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Following Beijing's media crackdown in Hong Kong, reports of media outlets and personalities leaving the Chinese Special Administrative Region have surfaced, citing a lack of freedom resulting from the controversial national security law.

The first media outlet to announce its departure from the city was Initium, a subscription-based Hong Kong digital news service, Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) reported.

The news agency will relocate its operations to Singapore, the report added.

Hong Kong introduced the national security law to crack down on dissenting voices in June 2020.

The law criminalises any acts of secession, subversion, terrorism and collusion with foreign powers. All the offences carry a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

In an open letter to its readers, Initium's executive editor Susie Wu said that the media agency will continue to cover East Asian news online.

“We will move our headquarters to Singapore, produce content through online and decentralised medium, and continue to present the pulse of the times in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan in our in-depth content,” she wrote, as quoted by HKFP. 

She cited the fall in press freedom, as well as the rise of Chinese ultra-nationalists, known as "little pinks", AFP further reported.

The announcement gathered some discussion on social media, with many weighing in on the media outlet's decision.

Many, including Hong Kong-based academic Cherian George, opined that the choice was a sound one for ironically, Initium is likely to receive greater freedom in reporting on Hong kong news in Singapore, despite the latter's much lower ranking on press freedoms.

Initium’s move from Hong Kong to Singapore – much lower in press freedom tables – shows the irrelevance of such rankings. A territory’s press (un)freedom doesn’t apply equally to all, because states don’t do blanket repression.... https://t.co/uTM6tjgJHj

— Cherian George (@cheriangeorge) August 3, 2021

Other media agencies and personalities leaving Hong Kong

Other media outlets were also planning to leave the city as well.

The New York Times announced its plans to leave the city and relocate some of its operations to Seoul, South Korea, weeks after the national security law was introduced in 2020.

Veteran journalist and HKFP columnist Steve Vines had also reportedly left Hong Kong for the United Kingdom citing "white terror sweeping through Hong Kong", RTHK reported.

Vines left RTHK two months prior to leaving Hong Kong as he cited threats related to the national security law.

Clamp down on media

Hong Kong's pro-democracy media outlet, Apple Daily, was shut down by the authorities in June this year.

Following the media crackdown, other media outlets were also seen to be conforming to the new regulations.

Stand News announced on Jun. 27 the resignation of its directors, including former pro-democracy politician Margaret Ng and singer-activist Denise Ho, Bloomberg reported.

HKFP also had their incoming editor's visa rejected by the immigration department without any reasons given, fuelling the city's suspicions that press freedoms are declining under the newly imposed national security law.

Currently, Hong Kong is ranked 80 on the world press freedom index.

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