If this program is really carried out thoroughly, it will play a huge role in public opinion supervision, making the entire Hong Kong government seem to be wearing shackles, and the power it holds will be locked up.
This was what MacLehose could not tolerate the most, so he had to come up with a good solution before the influence of the "Focus Interview" program became a habit among the people.
"Delaney, you're right. This isn't just any TV show. This is a sword hanging over our heads.
It allows the public to see the loopholes in our management and the shadows behind the glamour.
If mishandled, public trust in the Hong Kong government will plummet. More importantly, it sets an extremely dangerous precedent. The destructive power of a "trial by public opinion" model dominated by private television stations is incalculable.
We can't wait any longer! Immediately notify all key officials from the Food and Hygiene Department, the Customs Department, the Market Management Department, and the Department of Justice. An emergency meeting will be held in half an hour!"
That night, the lights in Governor's House stayed on until dawn. Officials, with solemn expressions, spent the night debating how to respond to the wave of public opinion stirred up by ATV, how to quickly rectify the food hygiene issues, and win back public support.
However, everyone knows that ATV's first fire has been completely ignited.
On the other side, at the headquarters of Jardine Matheson, Newbigin’s anger was almost blowing the roof off.
"Madman! This madman!"
He was ranting into the phone, his target being several major shareholders of the Hong Kong Land Group who were on good terms with him. "He took the 10 million yuan advertising fee from the dairy company! And then he used it to make a show that slammed the dairy company! And it's ruining all of our jobs! This is blatant betrayal! And a provocation to the board of directors!"
An equally angry echo echoed from the other end of the line. The collapse of Dairy Farm's share price was a foregone conclusion; their losses were real.
Kobayashi Tenmo's move is tantamount to cutting flesh from the hearts of shareholders.
"We must fight back! He must pay the price! Where's Mr. Huo? Contact Huo Zhenting! He should stand with us this time, right? That Xiaolin Tianwang is touching everyone's cheese!"
However, when the call was connected to Peter Ho, what Newbie heard was a response that made him almost think he had dialed the wrong number.
Huo Zhenting's voice came through the receiver. It was less flamboyant than before, with a strange calmness, and even... a hint of lingering sound after the vibration.
"Sir Newbigin, I'm watching Focus Interview."
Niu Bijian was stunned for a moment, then hurriedly said, "Mr. Huo! Now is not the time to watch the show! That Xiaolin Tianwang..."
“That show allowed me to see a completely different Hong Kong Island.
I, Peter Ho, was born and raised here, and always thought of Hong Kong Island as the Pearl of the Orient, synonymous with prosperity. But I never considered that right here, in the streets and alleys I might never set foot on, ordinary citizens couldn't even guarantee the safety of the food they put in their mouths.
Those images... were shocking. So, behind the prosperity we're so proud of, lies this kind of filth. Kobayashi Tenmo... he was right.
We cannot turn a blind eye to these evil deeds or even help cover them up just because we are shareholders and have received advertising fees.
This ATV program is like... like lighting a light in a dark corner. With it, a lot of dirty things can no longer be hidden. "
Upon hearing this, Niu Bijian simply couldn't believe his ears. He laughed in anger, "Mr. Huo! You... have you been brainwashed by that show? Would you, Mr. Huo, eat anything from those filthy shops?
What does this have to do with you? The most important thing now is to take this opportunity to unite all shareholders and kick Xiaolin Tianwang off the Landmark board! Kick him out! This is the real thing to do to protect our interests!
There was silence on the other end of the phone for a few seconds, and then a clear sneer was heard from Huo Zhenting.
"Sir Newbigin, it seems that in the eyes of you British capitalists, the lives of Hong Kong Island citizens are indeed not worth mentioning.
My Fok family has called Hong Kong Island home for generations, and the people of Hong Kong Island are our family! Food safety concerns every household, so how can it have nothing to do with me? Are you trying to use this to attack Mr. Xiao Lin, attack "Focus Interview," attack ATV, and try to snuff out this light?
I, Huo Zhenting, will never agree to this, no matter how deep my personal grudge against Xiaolin Tianwang is! "
"You...you're crazy!"
Newbigin was so angry that he trembled all over and slammed the phone. He couldn't understand why such a carefully planned counterattack would be ruined by Huo Zhenting's sudden "revelation of conscience".
The next day, in the meeting room of the Hong Kong Land Group.
The atmosphere was tense.
The shareholder representatives of the Dairy Farm Company and the directors of the Landmark Group all had sullen faces and glared at the young man sitting in the main seat.
"Mr. Kobayashi! You must explain! The Focus Report has dealt a devastating blow to the Dairy Farm brand! The stock price has plummeted! Who will bear the losses?"
"You are abusing your power and harming the interests of shareholders! You don't deserve to be in this position!"
"That 10 million advertising fee wasn't meant for you to use to destroy your own brand! You said you'd see results within a week? Now that your brand's reputation is ruined, what's the point of talking about results?"
Faced with the barrage of questions, Lin Huowang simply raised his eyes calmly.
His eyes swept across the faces distorted by anger, and finally fell on Newby's face, which was trying hard to suppress the anger.
Humph! These foreign devils only care about their own interests, only see their stock prices and paper wealth, but never really care about the people living on this land.
Lin Huowang deliberately wanted to target the dairy company. After he took control of the land, there was still a lot of influence left by Newbeckoning, especially in the dairy company. So Lin Huowang used this incident to open a big gap and thoroughly reorganized the dairy company from top to bottom.
My dear, there is more to this chapter. Please click on the next page to continue reading. It will be even more exciting later!
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