支持本地新聞媒體要雙管齊下
日期︰2021年05月18日
世界各地媒體如何在網絡平台大量轉載內容導致收益流失，經營困難，已經成為國際議題。最近澳洲立法要求社交平台或搜尋器向新聞機構支付費用，在西方引起不少迴響。香港作為國際商業中心，資訊發達流通是核心競爭力，如何維持本地作為中西訊息交流的新聞中心，不僅關乎一個行業的榮枯，同時是香港能否維持其國際地位的關鍵。
澳洲立法先例值得關注
作為行業組織，報業公會認為要維持本地新聞界的水準，合理而健康的商業營運環境非常重要，要達到這個目標，唯有倚賴「人助自助」兩條腿走路、雙管齊下的策略應對。澳洲政府立法的先例，現時已引起法國等國家關注，皆因各國明白，專業報道不能被人人做記者的社媒取代，注重查証、講求客觀事實的新聞業不振，社會付出的機會成本極大，長遠造成的影響難以彌補。要求網絡平台支付費用能否有效扶掖新聞行業，效果仍待探討，然而，這是具有里程碑意義的舉措，一個方法不夠，可以再考慮第二個方法，最重要是政府意識到問題的嚴重性，願意走出第一步。為此，公會希望特區政府官員能適時跟進和了解外國立法的安排和配套，以免大幅落於人後。
倣傚澳洲立法保護本地新聞媒體的生存權是一個做法。支持和鼓勵本地媒體發展，可能是比立法更快見到效果的另一個應對方式，當局推動社會重視，支持本地新聞產業的發展，在今日飽受疫情衝擊的社會環境，更是刻不容緩。本著求人不如求己的精神，報業公會在去年十一月籌建了本地報業網站廣告投放平台「報網通」，透過這個平台客戶可以一站式投放流量廣告到多家報業公會的會員報章網站上。這個平台啟用後，雖然仍有不少地方需要改進，但同時亦已取得不俗之成績，廣告投放量按月增長，並且取得推廣效益極為亮麗的個案，有機會本人將會再和大家分享。
藉「報網通」建行業平台
「報網通」的初步成功，端賴參與的會員報章合作，同時特區政府和不少大機構的支持和協助，發揮了很積極的作用。「報網通」的營運理念，是為業界提供技術支援，令廣告客戶能得到質素有保証、投放較為方便的推廣途徑，整個理念是以商業營運和市場導向為主，冀能為本地新聞行業提供更合理的經營效益，啟用後獲得本地機構紛紛關注和支持，大膽說一句是得道多助。社會明白本地新聞行業凋零，意味社會的生命力下降，正是「報網通」以有限資源，啟用後即能取得佳績的最大助緣。當全球都明白新聞媒體的存在價值，「報網通」應運而生，期望報業公會這個嘗試，能夠在大家愛護下茁莊成長，成為另一個成功的香港故事。
香港報業公會主席甘煥騰
Two-pronged support for local news media
By Keith Kam, Chairman of The Newspaper Society of Hong Kong
Media around the world are suffering revenue losses and operational difficulties because of the large-scale posting of their news content on internet platforms has become an international issue.
The recent passage of a law in Australia requiring social media platforms and search engines to pay news outlets for content has sparked considerable reactions in the west.
Hong Kong is an international business centre and a vibrant flow of information underpins its core competitiveness.
Ensuring the city remains a news centre for information exchange between the east and the west is critical to not just the viability of an industry but also the international status of Hong Kong.
Australian precedent
As an industry organisation, The Newspaper Society of Hong Kong regards a reasonable and healthy business environment as vital to maintaining the journalistic standards of the local news industry.
Achieving this objective hinges on adopting a two-pronged strategy of "self-help and external support".
The legislative precedent set by the Australian government has already aroused the attention of France and other countries because social media’s citizen journalism is no substitute for professional journalism.
Without a viable news industry that abides by high standards of verification and objective reporting, a society may have to pay a heavy opportunity cost and the associated long-term damage is irreparable.
Whether requiring internet platforms to pay for news content could really help the news industry remains to be determined. However, this measure is a significant milestone.
If this method does not work, then an alternative has to be considered. What is important is that the government is aware of the scale of the problem and willing to take the first step to address it.
The Newspaper Society of Hong Kong hopes that the government will take timely actions to monitor and understand the relevant legislative arrangements overseas so that it will not lag too far behind.
Following Australia’s move to use legislation to protect local media’s right to survive is one option. Supporting and encouraging the development of local media is another option that may yield results more quickly.
As Hong Kong is buffeted by the COVID-19 pandemic, there is a pressing need for the authorities to encourage every sector to take the issue seriously by supporting the development of the news industry.
In November last year, based on the philosophy of self-help, The Newspaper Society of Hong Kong set up NewsocHub, a new one-stop online advertising platform for our member newspapers.
Although much needs to be done to perfect its operation, NewsocHub has boosted the volume of advertising on member newspapers’ online channels and achieved spectacular promotional effect.
I will share the details of some success cases when the opportunity arises.
NewsocHub as an industry platform
The initial success of NewsocHub can be attributed to the cooperation of members of The Newspaper Society of Hong Kong and the support and assistance of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and many big corporations.
The operational philosophy of NewsocHub is to provide technical support to the news industry to avail advertisers of a convenient channel of guaranteed quality for promotion.
Aimed at providing the local news industry with a reasonable return, the platform is a business operation and purely market-driven.
The attention and backing that NewsocHub has secured since it was set up show that it is a right move that commands support from different sectors.
The public understands that a declining local news industry would imply the society’s vitality is also withering.
This is the biggest contributing factor behind NewsocHub’s spectacular achievements after it was established with limited resources.
NewsocHub has been launched as the whole world begins to appreciate the value of the news media.
With the care and support of everyone, we sincerely hope that this initiative by The Newspaper Society of Hong Kong will grow to become another success story of Hong Kong.
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