14/2/2014 : The Pulse

Hong Kong's press freedom, or lack of it, has become the major topic of the week. On Wednesday, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists described media freedom in Hong Kong as "at a low point". It cited self-censorship among reporters, financial and physical threats against the media and attempts to introduce legislation that could hinder investigative reporting. The Paris-based Reporters Without Borders described Hong Kong's media independence as currently "in jeopardy". According to the organisation's 2014 press freedom index, Hong Kong now ranks 61st worldwide. It was 58th last year and 54th in 2012. It dropped 20 places between 2010 and 2011. In recent years it has seemed that one voice after another critical of the government has been silenced. The latest may well be Commercial Radio's former talk show presenter Li Wei-ling.

Media issues also raised their head in the Legislative Council this week as an Information Technology and Broadcasting Panel discussed potential changes to codes of practice over so-called personal viewpoint programmes. When does a personal viewpoint programme programme become simply propaganda? And how clearly should it be labelled?

Legislators Albert and Raymond Chan recently proposed a land arrivals tax for tourists that would mostly target those coming from the mainland. Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying instantly opposed the idea. With us in the studio are one of its proposers Albert Chan and Kevin Tsui of the Department of Economics at Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.