Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK apologises to police over satirical show that portrayed officers as trash and hoarding masks
- Programme insulted force by equating it with rubbish and suggested police were keeping protective gear needed by medical staff, Communications Authority says
- Broadcaster vows to take follow-up action, but staff union chairwoman calls ruling ‘deeply unfair’
Hong Kong public broadcaster RTHK has apologised to the police after the communications watchdog ruled an episode had “denigrated and insulted” the force and was factually inaccurate.
The episode belonged to the broadcaster’s controversial Headliner political satire programme, which will be suspended when its current season ends on June 19. It portrayed police as trash and hoarding masks and other personal protective equipment at the expense of the medical sector’s more pressing needs during the coronavirus pandemic, the Communications Authority ruled on Tuesday.
Compounding the insult, the depiction of officers as rubbish was repeated in subsequent episodes, it said, calling on the broadcaster to more closely adhere to the television programme code of practice.
RTHK’s public apology came after the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau, which oversees it, told the station to take disciplinary action against staff responsible for the breaches.
We feel that the ruling is based on biased views and biased interpretation of our content
The bureau also ordered a full review of the programme production and editorial system.