Political or not, RTHK decision is right
- Lifting mandated showing of RTHK programmes is not censorship, as it is unfair to force private TV stations to air public shows with low ratings
Some RTHK staff have an exaggerated sense of self-importance in inverse proportion to the quality of programmes they produce.
The RTHK Programme Staff Union is crying foul over a Communications Authority decision to let private TV stations decide whether to air programmes produced by the publicly funded broadcaster.
“It is crystal clear that the government is making use of various means to target a unit under its structure, RTHK, which dares to speak the truth,” it said.
The mandated RTHK broadcasting rule might have made sense once, when it didn’t have its own TV channels. Now, any household with a reasonably updated TV set can receive RTHK on its digital broadcasting channels.
It is simply unfair to force private stations to air public programmes with low ratings.
Predictably, opposition politicians are complaining about censorship. But is it not the opposite of censorship where all broadcasters, public or private, can decide on their own what to air?
Talking of free speech, opposition lawmakers said nary a word when the anti-government protest movement targeted TVB’s clients to pressure them against advertising through the station.
TVB’s real sin was not being pro-China or pro-government, but that its news reporting dared to show rioters vandalising the Legislative Council; throwing the rock that killed a 70-year-old street cleaner; and setting a 57-year-old man on fire for arguing with them. These gave the lie away that the movement was peaceful.
As for the latest government decision being politically motivated, well, who knows? But if so, it’s no more than some of the programmes produced by RTHK such as the infamous Headliner.
The show is usually described as political satire, but fronted by Ng Chi-sum, it is more cringe-inducing than humorous. Ng is yellower than most yellow-ribbon anti-government activists and pundits; that pretty much makes him untouchable, as any sacking would be met with accusations of political persecution.
Headliner recently claimed that police were hoarding masks, even though it was denied. Ng himself entertains all kinds of conspiracy theories on his own YouTube channel.
He has claimed, for example, that the government delayed closing the border because wealthy and well-connected mainlanders needed to fly through Hong Kong to escape mainland quarantines. Did he know who they were?
If RTHK programmes are of such high quality and in demand, as its supporters claim, an audience will find their way to its TV channels, regardless of whether they are shown on TVB.
