TheInformation Services Department (ISD) is theHong Kong Government's public relations office, publisher, advertiser, and news agency, serving as the link between the government and the media. It was also commonly calledGovernment Information Services (GIS).
In September 1945, following the end of theJapanese occupation, theBritish Forces appointed a Press Relations Officer to communicate with remaining war correspondents. The unit was retitled as the Public Relations Office (PRO) when the civilian administration resumed governance of Hong Kong in 1946. The PRO was renamed as the Information Services Department (ISD) on 1 April 1959.[1]
On 8 June 1963, ISD's headquarters moved from the fifth and sixth floors of the West Wing of theCentral Government Offices to the top two floors of the newBeaconsfield House on Queen's Road Central.[2][3]
In the 1970s, ISD launched new social development campaigns that are now ingrained in thecollective memory of Hong Kong people. These included the Keep Hong Kong Clean Campaign, which was promoted using the iconicLap Sap Chung litterbug character designed by ISD officer Arthur Hacker.[4]
Following the 1995 sale of Beaconsfield House to a private developer, the Information Services Department relocated to the nearbyMurray Building in 1996.[5] Today, it is headquartered at the Harbour Building inSheung Wan. It also once had offices in theFormer French Mission Building.[6]
In July 2022, the department rejected an Access to Information request after some media outlets were banned from covering events regarding 25th anniversary events on1 July 2022.[7] In response, theOmbudsman confirmed that there would be a full investigation into the matter.[8] In January 2023, the Ombudsman agreed with the ISD, and said that revealing the method to screen journalists could aid "terrorists."[9]
In September 2022, Fletch Chan, head of the department, was part of a team that organized of a media event withJohn Lee.[10] WhenHong Kong Free Press (HKFP) asked the ISD about why they could not attend, the ISD told HKFP to contact the event organizer.[10]
In April 2023, the ISD banned several government-registered media companies from covering the 2023 National Security Education Day, which was officiated byXia Baolong.[11] In May 2023, theOmbudsman agreed to investigateHKFP's complaint against the ISD for banning media outlets from the event.[12] In May 2023, theForeign Correspondents' Club (FCC) issued a press release on the issue, stating "Media outlets being barred from covering public events raises concerns over the future of press freedom in Hong Kong, which is guaranteed under Article 27 of the Basic Law."[13] In July 2023, the Ombudsman said it had to "refrain from making comments on the matter" as theCommittee for Safeguarding National Security had banned the media.[14]
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