The law and Hong Kong news media after July 1997

Journalism educators in Hong Kong will find themselves in a state of confusion over what to teach students for whom familiarity with the law is a professional necessity. The law-making structure during the handover of Hong Kong to China has become so unpredictable that little firm instruction can be attempted. This article traces the development of new laws impinging on the media in Hong Kong. It argues that without a clear legal framework, journalism instructors may end up teaching students to consider the consequences to themselves of what they write, which is hardly an appropriate approach to a competent education in journalism.