Statement issued on on behalf of the FCC Hong Kong board on Friday, August 22:

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong is deeply concerned by the confirmation that Bloomberg journalist Rebecca Choong Wilkins has had her visa renewal application denied.

Choong Wilkins has worked for Bloomberg in Hong Kong for the past six years, most recently as a senior reporter on the Asia government and economy team. We understand that authorities did not give any reason for the denial of her visa renewal.

Regrettably, this decision and the lack of explanation reinforces widespread concerns about the erosion of press freedom in Hong Kong, which is protected under the Basic Law and the Bill of Rights. We support any application for this decision to be urgently reviewed and call for future applications for employment visas and visa extensions for international journalists to be handled in a timely and transparent manner.

The FCC has contacted the Immigration Department to seek clarification. While we appreciate that in normal circumstances the Immigration Department cannot comment on individual cases, we contend that in cases such as this involving an international journalist, it is important to provide the visa applicant with a proper explanation for any denial of work visas or entry into Hong Kong. This suggested improvement to the system would show greater transparency in dealing with freedom of the press, which is vital to preserving Hong Kong’s image as an international business centre.

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A love letter to Hong Kong and a tribute to the journalist credited with changing modern journalism.

In 1960 the acclaimed journalist Gay Talese wrote a piece for Esquire magazine titled “New York Is A City of Things Unnoticed”, detailing his many observations of people and places based on his wandering and exploring of the city that never sleeps. Talese is most famous for his longform article "Frank Sinatra has a cold" in which he pioneered an in-depth literary-styled form of storytelling to profile the famed singer. However, it is his piece about New York which informs this special episode, based on historical research and observations of the architecture, the people and daily life in taxis, wet markets and the streets of Hong Kong.

Not far from the new Kai Tak stadium in Hong Kong is a small stone monument carved with the Chinese characters for “Sung Wong Toi” - “Terrace of the kings of the Song dynasty" - in the year 1279. It was once a 45 metre high monument to the child king who gave Kowloon its name, translated from the Cantonese words for "Nine Dragons". Look closely at the knife-shaped Bank of China tower and you'll see another tower with what appears to be cannons aimed at its banking competitor. Pick the right double-decker tram and you will be on the oldest operational example of its kind in the world. Learn why Hong Kong taxi cab drivers call each other to say they’re “banging the gong” when driving to Causeway Bay, why they call particular types of fares a “chicken foot” and the passive-aggressive meaning of why drivers tuck CDs behind their rear view mirrors. Learn about the place where statues of the Christian, Chinese, Thai and Indian gods are not so much disposed of as concreted into retirement. .. and much more.

Written by Billy Potts and Jarrod Watt

Billy Potts on Instagram: @handsome.co

Presented by Billy Potts, Jason Budovitch, Lauren James, Laura Westbrook, Maria Spackman and Robin Ewing

Produced by Jarrod Watt

Podcast theme music composed by Allen Youngblood

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Morgan Davis is the newly elected president for the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Hong Kong and in this episode discusses the priorities she has in her term, taking on everything from lease negotiations and statements about press freedom to the battle against bad coffee and the long list of requests for guest speakers.

You'll also hear her discuss the process by which the FCC publishes statements on behalf of its members and the importance of maintaining the FCC's voice in speaking up on issues affecting journalists, as well as the people who have influenced her both as a working journalist and as an educator of journalists - from Gay Talese to Ira Glass, Ida B Welles, Upton Sinclair and Patrick Radden Keefe.

Written and produced by Jarrod Watt

Theme music composed by Allen Youngblood

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.