Up to the people of Hong Kong to defend press freedom, at RTHK and elsewhere
Albert Cheng says the only safeguard is for the broadcaster to become truly independent, but that is now unlikely in the current political mood
RTHK is caught in the midst of a political storm. The latest controversy involves claims by acting assistant director of TV and corporate business, Forever Sze Wing-yuen, that he would not be promoted to the job on a permanent basis because he refused to carry out "political missions" assigned by his boss.
The allegation against the station's broadcasting director, Roy Tang Yun-kwong, has not only stirred up another round of scandal, it has also raised public concern over the editorial independence of the public broadcaster.
Tang may not have anticipated such huge repercussions from his open criticism of the running of the station's two highly popular current affairs programmes, Headliner and City Forum.
It shows Tang has failed to learn a lesson about the troubles that may come from officials' desire to "pre-empt embarrassment" for their boss. Remember the heavy-handed behaviour by police officers during then vice-premier Li Keqiang's visit to the University of Hong Kong in August 2011?
Tang's interference in the running of the two programmes also stemmed from his intention to pre-empt embarrassment to the government.
As a civil servant, Tang needs to remain neutral and let the station get on with its work, unless he wants to follow in the footsteps of former security secretary Ambrose Lee Siu-kwong and former education chief Fanny Law Fan Chiu-fun, to become a delegate to the National People's Congress. If Tang's heart is truly with RTHK, he doesn't have to interfere with the station's editorial direction or befriend Beijing.