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James Griffiths

@jamestgriffiths.com
11K followers 412 following 405 posts

🇨🇦 Asia correspondent, @theglobeandmail.com 📚 Author, ‘The Great Firewall of China’ and ‘Speak Not’ 📍 Hong Kong 🔒 jgriffiths.852

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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 10/08/2026
Needless to say, this isn't a "black box" election for actual members of HKJA, candidates are simply not exposed to the harassment and employer pressure that resulted in the very situation Tang claims to abhor. Tang himself instigated much of that pressure in past via repeated attacks on the JA.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 29/07/2026
All purpose reply image.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 29/07/2026
Great old ad I found in a 1931 edition of the New York Times:
Ad reads: "What a FOOL he is! A crank about his Budget and careless of his GUMS."
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 20/07/2026
China "is becoming more willing to be seen," by tourists who will be easily impressed and won't look too hard. At same time Beijing is introducing visa-free travel for many, it's also expelling foreign journalists and heavily restricting those that remain. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
"But while the visa-free experiment will not resolve strategic rivalry or erase disputes over trade, technology and security at a time when many countries are raising barriers, Beijing has chosen, in one important domain, to lower them. China is no longer simply trying to explain itself better. It is becoming more willing to be seen."
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 29/06/2026
Die Zeit also pulls this crap. Surprised this behaviour has not been regulated out of existence in the EU, is clearly predatory, hoping people won't bother or will put off and forget and keep being charged.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 22/06/2026
Starmer may resign as Labour leader and therefore Prime Minister, but he cannot resign as a member of parliament, but must be sacked by appointment to the Chiltern Hundreds, per a law from 1623. www.hansardsociety.org.uk/publications...
Since 1623, MPs have not been allowed simply to resign from the House of Commons. Instead, they must accept an office that legally disqualifies them from being an MP. Appointment to one of two historic “offices of profit under the Crown” – the Chiltern Hundreds or, alternatively, the Manor of Northstead – achieves this.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 07/05/2026
lmao, somehow, one of the biggest grifters in media returned www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/bus...
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 06/05/2026
Another hit email from SCMP's engagement team, again with horrible comments that don't seem to line up with the article they're ostensibly promoting. (And yes, I did unsubscribe last time, they apparently ignored that.)
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 28/04/2026
Neither did European air travellers...? www.ft.com/content/4004...
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 27/04/2026
Style and metadata suggests the photos in this article were shot on film, would be interesting to know why the photographer chose to do so, what their usual practice is. Not super detailed, but in a blurb at the bottom similar to what the NYT already does with writers:
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 25/04/2026
Of course Times journalists have covered similar issues with other services, while their commercial team uses exact same tactics.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 25/04/2026
Why is it newspapers seem to be holdouts in making it overly difficult to cancel subscriptions, or stop auto-renewing trials? This approach is incredibly scammy and almost all users must have enough experience with other subscription services to know it's not for any technical reasons.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 21/04/2026
"For all that’s been written about the coming AI crash, very little has been written about the short-form video collapse that is clearly just over the horizon." www.garbageday.email/p/what-happe...
Screenshot of linked article.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 20/04/2026
Four days of persistently bad air pollution, with AQI above 100, including while Hong Kong hosting Rugby Sevens, with hundreds of thousands of tourists in town, and zero coverage of the problem in local media. Nor does HKO monitor or alert high AQI, far more harmful than mildly cold or hot temps.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 14/04/2026
(a) Putonghua widely used in HK schools already, with most public schools teaching Chinese via Putonghua, despite dubious pedagogical justification. (a) This would cause rapid decline of Cantonese, as in Guangdong and severely undermine the language's future viability. www.ft.com/content/1de8...
“We should really revamp our public education system. Our next generation has to be much more connected to China in terms of language and culture,” said Hui Kuok, chair and group chief executive of the Shangri-La luxury hotel group.

Kuok is the daughter of Robert Kuok, founder of the hotel group and Malaysia’s richest man.

“One way to do this could be over time to make Putonghua [Standard Mandarin] the main medium of instruction in schools,” she said, speaking at HSBC’s Global Investment Summit in Hong Kong.

