very high price
indeed,
· 11 ·
-
because
apart from fines and
imprisonments, their reputation will be lost forever.
It may be said that members of the mass media a re
taking such strong objection to the Bill out of self-interest.
This is an unjust and unfair thing to say,
because the less
courageous and public-spirited
members of the mass media will
simply decline to report the story. And so those who stand to
suffer are the common people of Hong Kong who are kept in the
dark.
The question before us today, like
many other
questions, involves conflicting principles of public policy :-
(a)
the right of the public to be informed, and to be
informed promptly; and
(b)
the right of the public not to be misled or alarmed
by false news.
It is suggested by the Administration that the
public of Hong Kong needs
be protected from the
irresponsible reporting. There is no evidence that such
to
irresponsible reporting of false news is rampant. Indeed the
evidence
shows that this particular section has never been used