{"id":230672,"date":"2021-05-03T19:34:35","date_gmt":"2021-05-04T02:34:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/?p=230672"},"modified":"2021-05-06T18:05:00","modified_gmt":"2021-05-07T01:05:00","slug":"timeline-two-months-of-turmoil-at-hong-kong-public-broadcaster-rthk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chinadigitaltimes.net\/2021\/05\/timeline-two-months-of-turmoil-at-hong-kong-public-broadcaster-rthk\/","title":{"rendered":"Timeline: Two Months of Turmoil at Hong Kong Public Broadcaster RTHK"},"content":{"rendered":"
Over the weekend, the embattled Hong Kong public broadcaster Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) announced that it would begin deleting its own programming<\/a> from the internet, including all content over a year old. It is a chilling move by the broadcaster, which has been embroiled in turmoil following a change of management with the appointment of civil servant Patrick Li as its Director of Broadcasting in February. On Monday, the broadcaster also formally fired Nabela Qoser, an outspoken RTHK journalist who gained widespread recognition<\/a> during the 2019-2020 protests for her hard hitting questioning of public officials.<\/p>\n The alarming announcements over the weekend are just two episodes in a months-long saga at RTHK, which has seen the resignation of a slew of senior producers, the axing by Patrick Li of programming for lacking political “neutrality,” and the addition of a daily talk show hosted by Chief Executive Carrie Lam. Observers fear that RTHK, originally constructed in the image of the BBC as an editorially independent public broadcaster and ranked most trusted media brand in Hong Kong<\/a> in 2019, will gradually be remolded into something more closely resembling mainland China’s CCTV.<\/p>\n RTHK’s transformation and censorship is a case study in the muzzling of once venerated institutions in post-National Security Law Hong Kong. Following is a timeline of the transformation of RTHK so far.<\/p>\n It is an embarrassing scene. @WHO<\/a> Director General, Bruce Aylward, hangs up in an interview with RTHK when he is asked about reconsidering Taiwan\u2019s membership. Ironically, despite being so close to China, Taiwan manages to keep the #coronavirus<\/a> infection and fatality rate low. pic.twitter.com\/bFWRXpCyHN<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Ezra Cheung (@ezracheungtoto) Mar 28<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n Commerce minister Edward Yau Tang-wah has called for a strict review of content production procedures and internal governance at controversy-plagued Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK, which on Tuesday was ruled to have \u201cdenigrated and insulted\u201d the police force.<\/p>\n [\u2026] It was the first comment from a government official since Tuesday\u2019s Communications Authority verdict, which ruled that a February 14 episode of the political satire programme Headliner had promoted \u201cinsult and prejudice\u201d by portraying police as trash and suggesting they had hoarded masks and other personal protective equipment during the coronavirus pandemic.<\/p>\n RTHK made a public apology afterwards, and said the show would be suspended and subject to a review when its current season ended on June 19. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n A decorated Hong Kong reporter who produced an investigative documentary on the July 21, 2019 subway mob attack was arrested by police on Tuesday. The journalist, Choy Yuk-ling, who also goes by Bao Choy, was arrested for allegedly making \u201cfalse statements\u201d while accessing public records to conduct a vehicle license plate search. Choy was working with Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK), which has come under intense government scrutiny this year for its news and entertainment coverage.<\/p>\n Choy was heavily involved in producing an award-winning RTHK documentary episode that aired in July, on the one-year anniversary of the attack. Titled \u201cWho Owns the Truth?\u201d the episode won international awards for investigative reporting. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n On Thursday, China\u2019s National Radio and Television Administration announced a ban on BBC World News broadcasts in China, which were already mainly limited to venues such as hotels. Xinhua reported that the BBC had \u201cseriously violated regulations [\u2026] in its China-related reports, which went against the requirements that news reporting must be true and impartial, and undermined China\u2019s national interests and ethnic solidarity.\u201d Hong Kong\u2019s public broadcaster RTHK will also reportedly stop relaying BBC content. The revocation last week of Chinese state broadcaster CGTN\u2019s UK license is another likely factor behind the ban; the Alliance for Securing Democracy noted on Twitter on Thursday that it had recently observed sharp official rhetoric on both topics. