Media Ethics in Hong Kong
by
Sherry Robbert
Introduction
Ladies and Gentlemen of the Hong Kong media authority, it gives me great pleasure to share my sentiments with you. It is my hope that by the end of this speech you will share my concepts and that you will be propagated into action.
Media ethics in Hong Kong
Some of us may be content with Hong Kong media reports assuming that it depicts freedom of speech. We have become so accustomed to their rudimentary ways that we have assumed that this is part of development. But how long must people in Hong Kong continue to be subjected to such unwritten rules. In case you do not understand what am talking about, then let me invite you to journey; a journey that will reveal what the real rules in Hong Kong media are.
Sometime this year, there were a group of activists that were fighting for the right to preserve a certain historical site in Hong Kong. The group went to the site and stayed there for some days with very little attention from the local media. However, a certain politician realized that there was an opportunity to garner public attention through the activists. Consequently, he called some members of the press informing them that there would be a fight between some activists and the police at a specified time. (Mei Ning & Cottrell, 2008)
Ten minutes before the set time, local pressmen were presented with their cameras; the police had already arrived. At the set time, the politicians arrived with the small group of activists. The police confronted them immediately and the demonstrators also put up some resistance. All this time, the ensuing activities were being recorded. After ten minutes of this, the policemen, politician, members of the press packed up their belongings and left; a classic case of doctored stories. The activists were at least content that their case would be aired on the nine o’clock news.
Ladies and gentlemen, this extreme case demonstrates just how absurd our media has become. Isn’t it time that we began discussing such lack of professionalism? More importantly, isn’t it time for us to think of ways in which we can change such depictions? What really is freedom of speech? In my view, Hong Kong Media have overstepped their boundary.
In case you are not convinced about this issue yet, here are some incidences that reinforce my earlier sentiments. In the year 2002 during the month of October, well known gossip magazine East Week splashed naked pictures of actress Carina Lau in the edition. They claimed that these were photos of the actress at that time when she had been arrested some twelve years go.
Actress Lau was clearly in anguish and distress but this did not stop East week from publishing this shocking images. In response this sheer lack of humanity, angry protesters marched to the streets of Hong Kong claiming that local tabloids lacked moral substance. Most of them wondered ‘what had happened to media ethics’ while it may be true that you as the media authority did something in response to these acts your actions were not solid enough. Through your actions, this magazine company was closed for one year. But shortly after, the company was reopened and is still back in business. I ask you, ‘How many more Carina Lau’s do we have to witness before we can instate radical changes in our local media?
In close relation to this incident was a publication made by Next Magazine. The group had displayed pictures of the dead corpse of a woman at the bottom of Sheun Chi building. (Mei Ning & Cottrell, 2008)Not only were these pictures quite disturbing but they were worsened by the alleged causes of the death. The magazine claimed that it was the husband of the deceased who had been engaging in acts of promiscuity that had propelled his wife to suicide; they claimed that he had been engaging in extra marital affairs with prostitutes.
Instead of sympathizing with these distraught family members, the media was fuelling their anger and remorse. What was more devastating about the media handling of this case was that some media companies paid the deceased wife’s husband to take meals and pose with prostitutes for their news items.
Lastly, there was the case of actress Gillian Chung. Members of Easy finder magazine had been so keen on getting a story that they followed her backstage during a presentation in Malaysia and took nude photographs of her.
This revolting and corrupt act was an indication of just how unscrupulous our local media can get. (Mei Ning & Cottrell, 2008)
Given all these incidences one is left to ask themselves, what has become of our local media and what can we as the local media authority do. Before answering these pertinent questions, it is essential to review some of the statistics involving media ethics in Hong Kong.
A survey conducted by Hong Kong Federation of Journalists (HKFJ) found that professionalism in Local media was dwindling. Another survey conducted by the Hong Kong Press Photographer’s association (HKPPA) found that people in Hong Kong did not trust newspapers any more. Additionally, the Hong Kong News Executives Association asserted that there was minimal professionalism in the field anymore.
Besides these, many Hong Kong residents believe that media content is now increasingly questionable. Most of them assert that there is too much pornography and violence in the news these days. Additionally, some readers and television viewers have asserted that Hong Kong media engages in too much exaggeration and in the process, they end up violating people’s privacy. As if this is not enough, many people have lost confidence in them.
In 2007, the HKJ found that the majority of journalists i.e. fifty eight percent of them felt that freedom of speech in Hong Kong has diminished. This is a shocking revelation given the fact that a rising number of people still believe that freedom of speech has been over emphasized by local reporters. However, the same participants in the survey accepted the fact that self censorship was lacking in media outlets; sixty percent of them accepted this. (Mei Ning & Cottrell, 2008)
In order to place these acts in context, it is essential to examine the issue of ethics in general. Aristotle: one of the greatest philosophers of his time, asserted that ethics is not something restricted to the theoretical realm. Instead, it encompasses a series of practical elements. According to Aristotle, virtues may be regarded as dispositions that cause humans to act in certain ways when faced with certain situations. Consequently, they may be regarded as habits. In other words, good conduct is only a combination of habits that are in turn affected by repeated actions that are in fact complemented by repeated corrections. Ethics in other words is a very practical issue.
When Aristotle’s arguments are applied to the Hong Kong media, then one can identify why there is in fact room of change. Since it has been established that media ethics has deteriorated, there is a need to identify some of the repeated acts that have caused this poor media ethics. For instance, by continuously victimizing celebrities, displaying pornographic images or by changing stories to make them juicier, the Hong Kong media has continuously created a name for themselves as unethical. This can be reversed by curbing these small acts internally. Doing this will ensure that all the groups involved in the media deal with the problem systematically. The culture of looking for temporary stories will have ended and most of them will offer balanced, honest and moral stories.
Conclusion
To the Hong Kong Broadcasting Authority; more needs to be done in terms of regulating these broadcasts so as to minimize this unethical behavior. To the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority – radio and television standards have really gone down. You can change this as a body by restoring the true image of journalism in this country. Also, Radio Television Hong Kong needs to play its part in ensuring that reports are decent enough. You as the Press Council need to heighten the degree of professionalism in Hong Kong media by spearheading self regulatory fights against unscrupulous reporters.
Reference
Mei Ning, Y. & Cottrell, J. (2008): Hong Kong Media Law; HKU Press
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Media Ethics in Hong Kong