A round-the-clock government television channel with live broadcasts of official press conferences and important functions is being proposed in Hong Kong to strengthen direct communication with the public.
The move was initiated by veteran TV producer Robert Chua, who voiced fears that the government had no unedited voice to make sure its policies were understood in full by the public. He said the idea was inspired by Singapore's recent move to launch a 'Sars channel' to educate people more about the deadly virus.
Under the proposed 'public infotainment channel', a non-profit making body would co-operate with the government to relay press conferences, internal meetings and Legco sessions. Phone-in programmes, discussion forums as well as public affairs programmes produced by RTHK, TVB and ATV may also be provided.
Mr Chua said the government lacked its own direct channel to communicate with people.
He said the move was not meant to help government propaganda. Disseminating the administration's messages to the public without editing by newspapers and the electronic media would improve transparency and people's confidence in public policies.
It is understood that the proposal has been raised informally with some top officials, but Mr Chua declined to name them. He said the proposal could first be tried out on one of the Cable TV channels, followed by an independent channel via free TV if it proved successful.
