Media in Hong Kong and Global News Representation - Term Paper Example

Media in Hong Kong The innumerable resources and ways of mass communication which includes television, broadcasting, publications, journals, and newspapers, together with the people involved in their production, as a whole is called media. The media in Hong Kong is accessible to the community in the form of television, radio, journals, newspapers, magazines and the internet. These various forms of mass communications provide the local community the essential information and entertainment they need. The mass media are an essential part of Hong Kong’s citizen’s lives. Mass media plays an important and active role in affecting the way people think and act. They also play a vital role in the economic and traditional domains of the community, determining the financial prudence and cultural standards and principles of the people. The mass media is also active in the production of programs that deal with crucial issues or existing affairs in an amusing and enjoyable way. Media in Hong Kong can be categorized in three categories according to their nature. Printed media is in the form of newspapers, journals, books, etc. Electronic media includes television, radio broadcasting. The third one is the digital media that includes the internet. China’s basic law guarantees that Hong Kong will continue to enjoy freedoms since the return to Chinese rule. Hong Kong has over fifty newspaper titles and seven hundred and fifty periodicals. An estimated hundred international media organizations have headquarters and representative offices in Hong Kong. Hong Kong remains an open and tolerant society. The media has played an important role in providing an abundance of information to Hong Kong people. However in recent years the level of public opinion towards the media has changed due to bad publicity (Knight, 23). In 1998, The Apple Daily had to publish an apology following an incident in which a reporter had paid a laborer to pose in bed with a prostitute. The reason was to demonstrate infidelity which drove his wife to push her two sons out of their high rise housing flat before jumping to her death. Recent surveys found out that the public was concerned about sensational reporting, inaccuracy and emphasis on sex and violence. The issue of media ethics has become an important issue since the government declared that it would not tolerate any attempts by media to resort to violence, pornography or misrepresentation for profit .(Knight, 33). The self image and social status of journalists have also declined as compared with other occupations. There have been more negative views about the media’s decline of ethical standards and sensationalism. Journalism also has failed to enhance its expertise and hire talented people. Some people regard the news they read in newspapers as being half truth or inventions of the media. Globalization has impacted the Hong Kong media as it has resulted in a huge increase in advertising. The media has tried to respond to the changes brought by the process of globalization. Hong Kong’s media has been commercialized because of the results of globalization. The media is facing competition as they try to break the news and provide easy access to the audience. It has also been instrumental in helping Hong Kong people communicate their views and feelings with people from other parts of the world. Despite the recent negative publicity towards the Hong Kong media, there have been many positive aspects also. Globalization has taught people in Hong Kong about tolerance, peace, natural calamities and war. It has brought the horrors of modern war into the drawing room. Hong Kong’s global magazines have become the heart of the economy. The views and opinions of market leaders are read by many executives as it provides them with information about the Hong Kong business and social market. Globalization has transformed Hong Kong into a global financial centre. This position attracts mass media all over the world to set up their operations there. Many overseas publications can be found. Mass media is regulated by an independent legal system. It guarantees that practitioners can fully utilize their creativity and professional capacity to entertain the public and check on the government. Hong Kong’s media is run under commercial principles. The market plays an important role as ratings determine the income of the media organizations. Hong Kong’s media has been characterized by its prompt and quick response to any situation because it is a product of a commercial city. If there is any accident, reporters arrive at the scene before the ambulance. The quick response is always tied with the ability of the reporters to get a scoop. All reports are referenced with the sources said. Another characteristic of the media is that government intervention in Hong Kong is minimal. People can freely criticize their government while the media is independent of any political parties. The Hong Kong media has formed its own professional bodies which prevent interference by the government. A degree of censorship is still imposed by mainland China. Most of the media corporations in Hong Kong are owned by private organizations (Ghai, 35). The incident of woman along with her two children who jumped from a skyscraper in Sheung Shui and died on 19th October, 1998, caught the attention of the local media. The local media there swiftly directed their attention to the woman’s husband, Mr. Chan Kin Hong. It was suspected that Mrs. Chan committed suicide because her husband got married to another woman in China. Chan turned into the headlines of all the chief newspapers and TV channels, being represented and shown as a shameful husband and living model of trans-boundary conjugal troubles between Hong Kong and mainland China (Ghai, 37). Throughout the media’s feral pursue of the story, the Apple daily was enthusiastic to surpass its rivals that it placed a picture of Chan with two women, who were prostitutes, all three under a bed sheet in a hotel room. The public hated Chan but the question still remained that where Apple Daily got the picture? It was later exposed that Apple Daily had paid Chan HK$5,000 for the entire issue to be raised. The Apple Daily had to place a notice of admission of guilt and request for forgiveness on the front page on November 10, 1998 (Li, 54). The episode ignited ferocious and severe denigration from other media, academics and community. The issues raised and discussed was that if press created fabricate stories that were far from realism that they report and if they dynamically play an active and significant role in generating social catastrophes, the end of moral and ethical principles in press media is certain. The tarnished status of media morals and ethical principles left Hong Kong’s liberty of press more susceptible to the censorship after 1997. On April 1, 2003, a fourteen year old student copied the design of Ming Pao Website to create his own where he publicized that Hong Kong has been announced as an infected port. The rumor had it that Hong Kong would be quarantined and the supplies would be cut off very soon. This resulted in immediate panic. The mass rumors and panic led the government to issue an official denial. Newspapers were used to condemn the spread of these rumors and misinformation. The person who had spread the rumor was subsequently arrested. Another controversial issue which faced the Hong Kong media was the publishing