Freedom of Speech Should Prevail but It Must Not Misinform
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CHINA DAILY | HONG KONG EDITION Tuesday, March 10, 2020 | 9 COMMENTHK Freedom of speech This time, things should prevail but it really are di erent for Hong Kong he 2020 budget is over, delivered in must not misinform unexpectedly trying times as a result of the coronavirus that is attacking says it’s vital for the media to be fair, the community in every possible Ho Lok-sang Tway: physically, psychologically and economi- cally. Predictably, public attention has homed objective and balanced when reporting on police in on the proposal to give every Hong Kong permanent resident a cash sum of HK$10,000 Rachel Cartland operations at a time when our city is deeply polarized ($1,287), a handsome amount by any stan- The author is a co-host of RTHK’s Backchat dards. It is, of course, not the fi rst time that radio program and supporter of various wel- ommissioner of was the reason people had lost faith this has been done, but a handout from the fare NGOs. She is a former assistant director of Police Chris Tang in the force. government is normally controversial. social welfare. Ping-keung recently To be fair, in the face of extreme Some who favor such gestures have argued lodged a complaint to violence and criminal activities on a that it is only reasonable, in good times, to It may seem strange, but it the Communications massive scale, often life-threatening, hand back to the community some of what is true that avoiding means Authority and Direc- such as what we have witnessed in they have contributed either through taxes or tor of Broadcasting Ho Lok-sang Hong Kong since June, it is to be through their labor. However, there are strong tests will be the best course Leung Ka-wing, saying that an epi- The author is a senior research fellow expected that the necessary force arguments against this too. In general, the Csode in the program Headliner aired at Pan Sutong Shanghai-Hong Kong to deal with the situation could be conduct of public fi nances should be smooth to take in some circum- Economic Policy Research Institute at by RTHK undermined police work lethal, and that some police o cers rather than jolting or jumpy, with long-term Lingnan University. stances. The case for this and would lead to an erosion of law could lose their minds and behave rather than short-term perspectives. Thus, if and order. badly. I am not condoning excessive hard work and good management has allowed revolves around simplicity. The main complaint, as Tang All media and political force, but I need to point out that more to be accumulated than required for stressed, was not the style of presen- officeholders need to from the United Kingdom to France, immediate needs, there are two legitimate tation. He said that he often enjoyed from the United States to Chile, there courses to be followed once su cient reserves have long been part of daily life, computers the program, and would not mind realize that they wield have been complaints against police have been put away for that “rainy day”, which, and information technology sometimes get to being caricatured. What he opposes is brutality each time the police had to as we can all see, has fi nally now arrived! First, be regarded as magical, which, in turn, means misinformation and the unbalanced a lot of influence on the handle massive protests and riots. In taxes can be reduced, which means that citi- that little thought is given to the genuine dif- presentation of citizens’ views. public mind. Making comparison, Hong Kong’s police force zens will always have a little more to spend on fi culties involved in adjusting major systems In particular, an episode that aired as a whole has not used excessive their own priorities, and businesses have more and the scope for disaster if something too on Feb 14 gave police the nickname this polarization worse force. Media organizations that try scope to invest for future growth or to be more ambitious is attempted on too short a time “Scary” (“scary” and “police” sound goes against the inter- to undermine the credibility of the generous to employees and customers. Second, scale. All in all, not means testing can some- rather similar in Cantonese), accus- police force are doing a disservice to the government can make its own long-term times be the best way forward. ing “Scary” of canceling patrols and est of Hong Kong and Hong Kong. investments, not in stocks and shares but in So, here we are in the fi rst quarter of 2020 hoarding supplies used for protection The chief superintendent in charge the health and welfare of its citizens and their and, as we all know, the picture is bleak. As against infections. The police com- will particularly hurt the of public relations recently wrote to children. We all know that for quite some a community, we are making magnifi cent missioner stressed that the police had interests of our young Apple Daily to complain about the time, there has been a crying need for more e¤ orts to control the coronavirus epidemic, never canceled its patrols and had use of a misleading title in a news public housing and, while we are fortunate in and these have rightly been praised by the never hoarded anti-epidemic sup- people in the long term. report. The news report was about a health service that has helped to achieve the World Health Organization. These e¤ orts plies. The police always apply for sup- a meeting between the police and world’s longest life expectancy for Hong Kong have, however, required tremendous sacrifi c- plies with the Government Logistics the chairpeople of school principals people, there are too many shortcomings such es as businesses struggle and workers are laid Department according to need, and January were arbitrarily ruled associations and parent-teacher as excessive waiting times at specialist out- o¤ . Even in the best of times when there was distribute them to front-line o cers by police as not suspicious. Tang associations from all 18 districts in clinics. So, in normal times, there are many less of a case for handouts, there were many strictly according to internal guide- stressed that the police had complet- Hong Kong. In that meeting, the better uses for our riches than a straight trans- in the community for whom the handouts lines. ed their investigations professionally police tried to persuade principals fer to people’s pockets. were welcome bright spot in the daily strug- The head of corporate communi- and all the evidence collected indi- and teacher-parent associations to The mechanics of the cash handouts have gle to make ends meet. Now, though, those cations and standards at RTHK, Ng cated no foul play was involved. dispel unsubstantiated rumors and also been controversial, exemplifying a grinding fi nancial anxieties are being felt by Man-yee, in her o cial response to The commissioner knows public to respond promptly to misinforma- dilemma common to many public services: many more, including some who would nor- Tang, wrote that “Headliner uses sat- trust in the police has fallen, and did tion that circulates in social media or to means test or to hand out to all, whether mally be regarded as from the professional ire to refl ect social situations of the not disagree with the fact that some elsewhere, in the hope that students needy or not. There is no doubt as to what the or middle classes who now see work dry up moment and the views of citizens as police o cers misbehaved. As a mat- will not be led by misinformation logical answer should be as it is surely irratio- and clients disappear. The pain is truly excep- informed by research.” The commis- ter of fact, an o cial reprimand had to commit illegal acts. Apple Daily nal to give our carefully accumulated dollars tional and so this time exceptional measures sioner responded by saying he had been given to those found not to have used the headline: “Police wrongly to those to whom a few thousand is meaning- are fully justifi ed. no issue with this at all, but he could conducted themselves properly. He accuse students of illegal acts based less as they already have so much. Similarly, Many will have to spend this windfall on not accept the distortion of facts. He further added that the reprimand on rumors.” it seems odd to give to those who are not immediate needs. Those who are less fi nan- stressed that the alleged hoarding of was not the end of the story for those Sadly, the media is adding fuel presently living in Hong Kong. And, taking cially stressed may like to take a leaf out of supplies had never happened and the who had committed any wrongdo- to the fi re of polarization in Hong into account these good arguments, many Bernard Charnwut Chan’s book. The convener police had never canceled patrols. ing. There may still be investigations Kong. I was appalled when one newly government benefi ts are indeed means-tested of the Executive Council announced a personal Moreover, if the program Headliner and further action taken against the elected district councilor put a notice so that assistance is directed toward those donation to non-subvented charitable organi- is to refl ect citizens’ views, since wrongdoers. outside his o ce saying that “No who are part of our community and who most zations. He has worked in this fi eld on a volun- many citizens support the police and However, the fact that some police entry for ‘blue ribbons’ and dogs.” need it.