In our survey, a large majority of news media organisations agreed that the investigative and watchdog functions were important to Hong Kong journalists. Most interviewees explained that investigative reports were welcomed and supported by the public, and half of the newsrooms have established teams to engage in investigative reporting on a regular basis. Other members of the surveyed newsrooms have received extra funds and time for investigation when they demonstrated their commitment.
Only one editor-in-chief explained that his company did not allocate many resources for investigative reporting, because investigation was not the foremost duty in a partly free society. He felt that investigation could not lead to changes in the roots of societal problems or answer bigger questions. His company preferred special and analytical reports to investigation.
Recent Hong Kong investigative reports have won international awards and helped reveal police brutality during the protests. RTHK produced a programme called 721 Yuen Long Nightmare, which showed how a triad member attacked citizens with steel rods and left hundreds of people injured – the police were accused of arriving too late.
Several news media outlets in Hong Kong have occasionally partnered with other international bodies such as the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists (ICIJ) to conduct investigations. One of the most prominent examples was the investigation of the Panama Papers.
All the interviewees expressed to us that although mission statements on watchdog journalism did not exist yet, the importance of journalists’ probing is self-evident.
