The penetration in HK media

Were it not the most recent controversy over Asia Television (ATV), I would not have known that this struggling local TVstation has hired a mainland loyalist in charge of its operation. Its biased news commentary programme Asia Focus aired on ATV’s Home Channel at 6:40pm on 3 September, has aroused public anger and over 10,000 complaints were sent to the Broadcasting Authority.

The commentary claimed that opponents of national education were manipulated by “destructive” politicians who had a stake in the upcoming Legco elections and who had the backing of London and Washington. The high school student group Scholarism leading the anti-National Education campaign were just pawns of these politicians, the commentary says.

This is pure mainland style propaganda, straight from CCTV. You would not believe hearing it direct from a local television station, one of the two free TV stations in HK. It is believed that the programme is under the charge of Louie King-bun, the current ATV Deputy CEO, and the former Executive Editor-in-Chief of Tai Kung Pao (大公報)， one of the two major Beijing-supported newspapers in HK.

And remember the previous controversy involving SCMP, the city’s century-old English newspaper? Its Editor-in-Chief, a former China Daily newspaper reporter, was alleged to have played down a report over the death of a Chinese dissident Li Wangyang.

The fact is, Hong Kong’s media is being penetrated by pro-Beijing leftists, as with all important quarters of the society. The mainland Communist Party is known to be very skilled in penetration. Even the city’s top job – Chief Executive of SAR Government – is now being filled by a pro-Beijing leftist. What more can you say?