Hong Kong Drops to Lowest Category in Press Freedom Rankings

According to RSF, before 2014 journalists in Hong Kong were safe, but in recent years they have been arrested and subjected to police violence.

Police keep watch over Hong Kong's Victoria Harbour as the city marks the 27th anniversary of the Handover of Hong Kong from Britain to China on July 1, 2024. Peter Parks/AFP via Getty Images

An annual index of press freedom has for the first time placed Hong Kong alongside mainland China in its worst “very serious” category. 

Hong Kong scored 39.86 out of 100—the lowest score for the former British colony on record—in the Reporters Without Borders (RSF) 2025 World Press Freedom Index.