支持本地新闻媒体要双管齐下
日期︰2021年05月18日
世界各地媒体如何在网络平台大量转载内容导致收益流失，经营困难，已经成为国际议题。最近澳洲立法要求社交平台或搜寻器向新闻机构支付费用，在西方引起不少回响。香港作为国际商业中心，资讯发达流通是核心竞争力，如何维持本地作为中西讯息交流的新闻中心，不仅关乎一个行业的荣枯，同时是香港能否维持其国际地位的关键。
澳洲立法先例值得关注
作为行业组织，报业公会认为要维持本地新闻界的水准，合理而健康的商业营运环境非常重要，要达到这个目标，唯有倚赖「人助自助」两条腿走路、双管齐下的策略应对。澳洲政府立法的先例，现时已引起法国等国家关注，皆因各国明白，专业报道不能被人人做记者的社媒取代，注重查证、讲求客观事实的新闻业不振，社会付出的机会成本极大，长远造成的影响难以弥补。要求网络平台支付费用能否有效扶掖新闻行业，效果仍待探讨，然而，这是具有里程碑意义的举措，一个方法不够，可以再考虑第二个方法，最重要是政府意识到问题的严重性，愿意走出第一步。为此，公会希望特区政府官员能适时跟进和了解外国立法的安排和配套，以免大幅落于人后。
仿效澳洲立法保护本地新闻媒体的生存权是一个做法。支持和鼓励本地媒体发展，可能是比立法更快见到效果的另一个应对方式，当局推动社会重视，支持本地新闻产业的发展，在今日饱受疫情冲击的社会环境，更是刻不容缓。本著求人不如求己的精神，报业公会在去年十一月筹建了本地报业网站广告投放平台「报网通」，透过这个平台客户可以一站式投放流量广告到多家报业公会的会员报章网站上。这个平台启用后，虽然仍有不少地方需要改进，但同时亦已取得不俗之成绩，广告投放量按月增长，并且取得推广效益极为亮丽的个案，有机会本人将会再和大家分享。
藉「报网通」建行业平台
「报网通」的初步成功，端赖参与的会员报章合作，同时特区政府和不少大机构的支持和协助，发挥了很积极的作用。「报网通」的营运理念，是为业界提供技术支援，令广告客户能得到质素有保证、投放较为方便的推广途径，整个理念是以商业营运和市场导向为主，冀能为本地新闻行业提供更合理的经营效益，启用后获得本地机构纷纷关注和支持，大胆说一句是得道多助。社会明白本地新闻行业凋零，意味社会的生命力下降，正是「报网通」以有限资源，启用后即能取得佳绩的最大助缘。当全球都明白新闻媒体的存在价值，「报网通」应运而生，期望报业公会这个尝试，能够在大家爱护下茁庄成长，成为另一个成功的香港故事。
香港报业公会主席甘焕腾
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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