The Correspondent, June - July 1996

Page 1

THD Tbe Official Publication of tbe Foreign Correspondents'Club of Hong Kong

OHWIIATA

The election:

LOVELY MESS BUT NOT FOR MUCH TONGER

It's Giannini aftet a rvrr-off

It's all going to

The search for a new house

be in a good cause


THD GORRXSPOTTDDNT

C¡rHnY Pnctrlc

Itu¡e/Júy 1996

2 THE FOREIGN CORRESPOI\DENTS' CLIJB 2 IÆwer Albert Road, Hong Kong

Telephone: 2521

l5ll

5.

Correspoûdeût Member Govemos Paul Bayfield, Marcus W. Bmuchli, Mark Clifford, Peter Engardio, Cathy Hilbom, Robin Lynm,

Jonathm MiÉky, Hubert Van Es Semtaty: C^thy lll.lbom Joumalist Member Govefnors Fmncis Moriarty, Simon Twiston DaYies, Nury Vittachi -Assoclate Member Govemors John Corbett, Kevin Egan, Ronald Ling, K¿rin Mdmsftom Dorothy Ryan

6. a-

Ryn

ao.

Conuenor: F

Ktii

Malnstrom

nn-off

Corzer Stof:rz ll4edia llzfattel:s \lhat role for RTHK alter the

41.

handover?

l\zIedia flooks In foreign lands

a-2.

l\[edia

l\,{alael:s

Into the age ofthe Cyber-portfolio; Living in a state of uncertainty

a5-

ifritl¡te John Woodruff: the man from Baltimore

Membershlp cof,fnittee Conumor: IftbertVaîEs Entertairiûert Commlttee

Election

Yes, this is the place to be

Conuenor: Markcfiffold

Treasurer: Dolotl]ry

twist in the tail

Lrrnchlines

Decidecl on a

Professloflal Commlttee

Iloùse Commlttee Conaqor: KevìnE4rff, Flnmce Cormlttee

a

'ùflhere the real dangers lie

Fax:2A6a 4092

Presldent Hans vriens Ffust vlce Presldent Giamini s€cond vlce Presldent- -John simon Twiston Davics

Fr:orn ttre President A hectic year with

7-6-

À4errrt¡ers at [-a'|ge Ted, the floor and Mt. Everest

&B Coñmittee

Conuenor: Sl]Jart ÎÍoßendale

Vall C¡mñlttee Conuenor:

}ftberrVaîEs

aa.

Conoenor: Sinon Twiston Davies Freedom oftåe Press Conueftor: F n'rcis Mo¡iarty

V¡ine

lfasting

No more whining

Publlcatlofls cofllf¡ltt€e

20-

Strop ifa-lk Three's

Medla Commltt€e

a

mdio crowd

Conuenor: John Gianniil

The Correspondent EDITORIAL OFFICE Pete¡ Cordingley, Editor Nicola Nightingale, Assistant Editor 2 lower.Albert Road, Hong Kong Telephone: 2521 l5ll Fax:2868 4O92

23-

Boarding schools in the UK

26-

Tbe Correspondeflú is published monttrly by The Foreign CoÍ€spondents' Club ofHong Kong.

PRODUCÏION Printin8

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@ t995 The Foreign cotrespondents'

Club ofHong Kong Opinions expressed by writem in Tbe Cotresþondeu t æ rot necesstri.ly those of Tbe Foreign Co[espondents' Club

Featufe

2A-

People

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hlesz lVferrrbers

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FCC Faces Bill Barker

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Cover photograph by Hubert Van Es

June/July 1996 TEE C0RAf,SPOlfIlElfT


Canoil

WORLD NO

1

A hectic year with atwist

CAMERA BRAND

U1TIIUIATE

PER]ORTNANCE lN sPlll SECoNDS

in the tatl

To be the champion is to be at the peak in the very

After lea-ding ttre Club ttrrougtr one of ttre l>usiest )zea"r:s for sorne tirrre, President Elafrs \Zriens has stood dovrzn- lfhe follovrzing is an edited rzersion of his address to the AGÀ/I-

important moments. Oniy total dedication and determination give the edge to break the

limit,

and to stay at the peak. Professional photo graphers capture these split seconds and share the dedication and determination - the spirit of champion.

