Land usage in the New Territories sparked off the Wang Chau controversy and the sale of small house rights (‘Ding’ rights) ignited another crisis in the past year. As if these were not enough, a Kowloon Bay industrial building converted into a mini-storage centre caught fire that not only created a huge blaze but also laid bare safety issues in such structures. Meanwhile China marked the 50th anniversary of its Cultural Revolution. In-depth reports on these topics by journalists from Apple Daily, HK01, RTHK and i-Cable News (China Desk) the 8th Kam Yiu-yu Press Freedom Awards. The determination that went into producing high quality news coverage has clearly been passed on, as this year’s winners range from traditional to new media, from experienced journalists to part-time and intern reporters.

Compared to last year, this year’s entries have nearly doubled to 63, all of which are of great quality. Among them, two entries submitted from the print media are only two points apart. One of these two entries received a lower total score, but won the most maximum scores from individual judges. In light of this, the foundation decided to award both entries: ‘Wang Chau series – Revealing CY Leung’s supervision in Arup Group’s theft of government information’ from Apple Daily’s Alex Lam Wai Chung and ‘Small House Rights Crisis in the New Territories’ from HK01 Investigation Team. The former exposed the consulting firm Arup Group’s misuse of government internal information in assisting a property conglomerate to apply for land use change to luxury residential purposes. The latter exposed in detail the widely-criticised practice of selling ‘Ding’ rights in the new territories and the parties involved, bringing injustice to the surface.

The Kam Yiu-yu Awards (Electronic Media) is bestowed on i-Cable News’ senior reporter Wong Wai Yu for her special series ‘50 Years of Cultural Revolution’ (https://www.facebook.com/cablechinadesk/videos/1155675394576945/). With dedication and detailed analysis, Wong interviewed survivors of the Cultural Revolution from a wide range of age and places. Her production revealed and reflected on the influence of the revolution, and is undoubtedly worthy of the prize.

On the other hand, part-time and intern reporters Yau Chun Wa, Chak Wai Ho, Lau Ka Ho and Tai Ching Hei from RTHK show excellence in delivering high quality stories despite their brief years of experience in the media. Their investigative series ‘Industrial Building Safety’ (http://www.liberalstudies.hk/news.php?id=814) stands out amongst all entries in the Radio category. The four reporters showed fearlessness while chasing down and interviewing the leasing intermediaries of illegally partitioned floors in industrial buildings. The judges were impressed and recommended granting this series a Merit award.

Ching Cheong, Chairperson of The Kam Yiu-yu Foundation, extends his heartfelt congratulations to all winners. The award is not only an affirmation of the journalists’ outstanding work, but also a realization of the media as the Fourth Estate, from which the industry regains the trust of the public.

On behalf of The Kam Yiu-yu Foundation, Ching Cheong expresses gratitude to the judges for their contributions. The judges include Joseph Man Chan, Research Professor, School of Journalism and Communication, and Emeritus Professor of Journalism and Communication, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Chan Yuen Ying, Director and Professor of Journalism and Media Studies Centre, The University of Hong Kong; To Yiu Ming, Assistant Professor of School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University; Bruce Lui Ping Kuen, Senior Lecturer of School of Communication, Hong Kong Baptist University and Sham Yee Lan, Chairperson of Hong Kong Journalists Association.