2007-10-18

A Critical View of the CE's Policy Address

Here is veteran journalist Philip Bowring's take on the Chief Executive's Policy Address from the Asia Sentinel website. Bowring, a longtime Hong Kong resident and the former editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review, argues that Donald Tsang "made no significant steps to address the two most evident local problems, pollution and the income gap. Indeed, other measures he announced could make them worse." He goes on:
"As for initiatives to enhance Hong Kong’s role as an international centre they were thin on the ground. Years after Islamic finance became significant and long after London and other non-Islamic centers had rules governing it, Hong Kong’s myopic bureaucrats have just discovered it.

Indeed, Tsang seems to have almost abandoned the idea that Hong Kong should be an international city on its own account. Eager now to pander to Beijing as he once pandered to his colonial masters and to the Pope, he now urges Hong Kong to see its future in terms of capitalizing on the strength of the motherland as though there were not a vast number of businesses, particularly in the high value added services, which owe little or nothing to dealings with the mainland.

In short the Policy Address makes depressing reading for those hoping to see Hong Kong modernize its thinking and its leadership, and reduce the collusion between government and big business at the expense of the community. This is neither a blueprint for the 'harmonious society' goal of President Hu nor a city in the forefront of the world."
Fair criticism? What do you think?

2007-10-17

Recap: Lecture Six - Hong Kong and the Role of the Media

We had quite a few people away on Reading Week activities, so I thought I would provide a more detailed summary of our discussion. As usual, I have posted on the WebCT site the Powerpoint file for today's lecture.

These were the salient points from today's class:
  • The globalization of media has been manifested in the growth of global media organizations and the proliferation of content due to the emergence of new channels of delivery, particularly the Internet.

  • In the 1980s-90s, Hong Kong became a key playing field for global media groups such as Time Warner and Dow Jones that entered the market with an eye to establishing a foothold in the Asian market.

  • But even as media has globalized, there has also been a surge in regional or local alternatives such as StarTV which had mixed results with its English-language programming but had huge success with its Hindi broadcasts.

  • Key point: Even as globalization has led to the emergence of a more global consciousness among media consumers and the penetration of Asian markets by global media groups, there has also been a parallel rise in regional and local options that cater to people who want content in their own language or framed with a regional or local perspective. Hong Kong is no exception. So while consumers have clamored for "global content" such as English football or CNN International, they have also snapped up new, vibrant local products such as Apple Daily.

  • Our two guests, Zoher Abdoolcarim, Senior Editor of Time Asia, and Liu Kin-ming, Director of Special Projects at Hong Kong Economic Journal, discussed how Hong Kong's news media has changed since the handover. Kin-ming noted that the different news outlets in Hong Kong cater to the tastes and perspectives of their readers or viewers. English-language publications often cover topics and developments that receive little attention from Chinese-language publications, and vice versa.

  • Referring to the "Death of Hong Kong" cover story that Fortune Magazine ran in 1995, Zoher noted that the title was meant to be provocative but that the article itself was more nuanced and argued that Hong Kong was in for a big change in 1997; it was not really as dire as the title might have led the reader to believe. But that said, there were genuine fears among Hong Kong people about the future of the city and many citizens who could do so were getting foreign passports in case anything went wrong. The worries were certainly fueled by the events of 4 June 1989 and the crushing of pro-democracy demonstrations in Beijing. This certainly colored foreign perspectives of Hong Kong's post-1997 future and of course raised concerns among local people.

  • Kin-ming said that during the initial period after the handover, the media in Hong Kong was feeling its way, wondering what the situation would be. This might have meant that some media were holding back, but once they found that nothing had really changed, then they continued as before. Clearly, self-censorship does happen, but this is not something that happened after the handover but was practiced beforehand, under the British, only there were different interests involved. As for the foreign media, there is little, if anything, that a publication like Time wouldn't cover if its editors thought it would be of interest to readers. But foreign media are not interested in the minutiae of developments in Hong Kong and China, looking instead at more big-picture issues and stories. Zoher noted that Time Asia's special on the tenth anniversary of the handover did not run in the Time U.S. domestic edition. There was never any thought that it would do so. There is just no interest in such a story among editors in New York.
  • One test case might be the coverage of the Dalai Lama's public meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush. In any of Hong Kong's newsrooms, are there editors who would want to bury such a story in the back pages instead of putting an article and/or photo on the front page? Kin-ming reckoned that certain newspapers in Hong Kong would minimize the story and even take a critical editorial view. But it is not unusual even in Western developed countries for the media to have a political slant or bias. British newspapers, for example, are renowned for leaning a particular way.
  • Zoher stressed that the evolution of media in Hong Kong should be seen against the backdrop of great change in China and in the perception of China. This is not the China of 1979 or 1989. There has been great progress in the mainland. In addition, the Chinese media itself has changed. While there are still much stricter limits on the news media than there are in Hong Kong, Chinese reporters are able to do much more than before. Kin-ming noted that Chinese journalists are highly skilled at working the system, doing as much as they can without over-stepping bounds. Many are fully aware of what it takes to be an excellent journalist, but they must work within the limits.
  • Both guests remarked on the proliferation of media in Hong Kong - the wider choice, the increase in the channels of delivery, and the easier access to global products. One recent phenomenon has been the rise in tabloid reporting, which some media critics have regarded as a form of self-censorship in that reporting on celebrities avoids having to delve into serious or sensitive issues. Zoher underscored that one should not take an elitist view - that there is room for both serious reporting and reporting on pop culture. Consumers want both. What is important is that, with the proliferation of choice, we as consumers of media should become more discriminating. We should judge for ourselves what sources of information are reliable and worthy of trust - and which ones aren't.
  • There was some discussion about the situation in Singapore, which paradoxically has succeeded in attracting some media groups to set up regional headquarters in the city, though it has a reputation for placing limits, either direct or indirect, on both local and foreign journalists. A reason for Singapore's success in attracting companies like Reuters to set up major operations in the city is that the government has provided incentives and the technological infrastructure to suppot these enterprises. They do not worry about what is broadcast from Singapore and are only concerned about what coverage of Singapore is distributed locally. Business and economic news is generally not a problem; they are more vigilant with reporting on local political and social issues. There have been many instances of Singapore leaders suing journalists for libel.
  • The media plays a vital role in Hong Kong as a check on vested interests and the excesses of political and business leaders, a mirror to society and a mirror of society, and a source of information and entertainment. The media in Hong Kong has globalized just as Hong Kong has globalized. The question is whether the media, particularly the press, can remain free and vibrant, despite the pressures that may exist that somehow fuel self-censorship and could make Hong Kong less attractive not only to investors but to its citizens.