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n \u201cIf you can\u2019t pass my impartiality test, your program can\u2019t go on air,\u201d [Patrick Li,] the former Deputy Secretary for Home Affairs said during the editorial meeting, according to a source that spoke to Apple Daily on condition of anonymity.<\/p>\n There has never been a director of broadcasting who would make such an order, the source added.<\/p>\n Li\u2019s order came on the fourth day he took charge of RTHK, replacing veteran journalist Leung Ka-wing who resigned as the director of broadcasting last month after six years in the job. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n #HongKong<\/a> public broadcaster #RTHK<\/a>\u2019s newly appointed director has said he was too busy to meet employees to explain why another episode of the \u201c#HongKong<\/a> Stories\u201d magazine program was pulled off the air.<\/p>\n Read more: https:\/\/t.co\/H8k6u63IOz<\/a>#AppleDailyENG<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/xTGrWC6L0f<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Apple Daily HK \u860b\u679c\u65e5\u5831 (@appledaily_hk) Mar 12<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n In question were two episodes of the cultural series Hong Kong Stories. Li was reportedly unhappy that the programme had invited hip hop band LMF \u2013 whose songs often contain swear words and are critical of the government \u2013 for an interview. Another episode featured interviews that touched on the police force\u2019s handling of the 2019 anti-government protests and on social issues such as mask shortages during the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic last year.<\/p>\n He was also said to have ordered the plug be pulled on last week\u2019s episode of current affairs show Legco Review, which would reportedly have featured guests discussing electoral changes imposed by Beijing.<\/p>\n At Monday\u2019s panel meeting, Felix Chung Kwok-pan of the Liberal Party said: \u201cIt would be a disrespect to the guests if the programme ends up being cancelled. Was it because the comments they made were not acceptable? Or did it not have anything to do with [them]? The guests deserve to know why the programme was not screened.\u201d [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n Another RTHK television programme has been pulled from the schedule at the last minute, with no word from the station’s management as to why the decision was taken.<\/p>\n The latest show to be dropped is an episode of the documentary series Hong Kong Connection which centred on issues facing university student unions. It had been due to be broadcast on Monday evening.<\/p>\n [\u2026] A programme synopsis that was later deleted from RTHK’s website said the show featured interviews with the two student union cabinets, CUHK council member and pro-government lawmaker Lau Kwok-fan, and another pro-establishment legislator, Eunice Yung. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n On the same day, RTHK cancels \u201cRTHK Talk Show\u201d, a program focused on history, literature, science, and philosophy, pending “management review.” The government Communications Authority also finds RTHK in breach of its code of practice for reportedly implying that Taiwan is a country. South China Morning Post’s Chris Lau and Emily Tsang report:<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n [The Communications Authority, the city\u2019s broadcasting watchdog] noted the episode of Taiwan Story 3 used terms such as \u201cbreaking off diplomatic relations\u201d to describe the cutting of ties between the self-ruled island and Burkina Faso, a West African country, and the Republic of Malawi in southeastern Africa.<\/p>\n \u201cThe use of the terms \u2026 suggested that Taiwan was a sovereign state capable of establishing formal diplomatic relations, and was inaccurate,\u201d the authority wrote. It advised the broadcaster to observe the code more closely in the future. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n \u201cMany staff, especially those with the current affairs division, describe themselves as living in white terror,\u201d the source said. \u201cMany have exercised self-censorship in the hope of getting the go-ahead for their planned programmes. Some staff may avoid interviewing controversial or pro-democracy figures from now on.\u201d [Source<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n Officers would see up to half of their monthly salaries, pensions or other remuneration deducted to cover the costs if their programs failed to get past senior management for containing \u201cunauthorized\u201d information, the RTHK said on Tuesday in a reply to Apple Daily\u2019s inquiry. