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Editor’s note

Letter from the Editor

  • 2014-05-04
  • 2014-05-04

In the April issue, we shed light on the long-neglected issue of child poverty that has seen one in five children fall below the city's poverty line in recent years. With the proposed plan to launch 15 years of free education still in its infancy, the government has continued to overlook the plight of our city's underprivileged children by dragging its feet on the establishment of a child commission championed by lawmakers. We also give you an inside look at what's behind the scenes of brightly-lit nightclubs across town, as our reporters have discovered the burgeoning practice of recruiting foreign exchange students as facilitators, who are secretly paid for bringing in other young overseas customers. On the business front, we offer a glimpse into the emergence of the octopus card to as a means of payment for online shopping, made possible by the partnership between the city's Octopus Cards Limited and China's online shopping giant Taobao, and whether it would pose a potential threat to local banks. Editor-in-chief Brian Yap

Letter from Editor (March Issue)

  • 2014-03-17
  • 2014-03-17

The Young Reporter has recently undergone a revamp by launching multimedia stories and a new section dedicated to academic talks and events at university campuses throughout Hong Kong. In our latest March issue, we give you an inside look at the emerging phenomenon of frequenting sex workers among some of the city's young bachelors who seek hassle-free sex without having to commit to an expensive relationship. With a growing number of charities and the accompanying concerns over donation fraud, our reporters have spoken with different government officials, charity watchdogs and academics to shed light on loopholes in the existing regulatory mechanisms. Nearly 20 years since section 33 of the Personal Data Ordinance was enacted, which prohibits any overseas transfer of personal data by companies, it has never been enforced. With the mounting threat of personal data leakage facilitated by open access to smartphone applications, The Young Reporter has decided to bring to attention that there has been a sharp rise in the number of complaints filed with the city's Privacy Commissioner over the use of personal data. Finally, we give you a rare peek into what life is like in the Freetown of Christiania, a self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood in Denmark's capital, Copenhagen, which is known as a safe haven for hipsters and drug traders. Editor-in-chief Brian Yap

Letter from the Editor (January Issue)

  • 2014-01-15
  • 2014-01-15

In the January issue, we take you on a visual trip down one of Hong Kong's most popular gathering places for local street artists: Sik On Street in Wanchai. Specifically, we look at how some local artists utilise interactive public art to raise awareness of and promote dialogue on large-scale urban development. As domestic violence has escalated in the city, we shed light on the alarming rise in spouse battering against men and the lack of public assistance programs available to them. Amidst growing public participation in lotteries and lucky draws organised by local companies, we have decided to unearth the potential legal risks of joining unlicensed trade promotional competitions.       Finally, as the city's craze for liquid nitrogen ice-cream rages on, we look at    whether it is indeed a more eco-friendly alternative to conventional ice-cream as it is claimed to be.    With the Chinese New Year being just round the corner, we wish our readers an auspicious Year of the Horse! Editor-in-chief Brian Yap

Letter from the Editor : What Mr Noel Biderman has in store for the glitzy city?

  • 2013-12-15
  • 2013-12-15

  In the December issue, we talk to Mr Noel Biderman, founder and CEO of the controversial infidelity website Ashley Madison, about why he has decided to tap into the Hong Kong market and what he has in store for the glitzy city. We also delve into the city's raging debate on the extramarital dating site, which made its debut in Hong Kong in August this year, by speaking with local religious leaders and family planning experts. As the political wrangling over the method of nominating chief executive candidates in 2017 shows no sign of abating, we have decided to get up close and personal with veteran pro-Beijing barrister Ms Maria Tam Wai-chu to find out her vision for universal suffrage in Hong Kong. On the societal front, we offer insight into a quiet revolution spearheaded by a group of local guerilla gardeners who plant "seed bombs" on the streets to trigger rethink on the ownership of the city's public spaces. With the rising threat of cybercrime in Hong Kong, we have decided to take a closer look at a recent surge in webcam blackmail cases involving sex chat between Hong Kong residents and overseas nationals. Finally, we welcome any feedback letters or emails from you on our stories and design layouts. Last but not least, we wish all our readers a Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays. Editor-in-chief Brian Yap