of nude photographs of actress Carina Lau in East Magazine and Three Weekly (Li, 64). The photos were claimed to be taken from the early 1990s when the actress was kidnapped. People of all sections of society protested at the publication and called on other citizens to boycott the publications. Because of public pressure, East Magazine had to end publication of these photographs (Li, 54). Hong Kong’s media has been sensationalized when photographs of Edison Chen were discovered with film celebrities like Cecilia Cheung and Bobo Chan (Li, 55). The press was criticized for its reporting style and appearance of photographs. During the March 2008 protests in Tibet, the local media could not report on the event due to the censorship and blackout policy of the Chinese government. However unofficial video footage was obtained which was transmitted by many leading Western news agencies like CNN and BBC. These incidents have demonstrated that despite being controversial, the media in Hong Kong still plays an important role in providing information to the people of Hong Kong. Hong Kong’s freedom of press and publication is protected by the Basic Law which is the mini constitution of the territory. It is also protected by the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. The media is however governed by statutory laws. There are an estimated thirty one ordinances which are directly related to mass media. Local newspapers and news agencies have to be registered by the local authorities. License is also provided by authorities to newspaper distributors. Another statutory law controls and classifies laws which contain or consist of obscene or indecent articles. The Broadcasting Authority regulates broadcasters in Hong Kong by issuing licenses and penalties according to the Broadcasting Regulation. Another body is the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority which regulates and monitors television and radio according to proper standards (Ghai, 38). Even though mainland China does not censor any news reports coming from Hong Kong media, the acquisition of certain media by big businesses has resulted in news censorship. These organizations have close economic ties with mainland China. Some of them even have government backgrounds with ties in sensitive departments like the Ministry of National Security. The electronic media is allowed to be broadcast in mainland China. Some businesses with relations with China advertise in some media while boycott others. This poses a significant threat to the independence of the Hong Kong media. Some Hong Kong media that are not subject to control cannot send reporters to gather news in mainland China. This restricts their ability to access information and report about mainland China. Some reporters have been arrested, imprisoned or suppressed. The Chinese government also lures senior editorial staff with high salaries. These high salaried individuals are working with newspapers and media outlets that are careful not to antagonize the mainland Chinese government. Frontline reporters are controlled by their editors and managers. The reports they write are revised and distorted. Many people have been sent by mainland China to infiltrate the ranks of the frontline workers. The Hong Kong media has also been criticized for smearing certain specially designated people. The most prominent case was that of Ching Cheong who was rumoured to have took money from Taiwan and had a mistress. The woman sued the media organization which was settled in court. The organization also provided a public apology. Another example was that of legislator Leung Kwok-hung who was rumoured to have paid people to go to demonstrate. Reports about certain incidents and persons are not made. For instance a recent story about the extraction of body organs from live persons for profit was not covered by the Hong Kong media. Negative news from mainland China have been minimized or ignored so that people won’t pay attention. Some people on the mainland have demonstrated and defended their rights which have received little coverage in the Hong Kong media. Critical comments directed towards the Central government and Hong Kong government are not run. Exaggeration in order to destroy the reputation of democrats has been launched in which only one side of the story has been reported (Ghai, 38). Hong Kong is a free market which prevents an open form of media control and censorship. However other tactics have been used to ensure that freedom of press and speech is limited. Many international organizations have expressed concern over the censorship policies being pursued in Hong Kong. Recently Hong Kong’s status dropped in the index of countries with a free press. However Hong Kong’s main media associations reject the notion of censorship in Hong Kong. They argue that the Hong Kong press has reported all kinds of stories without any restrain. The crackdowns against the Falun Gong spiritual movement, repression Tibet, arrests of Chinese dissidents and violent demonstrations in rural China have been reported by the Hong Kong media. They also praise the Hong Kong media for balanced reporting of sensitive issues that continues despite criticism by the mainland Chinese government. Hong Kong’s media is a vibrant and active part of the people. It has been hailed by some for its balanced reporting of issues. Despite criticism and pressure from the Chinese mainland the level of press freedom is still high as compared with other countries. Hong Kong’s media is commercialized because of the dynamics of the global market. With an estimated fifty newspaper titles and seven hundred and fifty periodicals, Hong Kong’s people have access to a wealth of information. However the media has received bad publicity in recent years due to its coverage of scandals, sensationalism, pornographic and violent content. The social status of journalists has declined with respect to other professionals. Journalism is also not a preferred field of occupation because of its lack of expertise and talented people. Some people consider news reports to be half truths or inventions of the media. However the media has also been instrumental in teaching Hong Kong’s people about tolerance, peace and war. It has brought the horrors of modern war into the drawing room. The views and opinions of market leaders are read by many executives as it provides them with information regarding Hong Kong’s market. Some people have accused the Chinese government of using indirect measures to censor or suppress news reports which are critical of the mainland government. Some Chinese mainland organizations have acquired media outlets. This has resulted in reporting only favourable news content. Certain newspapers report only one side of the story while exaggerate certain incidents or individuals. Hong Kong’s main media organizations however have rejected this criticism by pointing out to the media’s coverage of main events like the arrest of Chinese dissidents, Tibetan unrest, violent demonstrations in rural China and other such news reports. Works Cited: Ghai, Yash P.  Hong Kong's New Constitutional Order:  The Resumption of Chinese Sovereignty and the Basic Law.  Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press, 2006. Global media spectacle:  news war over Hong Kong.  (ed. Li, Jinquan). Albany: State University of New York Press, 2002. Reporting Hong Kong:  Foreign Media and the Handover.  (ed. Knight, Alan). Richmond: Curzon Press Limited, 2005. Read More