“Another way could be for Hong Kong to invite some of the best public schools in China to open campuses here, just like we have done for international schools for decades.”
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 06/04/2026
Compare the profile of Nick Lichtenberg praised by Tucker to old profiles of Gawker's Neetzan Zimmerman, who was doing basically the same thing manually at the height of the Google traffic funnel. Zimmerman tried this approach again at The Messenger, it failed, and not because he couldn't use AI.
While many journalists hit the phones and cultivate source relationships, when news breaks Lichtenberg often uploads press releases or analyst notes into AI tools and prompts them to spit out articles that he can edit and publish quickly. His work involves what some view as the third rail of journalism: AI playing a leading role not just in researching, but in writing stories. Old Neiman Lab profile of Neetzan Zimmerman being a traffic machine.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 06/04/2026
This is so grim. What's the point of mass producing slop for a subscription-driven publication? This is something that would have been useful in a previous era of media, when you could have flooded Google with AI stories (as slop sites continue to do) and made ad revenue. Today, worthless.
WSJ editor wants everyone to use AI to produce slop stories that readers probably won't read and will devalue the point of subscribing to the Journal.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 03/04/2026
World's Freest Economy™ will fine you HK$3,000 for having a vape, but cigarettes are fine. And don't worry, tourists can pay their fines electronically. www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
For tourists who breach the law but do not have sufficient cash, officers will issue electronic fixed penalty tickets that allow payment via e-channels such as the Faster Payment System, Alipay and WeChat Pay.Official statistics showed Hong Kong’s smoking rate stood at 9.1 per cent for those aged 15 and over in 2023, among the lowest in developed economies. Fewer than 1 per cent reported daily use of heated tobacco or vapes.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 01/04/2026
The Daily Star was, along with fellow Bangladeshi daily Prothom Alo, torched by a far-right mob in December 2025. Both papers only missed a single day in print, with staff determined to keep the papers going in defiance of those who tried to silence them.
Mahfuz Anam holds up a copy of The Daily Star with the headline "Unbowed," produced after the attacks.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 25/03/2026
Staggeringly bad promotional email from SCMP, not only do I have no desire to read the comments, but the ~top~ highlighted one in this email is a perfect example of why. (And the second curated comment appears to be from a different article entirely...)
Screenshot of an SCMP promotional email asking "do you agree" with four comments on an article. The article in question is about refugees, and the top comment is some bigot.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 12/02/2026
those scientists are soon to be going on ~an adventure~
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 04/02/2026
I don't always understand his Canadian sports columns, but my colleague Cathal Kelly (and fellow Beijing 2022 survivor) is always a must read at Olympics time: www.theglobeandmail.com/sports/olymp...
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 03/02/2026
While it's understandable some fear the loss of figures like Gen. Zhang Youxia removes a voice of caution and makes a war over Taiwan more likely, it's hard to look at a graphic like this and think the PLA is remotely ready for such an operation.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 03/02/2026
Incredible graphic from NYT showing the depth of Xi Jinping's purge of China's military leadership in recent years: www.nytimes.com/interactive/...
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 30/01/2026
Sharing a screenshot as @dreyerchina.bsky.social doesn't post on here as regularly. The Chinese Super League continues to be the most heartbreaking to follow in all of world soccer. Shenhua in relegation zone even before the season starts, though at least they still exist, unlike poor Guangzhou.
Screenshot of a tweet from Mark Dreyer: Take a close look at the table for the upcoming 2026 Chinese Super League season. More than half the teams will start on negative points for a variety of corruption-related offenses dating as far back as 2012.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 26/11/2025
POV: you give one interview to Chinese state media.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 31/10/2025
In case any residents of Gyeongju weren’t annoyed at the inconvenience associated with hosting APEC meetings, the authorities are blowing up people’s phones with 2-3 emergency alerts every day about traffic and facility closures.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 23/10/2025
"By controlling access, the British Government maintains a handle on the narrative of its colonial administration and on the broader history of Hong Kong." www.historyworkshop.org.uk/empire-decol...
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 23/10/2025
"Questions I fielded from diplomats, scholars, journalists ... revealed how distorted the picture of the US has become. The Party’s success in sealing out Western influence has also sealed in ignorance about the American policy process and political economy." www.choosingvictory.com/p/a-proud-su...
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 21/10/2025
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 03/10/2025
