Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday dismissed the need for legislation against "fake news", stressing the media sector's ability to improve credibility through professionalism and self-discipline.

Lee acknowledged improvements in the dissemination of accurate information and praised the efforts of journalists' groups to combat misinformation.

He said the media industry is committed to maintaining the integrity of news reporting.

"We will monitor the situation but my take is that if this problem can be addressed by enhancing professionalism, then it should be our first choice. We need to work together. There is no need for legislation. I always think that we can handle this issue with self-discipline as well as professionalism," he said.

The CE's remarks came after Secretary for Justice Paul Lam told the SCMP in an interview that the government has ruled out introducing a fake news law, an idea proposed by the previous administration.

He said legislation in this area would be challenging due to complex legal issues surrounding the definition of fake news.