Video 1
Topic:“The government should exercise closer controls
over the media as they have crossed the line of
decency.”
Research the issue with recent incidents in Hong Kong.
Should the government penalize the media or does
freedom of the press guarantee people’s rights to read
and watch what they like?
Vanessa Choi (5)
Lilian Fung (8)
• Janice Li, Executive Manager of Hong Kong Press
Council, was interviewed to find out the answer.
Our Presentation Outline
A. Function of the media.
B. 3 recent incidents about the press
C. Positive and negative impact of legislation
on the press
D. Other alternative methods to control the
media
E. Find out the best way to balance a free
press and privacy rights
Main functions of media
I. Send information, ideas and opinions
II. To correlate various parts of the social system
III. advertising, marketing, propaganda, public
relations, and political communication.
IV. Education and entertainment
1
Beliefs of the journalists
※Freedom of speech is a basic human right
※Freedom of press must be guaranteed under the Basic Law.
※Freedom of press should be upheld and public interest
should be the basis of media’s work.
※The principals of truth, objectively and fairness should be
respected.
1
Recent Incident!
Video 2
Gillian Chung VS Easy Finder !
 Published the pictures of Gillian Chung changing costumes
backstage during a concert in Malaysia in a cover story in August
2006.
 Easy Finder sill continued to publish the second printings on 24
August 2006.
Main functions of media?
Beliefs of the journalists?
• Gillian did not do anything illegal. She was only changing her clothes
in a room before a show.
• Photographing a celebrity changing her clothes would not be deemed
in the public interest.
Freedom of press?
Journalists have their rights?
• Response:
• at least 103 complaints to the territory’s official media
watchdog, the Television and Entertainment Licensing
Authority.
The Hong Kong Performing Artistes’ Guild
Parent’s worry
 Gillian Chung is an
idol of many
teenagers and even
kids.
 Negative image may
be developed in their
mind
 Encourage the
negative atmosphere
Second incident:
Poll on the most desirable
celebrities to indecently assault
Radio presenters
Sammy Leung and KittyYuen
Response:
 Criticism from the city’s women groups and the media
watchdog.
The Broadcasting Authority :
•It gave listeners the wrong
impression that indecent assault
was trivial and could be made fun
of.
The indecent assault involved
sexual violence and was a criminal
offence.
Punishment on the commercial radio
Commercial Radio
 HK $140,000 fine
• Kitty Yuen and Sammy
Leung
 suspended for two
months.
Response from the General
Manager, Rita Chan.
• Training would be provided to enhance
professional standard and awareness of moral
values.
• Two special committees would be set up in
channel one and channel two to monitor
programme content.
Renee Lee VS Easy Finder!
• Pictures of a 14 years old
female pop singer Renee
Lee in a wet T shirt and
striking sexy poses were
published on the
EasyFinder magazine.
Response:
• 138 complaints from
the public
• Easyfinder was
accused of having
violated the
Prevention of Child
Pornographic
materials Regulations.
Response from..
The Executive director of the
End Child Sexual Abuse
Foundation Ms Shirley
Wong Wai Kwan:
 urged the public to show
their disgust by shunnung
such publications.
Response from…
Unicef Hong Kong spokeswoman Fennie Chan:
 a child should be protected against all forms
of exploitation
 local media and parents to exercise greater
care in protecting children.
Response from..
Renee’s mother :
 I was duped!
Complaints received from the Press Council
06
20
04
20
02
Compliants received
from press Council
20
20
00
450000
400000
350000
300000
250000
200000
150000
100000
50000
0
Response from Legislative Council
Tougher
Tougher
Law
Law
Should the government propose a
tougher law?
new proposed law
• categorize the following as
criminal offense.
1. Trespass on private premises
to obtain personal
information.
2. The use of sense- enhancing
or the government plans to
recording devices to obtain
personal information of
individuals in private
premises.
Positive impact of tougher legislation
on monitoring the media
1. Better protection of citizens’ privacy.
2. Ensure that journalists obtain information,
photographs and illustrations through a correct
mean.
3. Protect the victim’s right.
Negative impact of the tougher law
•
•
•
Undermine investigative journalism in Hong
Kong.
Example:
Trespassing on private property to photograph a
dead chicken should be allowed in light of recent
bird flu fears.
• People’s right to obtain news
concerning the public interest
cannot be guaranteed.
Video 3
Other method to monitor the press
• Janice Li, the interviewee, was interviewed to suggest ways to
strike a balance between press freedom and monitoring the
industry:
1. Media watchdog should be given greater power to enhance
self-regulation in the industry.
• blacklist the media who received large number of complaints.
This would help people distinguish the good publications from
the bad one.
Distribution on the complaints by
media type
 Most of the complaints are
from the non member
newspaper
 Encourage the publisher to
join the council for easier
monitoring
2. Public Education
• Ultimately up to the consumers to decide whether or not to
purchase the publication.
•
The government could educate the public about the negative
impact of inaccurate and exaggerated reports.
• The public can show their disgust by boycotting such
publications.
Recommendation
• The government should not impose a tougher law
to control the media
• As it will reduce people’s access to information.
Media should…
• Realize that they do not
have the right to intrude
into people’s privacy to
satisfy the prurient interests
of readers.
• Apply their own sense of
ethics and morality.
• To balance a free press and privacy rights, methods
other than legislation, like education and giving
more power to monitoring groups, are the best
solution in the long term
Consumers’ responsibility.
• report any indecent publication to the Television
and Entertainment Licensing Authority to stop
the irresponsible style of reporting.
Advertisers’ responsibility
• Advertisers should refuse to
place advertisements in
these indecent publications.
Discussion questions
1. Do you support the new proposed law to monitor
the media?
2. Which method is most effective to stop the
irresponsible style of reporting?
3. How can there be a balance between press freedom
and privacy of individuals?
4. If you were the audience, would you vote in the poll
which was held by the DJ Sammy and Kitty?
5. Besides the private life of the artist, suggest other
materials which could boost the sale without
crossing the line of decency.