressuring Jack Ma’s Alibaba Group Holding Ltd. to promote the South China Morning Post, shocked staff contemplated the way forward for Hong Kong’s important English-language each day.
 
When Hangzhou-based Alibaba purchased the SCMP in 2015 for $266 million, it injected much-needed money into the operations and pledged that the century-old newspaper would retain editorial independence. While the newspaper has come beneath regular criticism for a tilt towards Beijing beneath Alibaba, its journalists intently coated the 2019 pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong whereas additionally publishing various opinions and protection essential of China.
 
Now fears are rising amongst some workers members {that a} Chinese state-owned firm may finally take over from Alibaba and put the newspaper beneath Beijing’s thumb, in accordance with an worker who requested to not be recognized. Such a transfer would mark probably the most vital blows but to the town’s as soon as free-wheeling media business, the place unbiased retailers have confronted growing stress since Beijing imposed a sweeping nationwide safety legislation final 12 months.

 

“There is suspicion that if a Chinese entity takes it over, or a Chinese billionaire takes it over, that they’re going to change the editorial line,” stated Keith Richburg, director of the Journalism and Media Studies Center on the University of Hong Kong and president of the Foreign Correspondents’ Club in Hong Kong. “This idea that the SCMP might be sold at a time when people in Beijing are talking about the need to for ‘patriots’ to be running media entities is, I would say, very, very concerning.”
 
Beijing has moved to stifle Hong Kong’s democracy motion over the previous 12 months, rounding up dissidents and revamping the election system to provide the Communist Party a veto on anybody who stands for workplace. The transfer has been criticized by nations together with the US and the UK, which this week stated China was in a “state of ongoing non-compliance” with the treaty that paved the way in which for the 1997 handover of the previous British colony — drawing an offended response from Beijing.

 
China in current months has heaped stress on Hong Kong journalists, most notably with the November arrest of media tycoon Jimmy Lai, founding father of the pro-democracy newspaper Apple Daily, who stays in custody on a nationwide safety cost after being denied bail. Police additionally carried out a high-profile raid of Apple Daily’s newsroom, and have arrested different executives from its writer Next Digital Ltd.
 
Ma, Alibaba’s co-founder, has been on the heart of a authorities crackdown that started final 12 months, concentrating on the e-commerce big and its finance affiliate Ant Group Co. The Wall Street Journal first reported China’s authorities was asking Alibaba to shed media properties. Representatives for Alibaba in China and the US didn’t reply to requests for remark.

 
China’s stress on Alibaba stems from a priority in regards to the know-how big’s affect over public opinion within the nation, in accordance with an individual accustomed to the matter. While no particular purchaser has been recognized, it’s anticipated to be a Chinese entity, the individual added. A Bloomberg investigation final 12 months confirmed the Communist Party has been amassing affect in Hong Kong by means of its possession of newspapers and publishing homes by way of its Liaison Office within the metropolis.
 
‘No Plans for an Ownership Change’
 
In an inner SCMP memo to workers on Tuesday seen by Bloomberg News, Chief Executive Officer Gary Liu dismissed reviews of Alibaba coming beneath stress to promote its media belongings. “Be assured that Alibaba’s commitment to SCMP remains unchanged and continues to support our mission and business goals,” he wrote within the memo. A later message despatched on the identical day by Liu reiterated that “there are no plans for an ownership change.”

 
“SCMP remains committed to serving our global readers with independent journalism and in-depth analysis, as we have for over 117 years,” a spokesperson for the newspaper stated by electronic mail.
 
Since the nationwide safety legislation got here into drive final 12 months, media retailers have began to tread rigorously out of worry of breaching vaguely outlined provisions on subversion and secessions. The authorities this month appointed a profession bureaucrat with no media expertise as director of public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong, which has seen applications that have been essential of the federal government censored or pulled.
 

On Jan. 6, the identical day the 55 democracy activists and former lawmakers have been arrested, the nationwide safety division requested paperwork from Apple Daily, Stand News, and In-Media. According to Reporters Without Borders, Hong Kong fell to 80th final 12 months in its annual World Press Freedom Index, down from 18th in 2002. Mainland China sat at 177th out of 180 nations and territories. The Hong Kong authorities didn’t reply to a request for remark, however has repeatedly stated that press freedom stays intact regardless of the safety legislation.
 
‘I’ll Be Arrested’
 
“I’m prepared that I’ll be arrested,” stated Ronson Chan, deputy task editor of Stand News. ”I’m not ready to go away Hong Kong, nor Stand News. Hong Kong wants us. Hong Kongers that also consider within the values of press freedom, particularly within the wake of a rising mainland Chinese takeover.”

 
The Hong Kong Free Press, a nonprofit digital information outlet that describes itself as neutral, has additionally come beneath assault. This month {a magazine} owned by Sing Tao News Corp., which final month got here beneath the management of the daughter of a Chinese tycoon, devoted a four-page unfold to insinuating that HKFP could have violated the nationwide safety legislation.
 
The worsening setting has prompted the information group to solely use encrypted gadgets, test in with workers repeatedly and actually chain computer systems to the desks, in accordance with Tom Grundy, founder and editor-in-chief of HKFP.
 
“We expect to be forced to navigate increased bureaucratic and legal scrutiny,” he stated. “Though our current policy is to hope for the best, prepare for the worst and ‘keep calm and carry on.’”