The demographic composition of Hong Kong is quite complicated, despite 92 per cent of the population being ethnic Chinese. The city has a long history of immigration and has long been a magnet for immigrants, refugees, and workers from all over the world. In particular, the Cultural Revolution sparked a large-scale migration of Chinese into Hong Kong (Erni & Leung, 2014). Only 60 per cent of the population was born in Hong Kong, in addition to there being nearly 600,000 non-Chinese residents. When the term “ethnic minorities” is used in Hong Kong, it usually refers to residents who have moved from South or Southeast Asian countries, such as Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, and Nepal. Over 75 per cent of the members of ethnic minority groups who are in work perform simple and routine tasks, with the most common example being that of domestic workers. Despite the large number of domestic helpers, there are now larger numbers of young people of ethnic minorities who were born in Hong Kong and are able to readand write Chinese (Census and Statistics Department, 2016). Caucasians are not referred to as an ethnic minority: they usually have a higher socioeconomic status, and are considered expatriates (Yeo, 2018). All of this, in combination, results in a postcolonial-Chinese multicultural city straddling the cultures of British colonialism, Chinese immigrants, and ethnically non-Chinese populations (Erni & Leung, 2014).
To appeal to the majority of the population, ethnic minorities are under-represented or presented negatively in mainstream media. When people from ethnic minorities appear in news stories, it is usually in relation to negative incidents, such as fights, robberies, and sex crimes (Erni & Leung, 2014). Stereotypical images of ethnic minorities also appear frequently in advertisements and in school textbooks (Yeo, 2018). A survey in 2014 found that only 25 per cent of Hong Kong Chinese respondents believed there was discrimination against ethnic minorities, yet over 60 per cent said they held a negative impression of ethnic minorities (Ku et al., 2005). Even if indirectly, this is indicative of prevalent negative portrayals of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong’s mainstream media. The survey also suggested that over 40 per cent of respondents did not have any acquaintances from ethnic minorities.
On the other hand, South Asian youth do not rely greatly on local mainstream media, preferring international imported programmes via cable and satellite television networks. The recent rise of the Internet provides even more opportunities for them to access programmes from other countries in addition to their capacity to consume local news being dependent on their Chinese language literacy.
RTHK, modelled on the BBC, is the one of the few exceptions in Hong Kong in terms of catering to the needs of minority ethnicities. As a public service broadcaster, it has the mission “to provide a platform for free and unfettered expression of views, [to] serve a broad spectrum of audiences and cater to the needs of minority interest groups, [and to] contribute to the openness and cultural diversity of Hong Kong” (Radio Television Hong Kong, 2020). Accordingly, RTHK aims to use its platform to promote cultural diversity; for example, five radio programmes are produced in minority languages, including Bahasa Indonesia, Hindi, Nepali, Thai, and Urdu. RTHK also produces radio programmes depicting the lives of ethnic minorities in Hong Kong, and television news documentaries that show the problems that people from ethnic minorities face in Hong Kong (RTHK, 2020).
The rise of the Internet, including that of social media, provides opportunities for ethnic minorities to develop alternative media, and combined, these counterbalance mainstream media hegemony. For example, HKNepal.com provides news about Hong Kong, Nepal, and local community organisations, and on recent important global events and issues: “They attract discussion from Nepalese netizens from Hong Kong and overseas who have relatives in Hong Kong or are interested in Hong Kong affairs” (Erni & Leung, 2014: 73), and foster a global network of the ethnic community.
With regard to the printed media, there are newsletters and magazines in minority languages, including Urdu, Nepali, and Hindi. These are used to report on local Hong Kong news and news about the home countries or about what occurs within the communities of ethnic minorities (Ku et al., 2005).
Other minorities in Hong Kong face similar problems with media portrayals. LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender) people are among them. In many societies, LGBT people are thought to make up around 5–10 per cent of the population, although there are no official data. There are no laws in Hong Kong to protect LGBT people from discrimination based on sexual orientation. A study conducted in 2006 suggested that homosexuality was then generally not accepted by the general public in Hong Kong (Yeo, 2018), although a more recent study found that attitudes towards LGBT people have since changed. A study carried out by The Chinese University of Hong Kong suggested that only twelve per cent of Hong Kongers were opposed to legal protections for LGBT people, and more Hong Kongers had become supporters of same-sex marriages and developed an increased level of understanding and support for transgender rights. This, perhaps, is representative of an increasing number of Hong Kongers coming into contact with homosexual people (Suen et al., 2020).
As with ethnic minorities, LGBT people are generally under-represented in the Hong Kong media and negatively portrayed in films, magazines, and television programmes. Again, the rise of the Internet and social media provides an opportunity for the LGBT population in Hong Kong to interact online (Yeo & Fung, 2018).
Several media outlets remain that represent political minority views and take controversial stances, such as In-Media. However, with the implementation of the new Hong Kong national security law, it has become almost impossible to discuss most politically sensitive topics. For instance, the Hong Kong democracy party Demosisto, founded by former student activists, has been disbanded under the new security law.
