Update7,000 complaints over TVB’s ‘booksellers visiting prostitutes’ broadcast made to Hong Kong watchdog despite lawmaker’s apology
Viewers unhappy over ‘unverified, biased and misleading’ comments by legislator Ng Leung-sing on disappearance of five booksellers
Hong Kong’s broadcasting watchdog said it had received about 7,000 complaints by 5pm on Wednesday against TVB television’s newscast of remarks by lawmaker Ng Leung-sing.
Ng had said that the five missing booksellers were caught while having fun with prostitutes in mainland.
The majority of complaints accused the local broadcasting giant of airing news that was “unverified, biased, misleading and making personal remarks attacking people concerned,” a spokesman from the Communication Authority told the Post.
READ MORE: Hong Kong lawmaker Ng Leung-sing is making a name for himself – for all the wrong reasons
The latest public outcry erupted after the pro-government lawmaker read out a message from his friend at a Legislative Council meeting on Tuesday afternoon, saying Hong Kong bookseller Lee Bo and his four associates had taken a boat to go to the mainland and hire prostitutes there. The message was also circulated over social media.
“... Lawmaker Ng Leung-sing said he was made aware that the missing individuals were arrested on allegations of engaging prostitutes in mainland,” subtitles of the news lead broadcast by TVB on Tuesday read.
The newscast sparked criticism of the professionalism of the city’s leading television station on social media, with one of the most-shared Facebook posts having been written by Civic Party lawmaker Claudia Mo Man-ching, a former TVB anchor.
The Communication Authority would handle the related complaints in accordance with the Broadcasting Ordinance and Codes of Practice, the spokesman said.