Matthew Cheung Kin-chung at a media briefing on November 24, 2019 Photo: cnsphoto

 
The Hong Kong police's amending of the definition of "media representatives" under the Police General Orders will not harm freedom of the press, Matthew Cheung, chief secretary for administration of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, said Sunday.

Cheung said in an online article that press freedom is protected under the Basic Law and journalists can still carry out interviews freely in public areas.

While many fake journalists were found during the social unrest in Hong Kong last year, the police announced on Tuesday that "media representatives" should belong to media outlets registered with the HKSAR government or globally-recognized and renowned non-Hong Kong media organizations.

So far, more than 200 local and international media outlets have been registered with the HKSAR government.

Cheung said the police always try their best to cooperate with the media and have set up a 300-strong media communication team to facilitate the work of journalists.