Consumer Council halts awards it co-hosted with HKJA

The Consumer Council said on Tuesday that it has suspended the Consumer Rights Reporting Awards that it had co-organised with the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA) and Hong Kong Press Photographers Association for two decades.

In a statement, the council said the content and format of the awards need to change with the times, and the event will return following a review.

“The Consumer Council has decided to fully review the format of the relevant activities and redraw a long-term plan, so the events can be held in a more creative format,” the council said.

In a statement, the HKJA said it was disappointed that the council had unilaterally made the decision without discussing the matter with co-organisers.

The HKJA said the awards had encouraged journalists to find news stories on consumer rights and helped citizens understand their rights.

“I think it is rational to conclude that [there] may be some problems between the collaboration with us and the council,” the association’s chairman, Ronson Chan, told RTHK.

Chan said the suspension of the awards will have a negative impact on the industry, and he hopes other groups won’t follow suit and end their collaboration with the HKJA.