From the President e certainly live in stirring days, and by the time these words appear in print they may
well have been overtaken by new local developments meriting the concern of correspondents and local journalists.
President Jiang Zemin, First, the good news has allowed reporters during his state visit to Brunei, from the Hong Kong media to put questions to him. They were contacted by his secretary over the arrangements. MrJiang is reported to have taken three questions on Sino-US relations, Taiwan and China's coming entry into the World Trade Organisation. The ATV team was allowed to frlm. Before leaving MrJiang
said: "You are satisfied toda¡ aren't you?" A very different scene, this, from the one in Beijing last month when he lost his temper and scolded the reporters for being naive and irresponsible. Then in New York, Financial Secretary Donald Tsang Yam-Kuen told a hundred executives at a breakfast meeting that the Hong Kong press is "powerful, it is watchful...it has inspired confidence in the rest of the world." The free press in Hong Kong, he added, had played a essential role in helping investors make the right decisions.
Next duy Mrs Anson Chan, Secretary for Administration, said in a speech at the meeting of the Freedom Forum that, since the Handover, the Hong Kong media had not lost any of their fabled sting. She added, "investors placed their money and trust in Hong Kong because we offer a leveÌ playng held protected by basic freedoms and the rules of law. A free press is very much part of rhat. If Hong Kong cannot guarantee a free and unfettered flow of news and information, it will unnerve our citizens, undermine the basis of our economy and scare off foreign investors. Any signs of political correctness or self-censorship clogging up that flow are going to send all wrong signals to the
community at home and our friends and business partners abroad." llowever, it was not all honey. Intensity of competition among newspapers, said Mrs Chan had led to price wars and, she had heard, "a general dumbing-down in a scramble for juicier stories and more sensational headlines." We have a solid core of a highly-regarded journalists. We have energetic and enthusiastic young
reporters. "It was up to the industry itself to ensure a
greater and more enduring depth of talent and experience by offering a more rewarding career path, better on-job training and attractive salaries and incentives to stem the flow of young journalists to the greeners pastures of public of relations ancl the Government's Information Service. " That badly needed saying. And it's obviously the proprietors, rather than the editors and staff, who should be hnancing and thus achieving the higher standards Mrs Chan was talking about.
As if to emphasise the contrast belleen freedom here and across the border, a few days before President
Jiang's "charm offensive", a number of Hong Kong journalists were barred form reporting a ceremony in Shenzhen to mark the twentieth anniversary of the Special Economic Zone. Under Mainland law, all media must obtain permission from the Public Security Bureau before being allowed to film or report on an event. t the present time, here in Hong Kong, there
is no freedom more susceptible to quiet erosion, than freedom of the press, radio and television. Does that matter? Experience of many countries shows that it matters very much indeed. It has been rightly said, that so long as the media are free, free to report, comment, criticise,
then everything is free. As soon as they give way to control or censorship or pressures by official institutions, a dark chapter opens. But surely a just a business and the owner should be allowed to do what he or she likes with it, hire or fire, choose an editor who shares the proprietorial thinking? The answer is that it's more than a business, especially a newspaper like the SCMP which enjoys semi-official status. The Hong Kong press and radio cover a wide spectrum. Readers enjoy a choice in what they buy. So solid reliable newspaper and many trends of opinion frnancial "analysts" as well corrupt pornographic rags, advisers, tycoons' play-things as honest, experienced comments. responsible of Experience and vehicles is such preferable a scene very to one in shows how how on good the matter no writing and wellwhich, newspaper or a radio station
is
THE CORRESPONDENT DECEMBER 2000JANUARY 2001
informed the sources, the serious reader can never be sure that he is getting the whole picture, that offìcial interests are not holding back vital truths. It is the duty of the organisations like the FCC, working with the Hong Kong Journalists Association, to express concern at every sign of moves which seem to hold a threat, however slight or unintentional, to the freedom of the media. A proposed law against harassing by "stalkers" might seem reasonable. But could it not be invoked against journalists carrying out important activities in the public interests? Verbal reassurance is welcome, but once a law is passed it's only the black and white of the text that counts, not what a government spokesman said six months previously. More recentl¡ a development of greater concern. -lhe South China Morning Post talks of
restructuring and expanding its China coverage, but its internationally-known columnist resigns after complaining of being victimised and sidelined and a 115 staff voiced their protest. If incidents like this are allowed to pass without comment, sooner or later comes another apparently innocuous attempt at making the local media a little more spineless, a little less troublesome. Those concerned with press freedom can never afford to relax.
Anthonv Lawrence
Wine Appreciation By Barry Kalb
he December holiday season begs for rich, bold red wines. There are plenty of great selections on the Club's regular wine list,
greatþ using an ancient method called refermentation. Now, they have expanded on the technique to come up
which will see some changes on December 1 to take the members' preferences into account. We will also be highlighting four reds during the month, one from the revised list and three specials. As usual, there will be a list of champagnes and champagne-method wines available for Christmas and
Campofiorin. It's no relation to the noble barolo wines of the Italian northwest, but it is every bit as good, and a:tff+25,less expensive than most barolos. Chris Baker, who ran the Hong Kong wine school before departing our shores, used to say of the
New Year's Eve.
Jean Leon's cabernet sauvignon is produced in the old-fashioned Bordeaux manner by Spain's most prominent winemakeq Miguel Torres. This one was very popular during the Spanish wine promotion in September, and will now appear on the regular list. At $365, it is an exceptional buy. Valpolicella is a rather pedestrian wine from northeastern Italy. The Masi winery first improved it
with a superb and distinctive wine named Brolo di
Amarone by Zenato. "This is what winemaking is supposed to be all about." The wine has won medals against the best in the world. $595 for a treat you won't soon forget.
Pinot noir, the grape used in the great Burgundies,
is notoriously difficult to make into good
wine.
California's famous Robert Mondavi has succeeded where many others have failed. His Carneros Pinot Noir combines the depth, complexity and flavour of the Burgundies, a real rarity. The price is $640. I
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