I promised a bit of investigative new journalism in the wake of the revelation that Hong Kong hacks charge punters 1,800 dollars a head ("head" seems particularly apt, as it is a sort of bounty: "Pay up and we'll look after you") to attend their annual knees-up at the world-famous Mira Hotel ... somewhere in Kowloon.
Rather like the friars of medieval England, who gained quite a reputation for running a side business in bestowing absolutions and pardons in return for saying a special mass for their benefactors, their modern counterparts at the HKJA are happy to grant an indulgence when it is expedient.
The highlight of theHKJA beanfeast (an able bean counter must be a key ingredient in the recipe for a successful evening – a successful year, even) is the auction, which typically follows performances by a third-rate local celeb and a Government official (they don't qualify for ratings).
The auctioneer badgers and embarrasses tables into upping the bid for such choice items as a calligraphy penned by the tedious guest of honour or a bottle of red wine (French, of course – the realities ofinternational viniculture are rather lost on locals, who prefer to be able to get a kick out of being able to pronounce Château Latour), until they finally go for a staggering 20 or 30 thousand dollars.
Drawing on the HKJA's code of ethics (yes, they have one), which has a rather nice bit which says that "a journalist shall strive to ensure that the information he/she disseminates is fair and accurate", it would be more accurate to say that he badgers and embarrasses some of the tables, but not others.
Thus (and I know there will be some who find this difficult to believe – it isn't after all very fair, is it?) the likes of Commercial Radio, Metro Radio and Cable TV are never bullied, while dear old RTHK gets it like the spotty boy at school with the National Health glasses held together with a Band-Aid.
But buying an overpriced bottle of the undrinkable produced by the unendurable for the uneducatable is a price that the many large organisations which attend these events are only too happy to pay. What's 30 grand for the likes of CLP Power, Hongkong Electric, PCCW, the MTRC, Ocean Park and the Hospital Authority, when they understand that their reward for swelling the coffers of the HKJA will be to see the iron fist replaced by the kid glove for the remaining 364 days of the year?
Rather like the friars of medieval England, who gained quite a reputation for running a side business in bestowing absolutions and pardons in return for saying a special mass for their benefactors, their modern counterparts at the HKJA are happy to grant an indulgence when it is expedient.
The highlight of the
The auctioneer badgers and embarrasses tables into upping the bid for such choice items as a calligraphy penned by the tedious guest of honour or a bottle of red wine (French, of course – the realities of
Drawing on the HKJA's code of ethics (yes, they have one), which has a rather nice bit which says that "a journalist shall strive to ensure that the information he/she disseminates is fair and accurate", it would be more accurate to say that he badgers and embarrasses some of the tables, but not others.
Thus (and I know there will be some who find this difficult to believe – it isn't after all very fair, is it?) the likes of Commercial Radio, Metro Radio and Cable TV are never bullied, while dear old RTHK gets it like the spotty boy at school with the National Health glasses held together with a Band-Aid.
But buying an overpriced bottle of the undrinkable produced by the unendurable for the uneducatable is a price that the many large organisations which attend these events are only too happy to pay. What's 30 grand for the likes of CLP Power, Hongkong Electric, PCCW, the MTRC, Ocean Park and the Hospital Authority, when they understand that their reward for swelling the coffers of the HKJA will be to see the iron fist replaced by the kid glove for the remaining 364 days of the year?
3 comments:
so were any journalists actually allowed to go? And who sponsored their seat - I may be naive but I'm not sure that their salaries cover that type of luxury dinner ...
The way it works is that half/three quarters of the seats on any given table are taken up by journos, who've taken up invites from the organisations who're being stung. There's a disproportionate number of hacks from Wen Wei Po and Ta Kung Pao (the PRC mouthpieces in Hong Kong), as a) these guys print your press releases verbatim and b), much more impirtnsantly, of course, this builds up your credit with the Communists up north.
To expand on what Ulie writes corporates in HK try to fill a table with journalists (electronic as well as print). Normally, 2 execs will go and 10 media. Last year was different as the Sichuan earthquake meant that the TV media were absent, so we sent 2 more middle management to ensure the table was full.
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