The Foreign Correspondents' Club Hong Kong

FCC restrictions remain in place

FCC restrictions remain in place

Dear Members,

The Government announced an extension of the existing social distancing measures. Please note that showing proof of a negative rapid antigen test (RAT) result obtained within 24 hours before entering the relevant premises WILL NOT be applied to our club members and guests. This new measure is only applying to bars, pubs and nightclubs but the FCC is not affected because we operate as a clubhouse catering premise.

The Club restrictions and vaccine pass implementation will remain in place, feel free to visit https://www.fcchk.org/fcc-restrictions-update-on-2-june-2022/ for more information.

We thank all Members for their understanding and your continued support.

Keith Richburg

President

16 June 2022

FCC restrictions update on 2 June 2022

FCC restrictions update on 2 June 2022

Dear Members:

The current precautionary measures will be extended from June 2 until further notice. The current policies will continue as follows;

•	All restaurants will be open until 11:59 p.m. every day. Last orders for food will be at 10:50 p.m., while last orders for drinks will be at 11:30 p.m.
•	Maximum number per table is 8 now, each member can bring 3 guests.
•	Private functions and meetings can accommodate up to 120 persons. Please contact our team at [email protected] to discuss.
•	Still there is no music performances at Bert’s will be held at this time.
•	The health club continues to open, although the sauna and steam room will remain closed. No more than 6 people are allowed in the health club at a time and masks are no longer required while exercising. Pre-register is required with the gym attendant at 2844 2849.
•	All persons must wear a face mask at all times within Club premises, except when eating or drinking at the table.
•	Staff continues to complete a COVID-19 rapid test every 3 days.

The Club continues to implement the government’s “Vaccine Pass”. Anyone who is unable to provide valid proof of vaccination will be denied entry to the Club. Please be reminded that you and your guest are required to complete the 3rd dose starting from May 31. Please remember to upload your 3rd jab record to your LHS app and make sure you’re using the latest version of the app. See below for more details on the number of doses the pass requires and arrangement for recovered persons.
(https://www.info.gov.hk/gia/general/202203/20/P2022032000438.htm?f_ontSize_=1)

Please be aware that mask wearing is a government requirement except when eating and drinking, and anyone not wearing a mask faces a $5,000 fine. In case of an inspection and a fine being issued, the Club is not responsible.

We thank all Members for their understanding and your continued support.

Keith Richburg
President

2 June 2022

FCC AGM on May 30

FCC AGM on May 30

Dear Members,

We’d like to remind everyone of Monday’s Annual General Meeting which will start promptly at 6pm in the Main Dining Room. We are aware there is additional interest this year so to help facilitate a smoothly-run meeting, here are some answers to questions members have asked recently:

How many people can attend?

Our capacity is 150.

Why can’t we get a bigger venue?

The location must be included in the official AGM notice, per our Articles of Association, and cannot be changed without restarting the AGM-holding process. Our Articles also compel the Club to hold an AGM between 15-31 May each year, so we can’t restart the process either.

Can motions be put forward at the AGM that were not included in the AGM notice?

No. However, under Any Other Business (AOB), members can bring up any issue for discussion. If there is a request for a vote, the Chair can allow a vote to get a sense of the membership’s views, but the result of any vote is not binding on the board because the issues were not included in the AGM notice. This is common corporate AGM practice around the world to allow members to be notified in advance of issues to be discussed.

Who can vote at AGMs?

All voting Members – that is, Correspondent, Journalist and Associate Members. Please note the capacity constraints on attendance.

What if I can’t attend but want to vote?

You can arrange a proxy – that is, nominate a Member attending to vote for you – by filling in a form and getting the original to Reception by Saturday, May 28 at 6pm. We are still looking into whether we can accept electronic versions and hope to have an answer later today. Please contact the concierge at 2521 1511 or email [email protected] with your email details if you’d like to be informed once we’ve clarified that.

What if Members want to compel the Board to do something not already on the AGM agenda?

