New York Times moves staff out of Hong Kong following new security law
The New York Times is set to relocate staff at its Hong Kong bureau to South Korea, after a new security law imposed by China has raised concerns surrounding press freedom in the city.
The US news outlet yesterday said the new security law, which hands Beijing sweeping powers to arrest Hong Kong citizens suspected of subversion, secession and collusion with foreign powers, “unsettled news organisations and created uncertainty about the city’s prospects as a hub for journalism”.
New York Times reporters will remain in the Hong Kong office, which is the paper’s main Asian bureau, but the paper will relocate its digital team to Seoul.
Journalists on the New York Times’ digital team deal with breaking news while offices in London and New York are offline. The unit makes up about a third of the publication’s Hong Kong bureau, and staff will relocate gradually over the next year, the paper said.
Staff were informed of the move yesterday in a memo from editors and executives, the New York Times said.
In a statement, the publication said: “We feel it is prudent to make contingency plans and begin to diversify our editing staff around the region.
A New York Times report on the relocation said some of its Hong Kong staff had recently struggled to secure work permits, which had rarely been an issue in the region in the past.
“With the city facing a new era under tightened Chinese rule, Times editors determined they needed an additional base of operations in the region,” it said.
The New York Times has had operations in Hong Kong for decades, and the city has remained pivotal for coverage of recent protests.
Ari Isaacman Bevacqua, the New York Times’ director of communications, told the BBC: “We will maintain a large presence in Hong Kong and have every intention of maintaining our coverage of Hong Kong and China.”
She added: “We plan to retain our business and print hub in Hong Kong while, over time, moving our digital editing hub to Seoul, giving us flexibility while keeping all of our resources easily accessible and in the region.”