Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region John Lee Ka-chiu on Friday called on the city’s journalists to uphold professional ethics, tell compelling stories of China and the territory, and produce quality reports that faithfully record the times.

He made his remarks at the Hong Kong News Awards 2025, which was organized by the Newspaper Society of Hong Kong.

The annual award received 636 entries from 12 Chinese- and English-language newspapers this year, competing for 78 awards. China Daily Hong Kong won 12 awards, raising its cumulative tally to 153. The honors comprise three top prizes — Best News Writing (English), Best Headline (English), and Best Photograph (Sports) — two first runners-up, and three second runners-up.

Lee said this year marks the start of the nation’s 15th Five-Year Plan (2026–30), which outlines the need to accelerate the development of China’s discourse and narrative systems, enhance the effectiveness of international communication, and strengthen cross-cultural exchanges and cooperation.

“In the face of a complex and fast-changing geopolitical landscape, I trust that media practitioners will adhere to professional standards and uphold the core values of serving the interests of the nation and Hong Kong,” Lee said, outlining three principles — virtue, contribution, and quality reporting — for news professionals to follow.

He expressed his belief that journalists will act with integrity and prioritize the interests of both the nation and Hong Kong. Given the significant influence of news reporting, he emphasized that with power comes responsibility — including avoiding bias, personal agendas, and self-interest, while delivering accurate information and quality guidance to the public.

Lee also stressed that outstanding journalists shoulder their mission with the ambition to serve national development, uphold truth, and support public welfare.

They help Hong Kong serve the country and connect with the world, contributing journalistic strength to social progress and people’s well-being, Lee said.

In addition, he called on reporters to produce quality reports that provide accurate and professional records of the times and help readers understand social realities and analyze political and economic developments.

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Lee stressed the important role of media in Hong Kong’s development, saying he believed that reporters will “continue to exert a positive influence in the industry, presenting the facts, opportunities, and advantages of Hong Kong’s sound development”.

China Daily Hong Kong’s reporter Shadow Li earned top place in the Best News Writing (English) category for her story Tai Po Fire: Heroes in Harm’s Way, which drew on intimate interviews with firefighters to document their frontline experiences and the unexpected gestures of warmth amid the disaster.

The Tai Po fire, she noted, was a sudden natural disaster that cast the purest light on human nature, stripping away all external status and leaving only a profound test of character — one that Hong Kong’s firefighters met with courage and action.

“As a journalist,” she said, “being able to share the life-and-death decisions and courage of firefighters is, in itself, what drives me to continue dedicating myself to this profession.”

Reporter Li Xiaoyun landed second place in Best Business News Reporting for her series Real-World Crypto, a probing look at Hong Kong’s burgeoning digital-asset market.

She had in-depth conversations with at least 12 interviewees, totaling more than 600 minutes of discussion, to produce the series, through which she gained insights into the Web3 world.

“I am deeply grateful to every interviewee for their trust and openness, which gave me the confidence to explore this emerging field and share what I learned with readers.”

Li Lei, who clinched the third place in the Best News Writing (English) category for his story about several patriotic Hong Kong families who joined the Chinese Communist Party‑led guerrillas to liberate the city from Japanese invaders during the Chinese People’s War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression (1931‑1945), said he learned that “Hong Kong was never absent” from the nation’s all‑out fight.

He also recalled covering last year's Hong Kong visit of the People’s Liberation Army Navy training ship Qi Jiguang and landing ship Yimengshan, where he met a young girl with a national flag sticker on her arm who said, “When I grow up, I want to be an aerospace researcher and serve my country.”

“These reporting experiences taught me that integrated development in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is not merely about geographical adjacency, but a resonance in the blood,” Li said, adding that he saw the city’s confidence in linking up with the Chinese mainland and the wider world while telling good stories of the SAR.

The Newspaper Society of Hong Kong was established in 1954 by four major Chinese- and English-language newspapers. The society now has 14 members.

Contact the writer at stacyshi@chinadailyhk.com