Members can call for an Extraordinary General Meeting to be held at a later date. The rules around holding EGMs can be found in our Articles of Association.

Can we stream the meeting to expand capacity?

No. It’s not possible to do that at this point, not least since votes in the meeting have to be checked by our auditors. This is a legal requirement and we’re currently not set up to do this remotely.

What if I have other questions?

Please contact the concierge at 2521 1511 or email me at [email protected] and we’ll do our best to answer before the meeting.

Keith Richburg

President

27 May 2022

FCC Board of Governors 2022-2023 Election Result

Congratulations to the new FCC Board of Governors for 2022-2023. They will begin serving after the Annual General Meeting on May 30.

We would like to thank the outgoing Board members for their service.

The new Board members are listed below.

PRESIDENT

Keith RICHBURG

FIRST VICE PRESIDENT

Hannamiina TANNINEN

SECOND VICE PRESIDENT

Tim HUXLEY

CORRESPONDENT GOVERNORS

Rebecca BAILEY
Jennifer JETT
Kari Soo LINDBERG
Kristie LU STOUT
Shai OSTER
Olivia PARKER
Peter PARKS

JOURNALIST GOVERNORS

Zela CHIN
Joe PAN

ASSOCIATE GOVERNORS

Genavieve ALEXANDER
LIU Kin-ming
Christopher SLAUGHTER
Richard WINTER

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club Awards Clare Hollingworth Fellowships

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club Awards Clare
Hollingworth Fellowships

FELLOWS

Amy Sood

Amy Sood is joining AFP after recently earning her master’s degree from the University of Hong Kong’s journalism program. She has previously interned with CNN and NBC News.

Hillary Leung

Hillary Leung is an Associate Editor at Coconuts Hong Kong, where she covers everything from politics to social issues. She was previously a reporter for TIME magazine and an intern at news verification agency Storyful.

The Foreign Correspondents’ Club, Hong Kong is pleased to announce that it has chosen Amy Sood and Hillary Leung as recipients of the third annual Clare Hollingworth Fellowship, named in honor of the preeminent and path-breaking journalist.

The panel of judges noted the winners offer clear potential as future leaders both within the FCC and the wider Hong Kong journalism community.

The Fellowship is focused on early-career journalists and current journalism school students in Hong Kong.

The open competition drew significant interest from a cross spectrum of applicants. The adjudicators noted the high standard of applicants and encouraged all to apply again next year.

For further information on the Clare Hollingworth Fellowship, please visit https://www.fcchk.org/clarehollingworth/.

FCC Board of Governors 2021-2022 Election Result

Congratulations to the new FCC Board of Governors for 2021-2022. They will begin serving after the Annual General Meeting on May 25.

We would like to thank the outgoing Board members for their service.

The new Board members are listed below.

PRESIDENT

Keith Richburg

FIRST VICE PRESIDENT

Hannamiina Tanninen

SECOND VICE PRESIDENT

Tim Huxley

CORRESPONDENT GOVERNORS

Lucy Colback
Jennifer Hughes
Kristie Lu Stout
Iain Marlow
Shai Oster
Austin Ramzy
Dan Strumpf
Eric Wishart

JOURNALIST GOVERNORS

Clifford Buddle
Zela Chin

ASSOCIATE GOVERNORS

Genavieve Alexander
Liu Kin-ming
Christopher Slaughter
Richard David Winter

Notice to members re COVID-19

Notice to members re COVID-19

Dear Members:

In light of recent cases in Central, the Club’s priority is to maintain a safe and healthy environment for staff, members and guests. Out of an abundance of caution, we would like to ask that any Member who is living with or has been in close contact with a person issued with a government compulsory testing order, to obtain a Covid test and refrain from using the Club facilities until they have received a negative result. For the latest list of restricted premises, please refer to the Government Gazette at https://www.gld.gov.hk/egazette/english/gazette/toc.php

In keeping with government requirements, all members and guests are required to scan the QR code displayed at the entrance of the club with the “LeaveHomeSafe” app, or to register their personal details at the front desk when checking in.

