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2.11 The coverage of the draft agreement, has been widespread and sustained. Virtually every major newspaper, magazine, periodical and the electronic media, has covered the main and specific issues in the draft agree- There is little question that the media network has made a major contribution towards the general public's broad understanding of the draft agreement itself and of general reaction to it.
2.12 The Office monitored and assessed 273 reports of discussions, debates, seminars, public speeches and interviews; 201 editorials; 416 feature articles and 104 letters to the press on the White Paper, from a total of eight English and 25 Chinese newspapers and magazines. This figure does not include a large number of news reports which were also monitored. The Office also assessed 55 hours of public affairs programmes on television and radio(33).
(B) Major Representative Bodies
2.13 The terms of reference of the Office refer to the "well established and familiar consultative channels in Hong Kong". Hong Kong has over the years developed a unique and extensive system of consultation on major issues, through which opinion is gathered. A description of the process of consultation will indicate the pervasiveness and the depth of the consultation that has taken place which precedes the expression of views.
2.14 The Executive, Legislative and Urban Councils, the Heung Yee Kuk and the District Boards play a significant rôle in reflecting the views from a wide spectrum of society through their respective areas of influence. A description of these organizations is at Appendix IV. Together they provide a balanced and effective representative platform for public consultation for the rural and urban population.
2.15 There are 18 District Boards with elected and appointed members which give geographical representative cover to the entire territory. The District Boards are linked by membership to the Area Committees of which there are one hundred. Each Area Committee covers roughly 50,000 people and consists of 15 to 25 members who are drawn from different sectors of the community including representatives of residents' associations such as the Mutual Aid Committees. In the New Territories, each Rural Committee is made up of village representatives, and its chairman is allocated a seat on the District Board.
(3) The daily newspapers monitored by the Office included:
(i) English language dailies-Hong Kong Standard, South China Morning Post; (ii) Chinese language dailies-Hong Kong Daily News, Hong Kong Economic Journal, Hong Kong Times, Kung Sheung Daily News, Ming Pao, New Evening Post, Oriental Daily News. Sing Pao Daily News, Sing Tao Jih Pao, Ta Kung Pao, The Express, Tin Tin Daily News, Wah Kiu Yat Po, Wen Wei Po.
The magazines monitored by the Office included:-
Asiaweek, Cheng Ming, China's Road Monthly, Chung Pao Monthly, Far Eastern Economic Review, Focus, Hong Kong Economic Journal Monthly, Ming Pao Monthly, Pai Shing Semi-Monthly, The Perspective, The Economist, The Mirror, The Nineties, Wide Angle and others with articles on Hong Kong e.g. Hong Kong Business Today, Newsweek, Time.
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3159803
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