Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu called on the local news industry on Friday to further promote the opportunities available in Hong Kong and to ensure coverage reflects the actual situation on the ground.

Lee urged the media to showcase the city's many advantages to more people at home and abroad, while reminding outlets to adhere to professional ethics standards, provide readers with impartial, accurate and comprehensive information, and fulfill their social responsibilities by supporting progress in Hong Kong.

China Daily Hong Kong Edition pocketed 11 prizes in the news awards this year — including two as winners and three as first runners-up. The performance continues the newspaper’s decade-long winning streak and brings its awards total to 124

The Newspaper Society of Hong Kong organized a lunch on Friday to mark its 70th anniversary and present awards to winners of the Hong Kong News Awards 2023 who included several journalists from China Daily Hong Kong Edition.

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Addressing the presentation ceremony, Lee said the Hong Kong economy has entered a transition period in which new industries and novel forms of business emerge and grow.

“At this time, the city needs the strength of the journalism profession to disseminate the opportunities and real situation of Hong Kong, allowing more people in or outside the city to see the development opportunities, advantages and attractiveness of Hong Kong,” Lee said.

In an era when every industry is embracing digital transformation, Lee praised the way the Hong Kong news industry has leveraged technology and artificial intelligence to bring newspapers into the high-tech world.

But he stressed that technology, however sophisticated, cannot replace the professional ethics required to produce fact-based, impartial and neutral journalism.

He also drew a distinction between raising legitimate questions in a constructive manner and stirring up conflict in bad faith. The former he said was for the common good of society and the latter was driven by private gain. The news industry should continue to meet its great social responsibility, Lee said.

Alice Kwok Yim-ming, chairwoman of the newspaper society, said that, in this new era, the news industry must rely on innovative thinking and the right technology to continuously improve its business model and better respond to the needs of readers, as well as the expectations of wider society.

The newspaper society will remain objective and provide the public with in-depth and timely information, she said.

China Daily Hong Kong Edition pocketed 11 prizes in the news awards this year — including two as winners and three as first runners-up. The performance continues the newspaper’s decade-long winning streak and brings its awards total to 124.

Business reporter Zhang Tianyuan won the first and second runner-up prizes in the Best Business News Reporting category for two series of reports titled Agents of Change and Boosting HK Tourism. The latter was co-written with colleague Jessica Chen.

“In my second year as a journalist, my work has been recognized by the journalism industry. It makes me feel honored and gives me more courage to continue to work in this industry,” Zhang said.

Liu Yifan, winner of Best Business News Writing (English) category, expressed his heartfelt appreciation for the recognition, adding he felt grateful to editors and interviewees whose contributions were instrumental in bringing the story to life.

Li Bingcun from the News Department secured second and third places in the Best News Writing (English) category for her in-depth articles.

Veteran page-design pair, Mok Kwok-cheong and Billy Wong Siu-kay, who topped in the Best News Page Design (Single Page) category, said the honor could only have been achieved with the collaboration, exchange of ideas and mutual respect among colleagues.

Photographer Edmond Tang Wing-on’s Making Waves won the first-merit prize in the Best Photograph (News) category. He described it as both a recognition of his dedication and the stimulus for him to keep improving.

Recalling the first Hong Kong news award he received in 1996, which enthused and excited him about the career he had chosen, Tang said that every award he won gave him a sense of relief and excitement.

READ MORE: China Daily wins 11 prizes in notable news awards

“Thanks for the space and support China Daily has given me, and I will continue to work hard to make more contributions to the newspaper, as well as the news photography industry,” Tang said.

Other award recipients from China Daily were Xi Tianqi, a young reporter who came second runner-up in the Best Young Reporter category; Andy Chong Chun-pong, who bagged first runner-up in the Best Photograph (Sports) category; and James Cook, a copy editor who won second runner-up in the Best Headline category.

This year, the Hong Kong News Awards presented 78 prizes across categories including reporting, writing, photography, design and news video.

Contact the writer at atlasshao@chinadailyhk.com