Media Censorship in Hong Kong: The Oscars
[#Thread - Media censorship in HK - March 2021]
1/ Today, we've learnt that the #Oscars won't be aired this year for "hurting the feelings of the Chinese people" and that the Int'l Film Festival has axed a film depicting corrupted cops. 2 new incidents added to an ongoing list of censorship.
2/ When it's first announced that "#DoNotSplit" has been nominated for Best Documentary Short at the Oscars, the Global Times was so offended that it became highly critical of the Awards, so the cancellation of the broadcast doesn't come as a total surprise.
3/ The cancellation of the screening of "Where the Wind Blows" at the #HKIFF is more problematic though, signalling that commercial films that don't have the Chinese censorship clearance can now be called off without due process in #HongKong.
4/ After bureaucrat Patrick Li Pak-chuen took over the helm at #RTHK on 01 March, the public broadcaster has been at the forefront of the media onslaught in the city. Some examples of programmes being pulled at last minute for being "politically incorrect".
5/ With so many shows to review and scrap, it's understandable that the newly appointed director of #RTHK has been too busy to meet employees to explain his "editorial" decisions. #EditorialIndependence
6/ Under a new "disciplinary mechanism", journalists at #RTHK could now be investigated for negligence and required to cover the production costs of programmes deemed "unsuitable" by the management.
7/ As per @StandNews, 9 #RTHK programmes have already been shelved since Patrick Li became Director of Broadcasting.
8/ But #RTHK isn' the only institution feeling the wrath of #China's censors. The commercial screening of "Inside the Red Brick Wall", an award-winning documentary about the '19 #HongKongProtests, has been pulled from cinemas to "avoid misunderstandings".