The future of free press in Hong Kong is in serious jeopardy following the arrests of many chief editors for Hong Kong’s major independent news outlets, according to The Associated Press (apnews.com).

   According to a Hong Kong government website, the region of Hong Kong is an administrative region controlled by the People’s Republic of China. Although Hong Kong has its own government system separate from China, Hong Kong operates in a limited democracy. Hong Kong’s chief executive is still accountable to the Chinese government (gov.hk).

   According to the New York Times, as a result of the governmental situation in the region, the Chinese government has been able to pressure news outlets into closing and ceasing publication by arresting editors of major independent news outlets and even having the police raid their newsrooms. The results of this so far have been four news outlets closing and the recent indictment of two editors, charging them with conspiracy to publish seditious materials (nytimes.com).

   The closures are occurring seemingly in response to many independent media outlets’ coverage of the recent pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong. Two of the outlets, Citizen News and Stand News, were renowned for their impartial coverage of events and livestream of the pro-democracy protests for hours on end, bringing a much needed breath of fresh air for citizens in an oppressive Chinese regime (nytimes.com).

   Saying journalism is important is a colossal understatement; it is truly invaluable. During the times we’re living in, real fact reporting and honest journalism are integral parts of society, and uncovering the truth can truly change the world. As the late great Walter Crokite, a journalist who called the moon landing and the JFK assassination, once said, “[A journalist’s] job is only to hold up the mirror- to tell and show the public what has happened.” It is for this reason that the troubling stories about the suppression of independent journalism happening in Hong Kong are all the more concerning.

   Not long ago, Hong Kong was regarded globally for its commitment to free speech and freedom of the press. Now,  that statement could not be further from the truth. “The government created this climate of self-censorship and fear, because the uncertainty of what is and is not illegal, and the uncertainty of what is and is not seditious is so blurred right now,” said former Chinese University of Hong Kong Journalism Professor Lokman Tsui, according to a local Kansas ABC station (kake.com).

   This is the latest crackdown on democracy for the Chinese government, which has had a history of repressing individual rights to protect and maintain governmental control over its citizens, according to the BBC. First, it was blatant racial injustice against Uyghurs, the largest minority ethnic group in China’s northwest province of Xinjiang. This was followed by the suspicious disappearance of Tennis Star Peng Shuai after she accused a retired senior officer of China’s Communist Party of sexual assault. The censoring of Hong Kong’s independent media just continues the trend (bbc.com).

   Senior Zachary Patterson stated, “The actions of the Chinese government represent a persistent effort to move Hong Kong into line with the rest of China. Recognizing the inability of foreign nations to intervene, China has decided to end the one country, two-party system that has been the status quo for the last twenty years.”

   The actions of China beg the question, will other nations finally intervene, or will Hong Kong’s free press just become one of the many things China has squashed that stand in its way?