Hong Kong : the rise of a new political force

The present paper attempts to trace, and offers to contextualise, the development of post-war Hong Kong's independent media, focusing on significant changes in the recent decade. The term "Independent Media" here refers to media operating with editorial and financial resources that are independent from the government or ruling political parties. Most of these media run on a non-commercial basis and are independent from commercial media groups. Such delineation correlates to Hong Kong's media sector by large, which is dominated by corporate groups along with a government-run official broadcasting body. The present paper, however, adopts a less restrictive definition for Independent Media, for as in elsewhere, many of these independent media are relying on government and commercial institutes to a varied extent. Since the 1990s, there have been many small-scale independent media running with government subsidies, and many others engaging in commercial activities (with advertising being a source of income). Independent here is a matter of degree and relevance, the different aspects of which will be expounded in the present paper.