Reporters Without Borders: Worldwide Press Freedom Index

Coincidentally, the Paris-based group Reporters Without Borders has just released its Worldwide Press Freedom Index for 2007. Hong Kong is ranked No. 61, right alongside Madagascar and just below Kosovo and ahead of Kuwait. A low ranking, I should note, does not necessarily mean that journalists are not free to report what they want, but may be an indication of the conditions in which reporters work and the threats they face. So for example, the Philippines, where the media can be quite active and vocal, comes in at No. 128, I would surmise, because some reporters there have been killed in the line of duty. The bottom-ranked countries are North Korea (No. 168) and Eritrea (No. 169). Once again, those cold countries in the North do well: Iceland and Norway (tied at No. 1), Estonia and Slovakia (joint No. 3), and Belgium, Finland and Sweden (all three at No. 5).

Next Week: A Journalist and Politician

Following on from today's discussion on the media, next week we will have as our guest former journalist Emily Lau Wai-hing, who is now a directly elected member of the Legislative Council and one of the founders of the political group The Frontier. Given her background, we will use as the starting point of the class exactly where we left off today: the state of freedom of the press in Hong Kong. I have asked Ms Lau to give her views on Hong Kong since the handover, focusing on political and social developments and the SAR's interaction with the mainland. She is never one to hold back so it should be very interesting, perhaps even provocative. You might wish to look through her website to learn about her background and policy positions.

Please note that due to her commitments at Legco, we will begin the session with Ms Lau at 9.30 am and will end around 10.45 am. After a break, we will go on until 11.30 am, as usual.

2007-10-15

Hong Kong and the Role of the Media

I hope that, although it is Reading Week, as many of you as possible will be able to make it to our lecture on Wednesday. As you know, our topic will be the media - the coverage of Hong Kong in the local, mainland and foreign media, as well as the role of the media in the SAR. We will have two great guests:
We are very fortunate to have two of Hong Kong's top journalists coming to class. In advance of our session, you might read Zoher's thoughtful Time Asia cover story on the tenth anniversary of the handover, which I have recommended before. The anniversary issue includes an interesting roundtable discussion in which Anson Chan, Christine Loh, tycoon Gordon Wu, China Daily editor Raymond Zhou and Daniel Fung participated. You might also check out Kin-ming's excellent blog.

Seminar: Media and Politics

One of your colleagues kindly brought to my attention this Journalism and Media Studies Centre seminar on "Politics in a Media Society", which will take place on Wednesday, 17 October. Coincidentally, the topic will complement what we will be discussing in our class the same day. I'm not familiar with Prof. Donsbach's work, but I expect that the discussion should be very interesting.

2007-10-14

The 17th National Congress of the Communist Party of China

China's Communist Party is convening its 17th National Congress starting tomorrow. Held every five years, the party congress is the most important political event in China and is the time when pivotal leadership and policy changes are made. Hong Kong delegates will be attending the meeting this week. No shift in policy on the SAR is expected. You may be interested in this Reuters article on Hong Kong's political development and this story from yesterday's South China Morning Post (NB: access to scmp.com is limited).

Forum on the Chief Executive's Policy Address

For those of you who are free on Monday afternoon, 15 October, from 1 pm to 2.15 pm, you may be interested in a forum on the Chief Executive's Policy Address which has been organized by the Department of Social Work and Social Administration. Christine Loh Kung-wai, founder and CEO of the think tank Civic Exchange, will be on the panel. She always has something interesting to say.