XN000022-1986-03-12 — Page 26

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 12, 1986.

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LYRICS WERE NOT OBJECTIONABLE, LEGCO TOLD

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LEGAL ADVICE ON THE LYRICS OF ONE LOCAL ALBUM INDICATED THAT THE LYRICS DID NOT FALL WITHIN THE CURRENT OBJECTIONABLE STANDARDS AS LAID DOWN BY THE COURTS, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, THE HON SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES SAID TODAY.

REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON LEE YU-TAI CONCERNING GOVERNMENT'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS INDECENT LYRICS IN POPULAR SONGS REGULARLY AIRED ON TELEVISION AND RADIO, SIR DAVID SAID THAT HE WAS AWARE OF PRESS STATEMENTS THAT THE LYRICS OF A FEW LOCAL POPULAR SONGS WERE +OF DUBIOUS PROPRIETY.+

BY LAW, HE SAID, THE BROADCASTING OF INDECENT LYRICS WAS AN OFFENCE, IN THE SAME WAY AS WAS THE PUBLICATION OF AN INDECENT ARTICLE.

AND THE COMMISSIONER FOR TELEVISION AND ENTERTAINMENT LICENSING, HAD ISSUED CODES OF PRACTICE WHICH MAKE SPECIFIC REFERENCE TO PROGRAMME STANDARDS AND PROHIBIT THE BROADCAST OF ANY MATTER, INCLUDING LYRICS, CONSIDERED OBSCENE, VULGAR, INDECENT OR PROFANE.

IN PARTICULAR, THE COMMISSIONER REQUIRED HIGHER STANDARDS IN RESPECT OF PROGRAMMES WHICH MIGHT REASONABLY BE EXPECTED TO ATTRACT THE ATTENTION OF CHILDREN AND YOUNG PERSONS.

TO DATE, THE COMMISSIONER HAD BEEN SATISFIED THAT THE LYRICS WHICH HAD DRAWN ADVERSE PUBLIC COMMENT HAD NOT BREACHED THE CODE OF PRACTICE, SIR DAVID SAID.

CONTENTS OF NEWSPAPER ADS MONITORED DAILY *****

THE CONTENTS OF NEWSPAPERS AND PERIODICALS, INCLUDING ADVERTISEMENTS, WERE MONITORED DAILY TO ENSURE THAT THEY DID NOT CONTAIN MATTER OF AN INDECENT, OBSCENE OR REVOLTING NATURE WHICH COULD BE PROSECUTABLE, THE CHIEF SECRETARY, THE HON SIR DAVID AKERS-JONES, SAID TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

IN A WRITTEN REPLY TO A QUESTION BY THE HON PAULINE NG, SIR DAVID SAID THAT NEWSPAPER ADVERTISEMENTS WERE CONTROLLED BY SECTION 3(1) OF THE OBJECTIONABLE PUBLICATIONS ORDINANCE, CHAPTER 150.

HE SAID