![Cover The Party knows best](/sites/default/files/styles/bt_node_teaser_default/public/2023-10/231013%20Cover%20The%20Party%20knows%20best.png?h=47ef38ea&itok=EpIVzGoF)
Zhang Jieping: "There’s a huge appetite for independent journalism"
These are tough times for independent media in China: Censorship and controls have increased considerably in recent years. The pressure is also felt in Hongkong despite the territory’s greater freedoms. Still, several media start-ups have sprung up in Hongkong recently. One of the biggest is the online platform “Initium”. Within a year it has attracted more than two million regular readers although the site quickly got blocked on the mainland. Chief Editor Zhang Jieping says there’s a huge appetite for independent journalism. In the new Merics Experts podcast she talks about how to survive in a challenging political environment while sticking to her journalistic principles.
![Podcast](/sites/default/files/styles/ct_podcast_default_field_podcast/public/2020-05/podcast_0.png?h=a4d4a5f0&itok=VE6j-HaG)