The respondents were unanimous in stating that publicity materials did not play a significant role in news reporting. Although they sometimes used publicity materials as part of their daily routines, they researched the content and only adopted it as a secondary source for stories. In Hong Kong, international news relies heavily on news agencies. However, the journalists interviewed for this study worked on local news, and none of them mentioned news agencies as a source.
Content exchange with other news media outlets is not a common practice in Hong Kong, although some media organisations did exchange video content, especially while covering the anti-extradition movement. The respondents suggested that, with the protests being widespread and many newsworthy events taking place simultaneously, it was impossible for a single organisation to have reporters everywhere and, even if they did have reporters at the scene, many events could be missed. When important shots were lacking, this was compensated for by using visuals obtained by other news media. They emphasised that they did give acknowledgement to other news media for the video content and research adopted for news stories.
The interviewees said they usually worked on their own stories, and that there was rarely any content syndication. In Hong Kong, online news media and free newspapers made heavier use of content syndication, due to their limited resources and the short news cycles involved in responding to the needs of Internet users.
There were some reports of outlets occasionally collaborating with other local news media, especially on major political topics. International journalism networks have been established over recent years, and some newspapers, such as Ming Pao, have worked with the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists on important investigative stories, such as the Panama Papers.
Some interviewees admitted to self-censorship over the selection or omission of sources on political grounds. This situation was more evident among the news media with a pro-establishment stance. For example, a number of experts with pro-democracy stances were blacklisted, and reporters were asked to interview pro-establishment experts. Editors justified these practices as airing a range of voices on the stories or avoiding extreme and irrational comments.
