XN000022-1983-11-14 — Page 2

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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 14, 1983

GOVERNMENT TAKES GOOD WITH BAD FROM PRESS TSAO

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IT IS BECAUSE HONG KONG ENJOYS FREEDOM OF SPEECH THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAS TO TAKE THE GOOD WITH THE BAD, THE DIRECTOR OF INFORMATION SERVICES, MR PETER TSAO, SAID TODAY.

+IT MAY GIVE ME CAUSE FOR CONCERN WHEN COMB THE PAPERS EACH DAY AND SEE THE GOVERNMENT CRITICISED FOR THIS AND CASTIGATED FOR THAT.

+BUT BELIEVE ME IT WOULD WORRY ME A GREAT DEAL MORE IF I WERE TO WAKE UP ONE DAY AND FIND THAT ALL CRITICAL FACULTY HAD SUDDENLY VANISHED FROM THE SPOKEN AND WRITTEN WORD AND THAT THE MEDIA HAD NOTHING BUT PRAISE FOR GOVERNMENT, MR TSAO SAID.

HE WOULD FIND THAT A VERY UNNATURAL AND ALARMING STATE OF AFFAIRS+, HE ADDED.

IN A

SPEAKING ON THE SUBJECT, +GOVERNMENT AND THE MASS MEDIA+ HONG KONG MANAGEMENT ASSOCIATION SEMINAR THIS EVENING, MR TSAO SAID CYNICISM IN THE MASS MEDIA IS NOT ONLY HEALTHY BUT ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL FOR THE WORKINGS OF A FREE PRESS IN A DEMOCRATIC SOCIETY.

+WE IN GOVERNMENT DEAL WITH A PRESS THAT HANGS ON EVERY WORD WE UTTER, BUT AT THE SAME TIME WE HAVE TO CONTEND WITH THE FACT THAT THEY ARE GOING TO TREAT EVERY SUCH WORD WITH THE UTMOST CAUTION,+ MR TSAO SAID.

MR TSAO REFERRED TO THE DEFINITION OF +MEDIA+ IN THE CONCISE OXFORD DICTIONARY AS THE INTERVENING SUBSTANCE THROUGH WHICH IMPRESSIONS ARE CONVEYED.+

BUT NOBODY TO HIS KNOWLEDGE

LEAST OF ALL HIMSELF

HAD

EVER LOOKED UPON THE PRESS MERELY AS MEEK OR SUBMISSIVE CONVEYORS OF OTHER PEOPLE'S HANDOUTS.

+THEY ASSESS, THEY ANALYSE AND THEY INTERPRET,+ HE SAID.

MR TSAO REITERATED GOVERNMENT'S EMPHASIS ON THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS BY QUOTING THE CHIEF SECRETARY, SIR PHILIP HADDON-CAVE'S SPEECH AT THE OPENING OF THE NEW SING PAO BUILDING TWO MONTHS AGO *THE GOVERNMENT TREASURES THIS FREEDOM AS MUCH AS YOU DO, AND WE VALUE THE ROLE PLAYED BY THE MEDIA IN FURTHERING TWO-WAY COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE GOVERNMENT AND THE PUBLIC.

+WE STUDY ALSO THE VIEWS OF THE PRESS, NO MATTER HOW OUTSPOKEN. PUBLIC OPINION AND THE VIEWS OF THE PRESS INFLUENCE THE GOVERNMENT'S DECISIONS, PARTICULARLY WHEN STRONGLY-HELD FEELINGS ARE SUPPORTED BY A FAIR REHEARSAL OF THE FACTS AND COGENT ARGUMENT.+

MR TSAO SAID, +NATURALLY WE ALL HAVE A PREFERENCE FOR CONSTRUCTIVE CRITICISM, BUT IT WOULD BE UNREALISTIC TO EXPECT, IN THE NORMAL GIVE AND TAKE OF OPEN DEBATE ON ANY ISSUE, THAT ALL

WE CRITICISM IS GOING TO BE CONSTRUCTIVE OR EVEN WELL-INFORMED. MUST ALSO MAKE ALLOWANCE FOR THE HUMAN TENDENCY TO LEAP BEFORE WE LOOK, OR SHOULD I SAY SPEAK BEFORE WE LISTEN TO ALL THE FACTS.+

/HE WENT