Kristin Jones

Reporters who dig up carefully buried facts about those in power can easily find themselves in danger. In countries where a tradition of watchdog journalism has not yet taken hold, the risks of practicing investigative reporting can be real and physical for those reporters that take it on.

Despite protests by the Hong Kong Journalists’ Association and others, the city’s leaders have deferred to mainland law in the detention of veteran journalist and permanent Hong Kong resident Ching Cheong. This is a mistake. The freedom of the press, guaranteed by the Basic Law, is meaningless unless the local government defends the right of journalists to report news from the mainland.