Tom Grundy promises hard-hitting news.A new voice in Hong Kong's media options is welcoming students to support and contribute. The new Hong Kong Free Press (HKFP) promises to provide critical and uncensored views - something it claims is lacking in Hong Kong's press coverage.
Currently crowd-funding on FringeBacker.com HKFP hopes to provide an alternative English language news source that has no government or corporate ties. Led by Tom Grundy, founder of popular blog Hong Wrong, HKFP is looking to fill a gap in the city's news coverage.
"We need an alternative voice in Hong Kong," Grundy told Young Post. "There's a wide diversity of online news sources in Chinese, but I can't think of any in English, so we need more of a grassroots platform for people to contribute in English."
HKFP is aiming to launch fully in late June, and will focus on Hong Kong and China issues. Specifically, the outlet claims it will be a new platform for news and information in post-Occupy Hong Kong.
"We can't have a debate about democracy without also having a debate about press freedom in Hong Kong," Grundy says, "because you need a free press to hold the powerful to account, in order for democracy to function."
HKFP insists that it will be not-for-profit to promote its ideal of press freedom. "It'll be free and accessible to everybody, there won't be any paywall," Grundy explains.
"We're hoping to engage young people, especially in the wake of the Occupy protests, to contribute and to use Hong Kong Free Press as a place for their own writing, and nurture a diverse community."