BBC Chinese recently reported on the World Press Freedom Index for 2013 that Reporters Without Borders published on January 30, 2013. The list ranked the press freedom in the countries of the world. The ratings for both Hong Kong and Taiwan were lower than the previous year. Among 179 countries and regions, Hong Kong ranked 58th (dropping from 54th last year) and Taiwan ranked 47th (dropping from 45th last year). Well-known Hong Kong political analyst Lin Heli suggested that the lowered rankings are mainly the result of increased business activities between the two regions and the Mainland. The rankings have been on the decline ever since the year 1997, when Hong Kong returned to Chinese rule. Lin expressed the belief that many Hong Kong media owners invested heavily in the Mainland. This might have played an important role in media self-censorship. Meanwhile, the semi-official branch of the central government in Hong Kong has often conducted “conversations” with Hong Kong media owners and senior editors. Taiwan has a similar situation.
Source: BBC Chinese, January 30, 2013
http://www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/china/2013/01/130130_iv_press_freedom_lin_heli.shtml