Sitting in the auditorium of the 2025 Hong Kong Best News Awards on May 15, organized by the Newspaper Society of Hong Kong, the atmosphere was thick with a peculiar mix of pride and complacency.

As my colleagues celebrated our newspaper’s 12 hard-earned awards — pushing our institutional tally to an illustrious 153 wins over the decades — a cold splash of reality sobered the moment.

Almost a decade ago, as its board member, I had urged the society to increase the allocation of prizes for new-media content, arguing that our awards must reflect the industry’s actual trajectory and guide the local media onto the path of transformation.

To my disappointment, even up to now, the final tally remained only three out of 78 prizes dedicated to short news videos. This meager concession is not progress; it is a decorative dressing, a symbolic nod that perfectly encapsulates the complacency of those of us in the media sector.

We are winning awards, yes. But we are losing the war for attention.

While the digital tsunami of social media and mobile-first platforms reshapes global information consumption, a significant portion of Hong Kong’s mainstream media — spanning our venerable newspapers, radio, and television — remains trapped in a state of dangerous complacency. We are indulging in the fading glory of print, clinging to the comforting illusion that our traditional readership is still firmly holding the line.

To be fair, the immediate numbers don’t look catastrophic. Newspapers still boast an impressive readership, and advertising revenue continues to flow. Many outlets are even cashing in on their legacy brands, organizing sponsored events and forums to keep the revenue streams healthy. From the outside, the lifeboat looks solid and strong.

The tools of our trade have changed irrevocably. If Hong Kong’s media industry fails to pivot from its print-centric nostalgia and embrace a bold, digital-first future, we risk becoming museum exhibits ourselves — admired for our historical value, but utterly irrelevant to the world we aim to chronicle. The time to act is now

However, this is a classic case of staring at the deck chairs while the iceberg looms ahead. If we look closely, the foundational shifts are undeniable. The mainland media landscape has already undergone a sweeping, systematic revolution — integrating AI-driven content delivery, interactive multimedia storytelling, and highly agile mobile reporting structures. In contrast, Hong Kong’s media establishment remains eerily quiet and sluggish.

Most local newspapers have merely transplanted their print contents onto static websites. Their social media presence is often an afterthought — dry, text-heavy snippets that completely ignore the dynamic, fast-paced nature of platforms like Instagram, TikTok or Xiaohongshu. We are not just slow to adapt; we are actively ignoring the siren calls of a transformed world.

At the heart of this paralysis lies a profound identity crisis. Traditional media elites often despise the “fragmentary” and sensationalist presentation of new media. There is a deeply ingrained argument that chasing “traffic” and “viewership” compromises journalistic integrity — that it reduces noble reporting to vulgar bait designed merely to boost clicks.

This moral high ground, while intellectually comfortable, misses the fundamental point. The massive chasm between new media and traditional media isn’t just about the pursuit of traffic; it is about the method of engagement. New media thrives because it meets the audience where it is, delivering information in digestible, visually compelling, and interactive formats. By rigidly sticking to archaic presentation styles, traditional media is not protecting its values — it is rendering itself invisible to younger, mobile-native generations.

Conversely, the fear of “selling out” is not entirely unfounded. An excessive obsession with algorithms and click-through rates inevitably pushes media houses toward entertaining fluff rather than thought-provoking, serious news analysis. This is the agonizing dilemma facing every editor today: How do we remain commercially viable and digitally relevant without sacrificing the rigorous journalistic standards that earned us these awards in the first place?

Time is kicking down the door, and the window for gradual evolution has closed. Hong Kong media must act now, and with forceful conviction, to reimagine the entire ecosystem of news.

First, reforming news gathering: We must move beyond the traditional press-release culture. Data-driven journalism, on-the-ground citizen integration via secure mobile apps, and real-time multimedia reporting must become the standard, not the exception.

Second, revolutionizing presentation: A 2,000-word text-heavy expose is invaluable, but in the mobile era, it must be accompanied by engaging infographics, short-form video summaries, and interactive elements. We need to package serious journalism in a way that respects the audience’s time and consumption habits.

Third, balancing the scales: We must find a sustainable equilibrium between upholding core societal values and embracing modern viewership metrics. Chasing traffic for the sake of revenue is a slippery slope, but ignoring audience behavior is professional suicide. The goal is to use sophisticated analytics not to pander to the lowest common denominator, but to strategically deliver high-value content to the audiences who need it most.

The 2025 Hong Kong Best News Awards should serve as a triumphant milestone, but also as a stark wake-up call. The tools of our trade have changed irrevocably. If Hong Kong’s media industry fails to pivot from its print-centric nostalgia and embrace a bold, digital-first future, we risk becoming museum exhibits ourselves — admired for our historical value, but utterly irrelevant to the world we aim to chronicle. The time to act is now.

The author is a veteran journalist based in Hong Kong.

The views do not necessarily reflect those of China Daily.