Hong Kong Media Law

INTERVIEWS:

17 March 2009, Voice of America, “Lawyers undergo training to defend journalists in Southeast Asia”

March 2009 Far Eastern Economic Review, video interview on media law in Asia

27 February 2009, South China Morning Post, “Ombudsman probes government’s access to information code.”

Jan. 14, 2009, Forbes, ”What’s the Value of Truth?”  (on China’s plans for major media expansion)

Sept. 10. 2008 South China Morning Post, “Judge in high-profile cases wins promotion to the appeals court.” (Summary: Justice Michael Hartmann, who has written many high-profile Constitutional law rulings was promoted to the Court of Appeal. Of his promotion, Weisenhaus is quoted as saying, “Justice Hartmann’s decisions over the years have had a major impact on many fundamental issues in Hong Kong, but among the most important is that he understands and values the significance of a free press in helping to ensure rule of law and an independent judiciary.”

May 9, 2008 RTHK radio program, Backchat, on broadcasting rights in light of court decision upholding RTHK’s right to report on gay marriage.

Feb. 25, 2008 ABC News, “Sex photos stir tempest in Hong Kong”

Feb. 5, 2008  CNN International, “Celebrity sex scandal poses legal questions”

Dec. 21, 2007, Newsbreak magazine, “Legislating Freedom,” Manila, Philippines

June 30, 2007 podcast interview with Ben Kwok, Lai See columnist, South China Morning Post

Fall 2006, Envision, alumni magazine for Northwestern University School of Law

BOOK REVIEWS:

December 2008 The Commonwealth Lawyer (Journal of the Commonwealth Lawyers’ Association): “It offers comprehensive coverage of the subject” and “deserves to be the first port of call for anyone seeking guidance on free speech and media law in Hong Kong.”

July 2008 Communications_Lawyer, The American Bar Association (Forum on Communications Law): “truly the first of its kind in the recent past,”  “a singularly important addition to the increasing body of country-specific media law books in Asia.”

June/July 2008 The Correspondent, Foreign Correspondents Club Hong Kong:  “an accessible guide” that would be “particularly useful for correspondents who have recently arrived in Hong Kong or China and are trying to get their bearings.”  Also, the book would be “of interest to non-journalists, whether they are citizens trying to understand the peculiarities of Hong Kong’s copyright laws, public figures confronting the paparazzi or just people who are curious about the mechanics of Hong Kong’s broadcast regulations.”

Spring 2008 Journalism and Mass Commmunication Quarterly : “meticulous yet highly readable.” “For scholars or legal practitioners interested in a concise summary of the law, Hong Kong Media Law is a useful resource. For journalists who plan to go to Beijing to cover the Olympics, it is a necessity.”

Spring 2008  Hong Kong Law Journal: “This is an important book that goes a long way to filling a serious vacuum as far as the Hong Kong media is concerned. If it helps educate Hong Kong journalists and editors enough for them to feel more confident in publishing articles about even the most litigious subjects without fear of losing the resulting court case, the book will also play its part in protecting press freedom in Hong Kong.”

Spring 2008 Media Arts & Law Review: “very timely,” “useful guide.”

April 2008 Chinese Journal of Communication: “well organized and well written, with many of the legal arguments supported or illustrated with previous cases,” “a valuable resource for journalists and media professionals, to be read, kept and referred to.”

Vol 34 Number 2 2007 Media Asia (Asian Mass Communication Quarterly): “authoritative,” “well-researched book fills an important gap in media law studies in the Asia-Pacific region.”

September 2007,   Far Eastern Economic Review: “fills such an important vacuum”

July 2007, RTHK Media Digest (English translation): “extensive research” and “a comprehensive legal guide”

CITATIONS:

International Press Institute, World Press Freedom Review 2007, “Hong Kong”

“As Doreen Weisenhaus points out in her book ‘Hong Kong Media Law: A Guide for Journalists and Media Professionals’, which includes a chapter highlighting the risks of reporting from mainland China, the main problem is that the Chinese media system allows everything to be categorised as a ’state secret.’ Furthermore, any document can be retrospectively classified as secret, which basically provides the evidence to jail any journalist.

Weisenhaus’ book also highlights loopholes in Hong Kong’s legal system and its lack of protection for press freedom, compared to some Western democracies. For example, Hong Kong’s Code on Access to Information is not only not statutory, but is full of exemptions, allowing for Hong Kong’s government to be secretive.”