Australia Expands Sunscreen Recalls Over False SPF Claims: www.nytimes.com/2025/10/02/w...
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 25/09/2025
While many foreign journalists remain barred from mainland China, at least this guy is having a nice time.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 22/09/2025
I wrote about the Hong Kong Ghost Signs project and efforts to preserve and conserve our rapidly changing city's history: www.theglobeandmail.com/world/articl...
A logo dating from the 1980s can still be seen on the Hong Kong Ice and Cold Storage Dairy Farm building, alongside another ghost sign advertising Good Companion cigarettes.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 22/09/2025
"The now-defeated [same-sex partnerships] bill was the government’s attempt to meet the deadline, but only in an absolutely minimalist way." www.scmp.com/opinion/hong...
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 19/09/2025
One feature The Globe’s app has that I wish others would replicate is this tab collating news alerts. Maybe I’m weird in instinctively clearing alerts on lock screen and then wishing I could have clicked them but it’d also be useful for record keeping to see what outlets alerted overnight etc.
Screenshot showing The Globe and Mail app with Alerts tab highlighted.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 11/09/2025
Beijing warned there may be people with “ulterior motives” who try to “politicise” and manipulate the issue. "They aim to disrupt Hong Kong’s harmony and stability, hampering the city from achieving prosperity." Hong Kong society should remain “vigilant,” it said. hongkongfp.com/2025/09/11/l...
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 05/09/2025
Funnily enough this piece never mentions what exactly the author might have heard about Xinjiang pre-2019, or how he went about "fact-checking" it. But hey, he had a nice conversation with a cop. www.ecns.cn/news/cns-wir...
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 31/08/2025
Both Octopus and credit card/NFC payments are far more convenient to consumers than clunky China-style QR code solutions, it's not backward to prefer them.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 29/08/2025
funny that
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 29/08/2025
(fwiw, I doubt Mance, a vegetarian-vegan, wrote that headline) Notable shift I've seen in recent years is that vegans ~aren't~ the butt of the joke anymore, or even necessarily seen as scolds, as most people agree with need for veganism on principle, even if they can't follow through.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 14/08/2025
"Interpreting China demands a mindset grounded in evidence rather than instinct. Healthy curiosity is important, but it must be paired with scepticism and an awareness of how easily compelling stories can lead us astray." www.lowyinstitute.org/the-interpre...
Screenshot from linked article.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 08/07/2025
Given this is focused on Hong Kong, surely it's the city's "hottest Siusyu?"
Headline reading: Explainer | Hong Kong’s hottest Xiaoshu: what does it mean and how can you cope?
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 05/07/2025
Only the NPP has come out in favour of the current bill, DAB, FTU and Liberal Party are opposing it on conservative grounds. On the latter, worth comparing that stance to the Liberal Party's manifesto:
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 05/07/2025
(a) Polling shows public opinion broadly in favour of same-sex marriage. (b) Funny how suddenly a law extending rights needs public support but others are passed despite massive opposition. www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 04/07/2025
Members of post-2021 "Patriotic" LegCo have found their voices to criticize the govt: over a proposal that falls short of constitutionally-required protections (but they would have be even weaker) on an issue where they are firmly on the wrong side of public opinion. www.scmp.com/news/hong-ko...
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 27/06/2025
This isn't to call out the FT. AP also used it as an apparently neutral descriptor, when it manifestly isn't.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 27/06/2025
Not sure when "pragmatic" became a synonym for centrist, but it's a descriptor that really shouldn't be getting past editors or appearing in news stories outside of quotes, given the implied value judgement about who is and is not deemed "pragmatic."
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 27/06/2025
Maybe I've gone too far the other direction in my skepticism, but rumours of Xi's weakness or demise or death or removal have come and gone so many times (from literally days before he was appointed!) that unless I see a general on TV, I'm not buying them.
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 19/03/2025
"No hablarás: Imperio, identidad y la política del lenguaje," the Spanish-language edition of "Speak Not" (a New Yorker best book of 2022) will be published on 22 May 2025. Keep an eye on this link for pre-orders in North America: www.amazon.com/-/es/No-habl...
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James Griffiths @jamestgriffiths.com · 25/02/2025
Left, an AP wire story on air quality and what you can do to protect yourself. Right, the headline Hong Kong's The Standard put on said story.
Screenshot of AP story with headline "Nearly everyone in the world breathes bad air. This is what you can do to lower your risk." Screenshot of headline in The Standard, reading "Air quality is not great so learn to live with it."
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