After all-night discussions, Governor Murray MacLehose and the heads of various departments, including the Information Services Department, the Department of Health, and the Urban Council, finally came up with a preliminary response plan.
After discussions and compromises among multiple parties, the core idea can only be "soft intervention" rather than "hard review."
There’s nothing I can do!
Who is it that the British government, no! It should be said that the entire Western world, is advocating their democracy and rule of law, freedom of speech and press supervision, etc.
If the Governor's Office openly stopped "Focus Interview" because of its appearance, or put it under the strict review of the Hong Kong government, although this could prevent "Focus Interview" from impacting the Hong Kong government and public opinion, it would give others a handle and make the entire Hong Kong British government's promotion of "democracy and freedom" a joke.
so……
Finally, everyone reached a consensus that supervision is necessary, but it cannot be made public, and it must not be subject to public criticism.
Finally, Governor Murray MacLehose took the draft memorandum and announced the conclusion to the senior officials of the Hong Kong government present:
"Gentlemen, we have all witnessed the power of 'Focus Interview.' While its exposure of problems may have positive implications, its methods are overly radical and have a significant impact on the government's credibility. We cannot sit idly by and allow it to become a sword of Damocles hanging over the Hong Kong government.
Our strategy is to "consult" and "guide." The Information Department will take the lead in communicating with Asia Television, especially Mr. Kobayashi himself.
It expresses the Hong Kong government's respect for the role of public opinion supervision, but at the same time emphasizes the importance of social stability and gradual progress.
It is recommended that "Focus Interview" submit a summary of the investigation content and key video materials in advance to a "joint advisory group" composed of representatives from the Information Office, the Department of Health or other relevant functional departments for review before each episode is broadcast.
This group is not a review body, but a communication channel that provides 'professional advice' and 'risk warnings'.
For example, it points out that some overly stimulating images may cause unnecessary panic, some information that has not been fully verified needs to be handled with caution, or some problems take time to solve. It is hoped that the program can be more "constructive" in its expression.
The purpose is to hope that the program can maintain its critical nature while also taking into account its social impact, to avoid a food safety storm like this one, which would instantly ignite national anxiety and put the Hong Kong government into an extremely passive state of firefighting.
This requires skill, gentlemen. We must make Kobayashi Tenno feel our sincerity and respect, while also making him understand the consequences of excessively challenging government authority. He's not a reckless person, and I believe he understands the right balance."
After the reading was finished, the morning light began to shine in.
In fact, officials were well aware of this result from the very beginning.
Hong Kong Island currently practices a Western democratic system. The government's constraints on news organizations and television stations are both strong and weak, and this power cannot be used at will.
Especially under the current circumstances where relations with the mainland are so tense, if the British Hong Kong government interferes with the normal operation and reporting of Asia Television, it will probably be immediately attacked by left-wing newspapers.
The accusations that the right wing has been criticizing before, such as the mainland's control over the news media and the lack of freedom of the press, will become unconvincing.
Therefore, the meeting finally ended with the officials' serious expressions.
In any case, the person who will have the headache in the end is the Governor of Hong Kong, and they don't want to waste even a second on such meaningless things.
All they are thinking about now is to quickly return to their homes, hide in bed and have a good sleep.
Murray MacLehose also dragged his tired body back to his private living room. Having expended tremendous energy and had not slept a sleepless night, he collapsed on the sofa almost as soon as he entered the room.
The exhaustion of the night really gave him a splitting headache, and he even had no appetite for breakfast.
"Murray, you look exhausted."
Madam Deng Liping came over with a cup of hot tea, her face lit up with unusual excitement. “But before you rest, you must take a look at this!”
Without hesitation, she stuffed a videotape into the VCR and pressed the play button.
The dynamic opening scenes of "Supermarket Wars" and Lu Ruirong's energetic voice immediately appeared on the TV screen.
At first, MacLehose was a little confused. His mind was still full of the shadow of "Focus Interview" and the food safety storm, and he was puzzled why his wife suddenly asked him to watch the variety show.
But as the program progressed, watching the ordinary citizens in the supermarket nervously, excitedly, and frantically buying goods during the countdown, watching the audience cheering like a tsunami, watching the enthusiasm in front of the TV that seemed to penetrate the screen after Lu Ruirong announced the stored value rules... MacLehose's frown gradually relaxed, and his tired eyes revealed surprise and admiration.
"Oh my God..."
When he saw the old lady carrying three bags of rice and rushing towards the finish line, MacLehose couldn't help but let out a low cry.
I have to say that the old lady who rushed forward carrying three bags of rice last night really contributed to a lot of famous scenes.
Almost all the audience were impressed by this old lady, and many even nicknamed her "Three Bags of Rice Grandma".
Even if this scene is broadcast on TV in the future, it will definitely be on the hot search list of short videos.
"Isn't it wonderful?"
Deng Liping sat next to Murray MacLehose, her eyes sparkling, her expression like a child sharing a new toy. She said, "I had so much fun watching it last night! The ticking of the timer made my heart skip a beat! Xiao Linsheng is such a genius! How did he come up with this idea? Even I can't help but want to go to Wellcome to top up some money and try my luck!"
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