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innex E
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it has been briefly documented in Annex E to illustrate both tactics and effects). Personal idazlicn aside, much of the motivation of the young social workers stems from the professional training they receive, especially since some of the lecturers and tutors are themselves highly critical of Government policios and were activist leaders as students.
Pressure Groups and the News Modia
12.
AS
Because of their earlier
Pressure groups thrive on publicity. Indeed, in many cases the effectiveness of a pressure group can bo moasured by the amount of hovdline publicity it achieves. mentioned above, the Hong Kong Observers arist mainly through their newspaper column: the suspension of this colum at present (supposedly only temporary) has meant that as a group they have tended to drop from the public mind. baso, however, they are still potentially influential and individual members remain active. Most pressure groups rely on publicity to win public sympathy, with a view to force the
To achieve maximum Government to act in the way desired. cxposure in the news modis, the groups organise public meetings, domonstrations and processions and resort to a variety of gimmicks. At the same time, the leaders try to portray themselves as reliable spokesmen for the oppressed underdogs, always make themselves available to the modic, and are never at a loss for critical words.
13.
From the point of view of the news media, the pronouncements and activities of pressure groups provide instant, controversial or sensational subjects which catch the oye though not necessarily the sympath of the public. Publicity-sucking exercises such as petitions to Government House or the Secretariat, with displays of bennors, mock-up models and effigies all help to create greater visual imp ct. The media are notified beforehand and mony proscure groups activities are held on Sundays or public holidays, not only to achieve the naximum possible audience (even if large numbers arc idle or curious passers-by), but also to tako nůvantage of a time when the amount of normal nows coverage or Government information output is lov. Pressure group activities therefore tend to receive disproportionate coverage in the modia, and Government publicity often appears much less effective, if only because it is often a reaction after the ovent.
They will
14.
Again, many editors, especially those in the English press, believe that it is their duty to give maximum coverage to minorities to ensure that their views are heard. often allow more space to the pressure groups than their importance justifies.
15.
The reporters' concern is to look for news; in addition their coverage of pressure group activities is often
Graduates from the journalism coloured by their personal views. departments of the tertiary educational institutions, particularly those from the Baptist College, are strongly motivated (as with
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