HK public broadcaster to halt show after police complaint

Hong Kong’s public broadcaster said it would suspend the long-running satirical television program “Headliner” after the Communications Authority reprimanded it for its portrayal of the city’s police.
Radio Television Hong Kong will also review the program, which first aired in the 1980s, to study how to develop the show “in an ever changing social environment,” according to a report on its website Tuesday night. The broadcaster apologized to any police officers or others who were offended, the report said.
“We will apologize for what we’ve done wrong, and stand firm for what we’ve done right,” RTHK spokeswoman Man-yee Ng said on Tuesday night via a Facebook Live feed on the broadcaster’s official page.
“Headliner” sparked protests from some groups supporting Hong Kong police, and public complaints to the broadcasting watchdog, after a Feb. 14 episode jokingly implied cops could more easily get protective gear than other officials, including medical staff. Police Chief Chris Tang said he complained to RTHK and the Communications Authority and expressed regret that the program “ridiculed” cops.
The Communications Authority on Tuesday found some complaints regarding the Feb. 14 episode were substantiated, including those regarding factual content and “denigration of and insult to the police.” It decided to warn RTHK to more closely observe relevant provisions in Hong Kong’s TV Programme Code, according to a statement.
“RTHK accepts the verdicts from the CA and we will follow up with this program,” Ng said. “This program will be suspended after this season as we have to do some follow-up and surveys about it.” RTHK’s online report said it would also take down the Feb. 14 episode from its website.
The dispute over RTHK comes as pro-democracy supporters, who sparred with police for months last year in sometimes-violent protests, grow increasingly concerned about Beijing’s efforts to clamp down on political dissent in the city. Vinicy Chan, Bloomberg