FROM THE PRESIDENT

Dear FCC Members,

Our recent screenings of Of All the Gin Joints, FCC member Mark Erder’s BBC documentary on the inner workings of the club in the late 1990s, left a lasting impression on many of us who were lucky enough to attend the sold-out events.

For me, the lm was a timely reminder of the tremendous history that runs through the veins of our club and the enormous honour it is to be President of the FCC, as well as the huge responsibility the role carries. It’s not a duty I take lightly.

e lm also served as a stark reminder of just how much Hong Kong has changed. I’m writing this on 4 June, with arrests and a heavy police presence in Causeway Bay marking the anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen crackdown rather than the peaceful vigils that for more than three decades represented the city’s enshrined freedoms. Now more than ever, the FCC has a crucial role to play in defending press freedom. At the rst meeting of the new board, which took place immediately after last week’s AGM, I laid out what I aim to achieve in the next 12 months. First on the list is to continue to issue statements on matters concerning press freedom, in line with a new board process for doing so.

Beyond this, I aim to:

• Appoint a new permanent GM.

• Build on last year’s training stream for early-career journalists to bring more young members into the club.

• Bring back the FCC’s Journalism Conference after its COVID-19-enforced hiatus.

• Develop more community outreach initiatives, potentially through the reinstatement of the currently dormant Charity Committee.

• Make diversity a priority at FCC speaking events.

Why am I nailing my colours to the mast in my rst message to members? Firstly, because I want to be held accountable for them in a year’s time, and secondly because I want your input. Would you like to help us achieve one of these goals? Fantastic, let’s talk. Do you think these objectives miss the mark? Let’s talk about that too.

Most importantly, I’m sharing my priorities as President because I believe that transparency is key to building trust and unity.

In that spirit, the new board has made the document that details its updated process for drafting and issuing statements on press freedom issues available to all members. A copy is now available at the front desk in the club. If you wish to read it, simply ask the sta member on duty, who will invite you into the o ce to review the document.

As is standard practice for important governance documents within any institution, we ask that you do not photograph the pages or disseminate the document in its entirety outside of the FCC’s membership.

I’m con dent that anyone who does read the process will see that the purpose of the document is to enable us to continue to act on our mission while putting measures in place to mitigate legal risks to the club, in line with the non-binding motion passed at last year’s AGM.

As a nal note, I would like to thank my predecessor Keith Richburg for stepping up and guiding us through a time of unparalleled uncertainty over the last couple of years, as well as my colleagues on the board for their support.

It’s not going to be an easy ride, and we will certainly disagree here and there along the way, but I implore you all to remember that there is more that unites us than divides us. I look forward to working with the board, committees, sta and club members in service of a stronger, more united FCC.

Lee Williamson

@l_s_williamson

Hong Kong June 2023