Hong Kong pro-gov lawmaker just claimed that UK and US have official government licensing system for reporters, which is not something I've ever been aware of. Also claims that reporters must submit stories for regulation.

During LegCo debate on further regulation of the press in Hong Kong and potential issuing of official press cards for journalists in the field.

UK has a voluntary (non-gov) press card system which is official recognized by most police forces. Hong Kong already has equivalent in that police have encouraged journalists to show identification from one of the major press orgs here, such as HKJA or FCC.

In reply, Constitutional Affairs Secretary Erick Tsang argues that existing press regulation is sufficient, and journalists can be held to account under existing laws for defamation etc. No plans to further regulate press (at this time).

While gov is pushing back on idea of licensing press or issuing approved ID, it is creating bandwidth for police to be more strict in controlling press on the ground, particularly those that can't show ID from major press org. This attitude was already growing last year.

Anyone who's been on the ground during protest can sympathise though with complaint from both police and many journalists that sheer size of the press pack makes it difficult to operate, and many are inexperienced, put themselves in danger and sometimes actively obstructive.

Police have long pushed the idea that "undercover protesters" wearing press vests have caused issues, which is not something I've ever seen. More accurate would be to say that there's a lot of protest tourists chucking on press vests to get up and close to the action.

Are there overly aggressive self-appointed "citizen journalists" who sometimes behave badly? Sure. But most incidents way away from police lines, and so unlikely that them not having some official press card would prevent this. Not like "real" reporters are perfect either.