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n One staff member, who spoke on condition of anonymity, questioned whether it was a good idea to bring more civil servants into RTHK\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n [\u2026] \u201cI\u2019m not sure why the government wants to appoint more bureaucrats to RTHK, when it appears the top management is already dominated by administrative officers,\u201d the employee said, noting that both the director and his deputy were civil servants. \u201cNot sure if it\u2019s good for RTHK\u2019s development to have outsiders leading the professionals.\u201d<\/p>\n [\u2026] The broadcaster said that in the first three months of the year, a total of 11 staff had resigned. One source said that since Li\u2019s arrival, at least five senior staff members from the current affairs division had also quit.<\/p>\n [\u2026] RTHK insiders have told the Post that staff were being driven to self-censor to keep their programmes from being axed, while many employees, especially those running current affairs shows, were living in fear of being targeted by those in charge. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n a bunch of backed-up RTHK programs about the Yuen Long attacks here https:\/\/t.co\/cpe8bdWypj<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 isabella steger (@stegersaurus) May 3, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n Prosecutors said the ordinance should only be used for “transport-related matters” \u2014 and not in the course of reporting.<\/p>\n Magistrate Ivy Chui agreed, saying Choy’s use of the database was not in line with what vehicle owners expected when they submitted their data to the Transport Department. She said the government should not give out personal details of vehicle owners to users who do not use the information within the scope of what is permitted.<\/p>\n “Reporting and newsgathering is not connected to traffic and transport related matters,” Chui said. “It is obvious that the applicant has used the information from the Transport Department for reporting purposes.” [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/li>\n Yet another change to RTHK’s television offerings is in the works, the latest schedules reveal \u2013 but rather than a programme being dropped this time, new talent has been signed up in the form of Chief Executive Carrie Lam.<\/p>\n [\u2026] RTHK said there will be 40 episodes in total, with two new ones aired each day. Each episode is 12 minutes long and they’ll be repeated three times, with the series coming to an end on May 17.<\/p>\n [\u2026] RTHK’s TV schedules have been somewhat in a state of flux in recent weeks, with programmes repeatedly pulled at the last minute by the new director of broadcasting, Patrick Li.<\/p>\n The station pointed to concerns about the “impartiality” of the shows in question, with management implementing a new review system for the station’s output to check for any bias or inaccuracies.<\/p>\n It wasn’t clear whether Li has reviewed Lam’s programmes. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n On the same day, it is reported that assistant director and 30-year RTHK veteran Brian Chow has resigned, becoming the sixth senior employee<\/a> to quit the broadcaster since Patrick Li took charge.<\/li>\n Content began disappearing on Monday afternoon.<\/p>\n The news has led to concern that the bulk of RTHK\u2018s archival content \u2014 which, for years, has been freely accessible on the two platforms \u2014 will no longer be viewable, including episodes that reported on Hong Kong\u2019s political turmoil since the 2019 protests, and the national security law.<\/p>\n With its first video uploaded in October 2007, RTHK\u2018s YouTube channel is now home to over 17,200 videos, 46 of which have garnered over one million views since they were uploaded. [Source<\/strong><\/a>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Netizens in Hong Kong reportedly scramble to download and archive RTHK’s content before it was purged over the weekend. RTHK’s English news team report:<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n Hong Kong people rushed to save copies of RTHK programmes on Monday as the station began removing shows from the internet, with a journalism academic warning that the broadcaster’s move will allow the authorities to create their own version of history.<\/p>\n [\u2026] Bruce Lui, a journalism lecturer at Baptist University said RTHK may well be the owner of the programmes, but removing them from the internet is against the public interest and is a waste of taxpayers’ money.<\/p>\n “News is the first draft of history and also the public can look at it afterwards and learn what happened in the past. If we delete those records, it’s sort of clearing the history so that the public won’t have a very good picture of what happened,” he said. [Source<\/a><\/strong>]<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Removal of archival contents from RTHK YouTube channel has began. The struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory against forgetting. pic.twitter.com\/WxS2UIgNnf<\/a><\/p>\n — Bao Choy (@Baochoy) May 3, 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
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