Journalists from media outlets including Hong Kong Free Press, InMedia and HK Feature were among those targeted in what appeared to be a “systematic and organised attack,” the Hong Kong Journalists Association said.
Reporters from at least 13 media outlets in Hong Kong have been harassed online and offline in what appears to be a “systematic and organised attack,” the city’s largest journalist group has said.
Selina Cheng, chair of the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), said during a press conference on Friday that since June, dozens of journalists have received emails and letters with defamatory content to their home addresses, workplaces and other venues. The journalists targeted included those from Hong Kong Free Press, InMedia, HK Feature, and those who are members of the HKJA’s executive committee.
Fifteen journalists saw complaints sent to family members, landlords, employers and organisations they are associated with, Cheng said. Some of the complaints threatened recipients that if they continued to associate with the journalists, they could be breaching national security laws.
Cheng said the HKJA was not aware of how those behind the campaign obtained journalists’ personal information, adding it was concerned about apparent and potentially unlawful leaks from the government or private databases.
Facebook users had also posted “hateful content” targeting media outlets and journalists in private Facebook groups. At least 36 journalists were named and had their photos shared in these posts.
The harassment also involved death threats, Cheng said. Online, photos were posted of journalists and members of the HKJA pictured alongside knives and shooting targets. Screenshots of these photos were then sent to journalists and their parents in a “clear effort to scare and intimidate them,” Cheng said.
“HKJA, along with several affected individuals, has reported the harassment and nuisance behaviour to the police, and two journalists have also made criminal doxxing complaints to the Office of the Privacy Commissioner,” Cheng continued, referring to the city’s privacy watchdog.
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