TNAG-1692-FCO40-2342-Hong-Kong-legislation-regarding-the-control-of-publications--1987 — Page 21

What

10 -

then is "false

news"?

What is true news

unfortunately can be proved to be false news ev en in a criminal

court on the high standard of proof required, namely, beyond

reasonable doubt. All it takes is for the

government concerned

to send somebody to the witness box to say that there was no

substance in the reports published by the newspaper concerned.

And So long as the truth rema ins

hidden, the news would be

"false".

decide not to risk

news

But the point to emphasize is that there need not be

any actual prosecution in such a case.

For if there is such a

law, publishers and many journalists may

prosecution and imprisonment by publishing such sensitive

at all. If so,

the truth will never be told. Of course some

publishers and journalists in similar circumstances may decide

that they owe it to the public to publish the news and face

criminal prosecutions. In such cases, at least the news would

have been published, followed by a prosecution and conviction.

And this may or may not lead to a public enquiry about the

conduct of the government

If there is such a

public enquiry as in Watergate and Irangate, the newspapers would finally be vindicated although at great personal price to

the brave publisher and journalist concerned. But if no public

enquiry is held because the publicity given by such report is

nibbed in the bud before it could gather sufficient public

support, then the publisher and journalist would have paid a

in question.