For more information please contact the Club via email [email protected] or phone 2521 1511.

We would like to thank you for your understanding and support during these special times.

FCC Minimum Spend

FCC Minimum Spend

Dear Members:

Whilst the FCC has continued to operate despite the COVID-19 related restrictions, the Board is aware that some members have not been able to fully utilise their membership in recent months. In consideration of this, it has been agreed that the minimum spend requirement which would normally be charged to members at the end of March will be rolled over for three months and will now appear on members’ June accounts. The facility to purchase vouchers for later use will also continue to be available. We would like to take this opportunity to thank all members for their continued support of the FCC.

15 March 2021

A Message from the FCC President

Dear FCC Members:

This is a bittersweet note to write. I will be leaving Hong Kong in late December, moving to Bloomberg’s Global Business team in New York as a senior editor helping guide our coverage of the U.S. government response to the Covid-19 virus and the vaccine rollout.

It has been one of the highlights of my professional life to be president of the FCC for the past 18 months and to serve on the Board of Governors before that. This is the world’s best press club and a standard bearer of press freedom — a mission I cherish. I wish I could finish my second term yet this is a professional opportunity I can’t pass up. Family reasons are also calling me back to the U.S. The pandemic has made it difficult to live so far away from my elderly mother and my young-adult sons, without being able to travel.

The FCC will remain in excellent hands. I have been fortunate to work with a top-notch Board of Governors, who I know will make a wise choice in early January as to who will take over the presidency for the five months left after I end my term on Dec. 31. I plan to fully carry out my duties until then. We also are fortunate to have a terrific staff, led by our general manager, Didier Saugy.

I will be around the FCC through the holiday season. I hope to be able to see many of you and raise a toast to the world’s best press club.

Thank you,

Jodi Schneider
Hong Kong
Dec. 1, 2020

FCC Continues Anti-Virus Restrictions

FCC Continues Anti-Virus Restrictions

Dear Members:

The Hong Kong government is again tightening its anti-virus restrictions; a few changes affect the FCC. The club will comply with the measures as follows:

•	All restaurants will close at 11:59 p.m. every day. Last orders for food will be 10:50 p.m. while last orders for drinks will be 11:30 p.m.
•	The takeaway menu is available from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., though last orders must be made by 9:00 p.m. The menu can be downloaded from our website at fcchk.org. Please place orders with the FCC Restaurant at 2844 2806 or [email protected]. Orders will be confirmed by a phone call.
•	Up to four people are allowed at tables in all outlets and the number of guests per member remains at three.
•	All outlets are restricted to 50% capacity. Please book ahead.
•	Live performances are suspended.
•	In-person events will continue, though four-per-table limits, a limit to 40 in the room, distancing and mask-wearing requirements are strictly enforced.
•	Banqueting has resumed except for cocktail parties, and distancing and mask-wearing while not eating or drinking are being enforced. The number of participants per event is limited to 40. Please contact the banquet team at 2844 2838 or [email protected] to book.
•	The gym is open yet the sauna and steam room remain closed. No more than four people are allowed at a time. Wearing a mask while exercising is not required in the gym. Please pre-register with the gym attendant at 2844 2849.
•	The workroom is open from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Wearing a mask is required.
•	As of Dec 2, it will be mandatory for the FCC to register a “LeaveHomeSafe” venue QR code from the government and display the QR code at the entrance of the club to facilitate check in by members and guests and keep a record of visits with their mobile phones.

In keeping with government requirements and best practices, all members, guests and staff must wear face masks except when eating or drinking. Hand sanitizer must be used. The FCC will continue the temperature-taking and declaration measures upon entry to the club, as well as the frequent cleaning protocols throughout the building.

People who have travelled overseas in the past 14 days are not allowed to visit the club, even once the “travel bubble” with Singapore begins.

Thank you for your continued support of the FCC.

25 November 2020