Cries of 'Tain't fair' are tumbling out of government circles these days. The press are not being kind to them, they sniff.
A Post reporter was told by a government official this week that he had talked to a senior editor at another newspaper who said they would keep the ratio of bad to good news at eight to two.
The editor was probably pulling his leg. Any paper which operated on that policy would have circulation problems after the first issue, but it apparently convinced the official that there is a lack of balance in the local press.
The reporter pointed out that if government officials talked more to journalists and answered their queries, a better relationship might exist. But the fact remains that the man-bites-dog formula is still the only one for the media.
It is hard not to feel sympathy for the Chief Executive, Tung Chee-hwa, increasingly beleaguered by the bird flu fiasco, the stock market slump, and the fall-off in the tourist industry. But there's always a bright spot on the horizon.
At least he's flavour of the month with the Human Rights Monitor, which had a meeting with him just before Christmas which went very harmoniously. Mr Tung told them they were the conscience of Hong Kong, though of course they didn't see eye-to-eye on several issues.
The CE thinks our police are wonderful, and he had nothing at all to say when one member complained that there was no right of appeal against decisions by the Immigration Department.