f , *", a rurDurenr year .l. anO one that ended with a

randah will be turned into a PanAsian speciaþ restaurant. The renovation is going according to plan. W.e apologise

bizarre Board election result: a dead-heat for the presidency betwe€n Cathy Hilborn and John Giannni, who both secured 63 votes. After two recounts, there was no doubt about this statisti-

before the grand opening of the Club in July, all carpets in the building will be renewed.

Lee, thought the issue was re-

Deepening and widening the scope of our professional and entertainment activities [has been a principal activ-

markably simple. "Use your casting vote," he advised. I replied: "This issue should be decided by the membership and not by

But

re-election. As for the year gone by, our prime objections this year were to: a

.

. .

. .

the fee-structure for members and start a membership drive; Deepen and widen the scope

of our professional and entertainment activities; Start preparing the Club for the future - meaning the Foreign Correspondents' Club of

the Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, also called Hong

Kong.

cial footing

Let me say the Board is extremely happy to work with our new general manager, Mr Bob Sanders. I am de-

Prepare for the $12 million renovation; Have a complete overhaul of

lighted by the new menu in the main bar. The menu upstairs will be completely overhauled shortly and the Ve-

Put the Club on a sound finan-

TEE G0XRDSPOilDENI June/July 1996

Ultimate performance in split seconds turns into moments of world records, Canon EOS camera system gives the spirit of champion to the world of photographers.

for the inconvenience. But if

vice. One of the great legal minds in Hong Kong, Martin

The Club's law firm, Haldanes, agreed and so does the Board of Governors. This issue should not only be resolved fairþ, but the Board, which has the final decisionin these matters, should also be seen to be fair. So no tossing of coins. No penalty shoot-out.

tomorrow's needs.

you appreciate qualityfood, you nèed a quality kitchen. By the way, this room [the main restaurantl is not finished yet. Just

cally unlikely outcome. Several lawyers gave us ad-

the president alone. That is the most democratic way."

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ityl . One of the objectives

is to maintain the FCC as Hong Kong's premier platform for speakers with something worthwhile to say. This logic creates its own problems. The main concern

of the Professional Committee for June is that we may have organised too many e\¡ents - stafting with the showing of the three hour documentary Tbe Gate of Heauenly Peøce on June 1 (another in our series "Documentaries you will not see on ATV and TVB"). The FCC is fortunate in having no political or business affiliation, so that those appearing at the Club can be

confident that they are attending a neutfal venue with guaranteed

In the major events of athletics, many professional photographers stake their

reputations on the quality of the images they produce with Canon White EF Lenses.

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I

access to the media. This is a consid-

UIPOOtrTNG

erable advantage which we should carefully preserve, especially in the politically extremely sensitive days ahead of us.

PIRO]FIBSSION{AII

["I[TN{C]HIIBS 3

Jufy 1996 (Wednesday) rWhywas there a Cultural Revohrtion?'

Roderick MacFarquhar

author,

-

former joumalist and politician

-

is one of the world's leading

authorities on the Cultural Revolution as well as a long standing China watcher.

t2luly

The most remarkable professional event of this year didn't take place at the FCC butinthe GrandBallRoom of the even Grander Hyatt, where the FreedomForum had invited the mem-

James Miles, BBC Correspondent,

will talk on his new book

Tbe

outdated laws and, most successHuman

Rights Press Awards, onJune 15. This is a joint venture between Amnestylnternational, the Hong Kong

human rights in Hong Kong in 1996, you are wrong. There arc224 entries. An unbelievable success. The Entertainment Cornmittee has

in Dis ar'ray which examines the

to mention the visit by the

'Welsh

Choir in which one of our Board members sings. Our receptionists were so overwhelmed by the response, I think we could have filled the Hong Kong

stadium twice. More entertainment was brought to us by our revitalised Golf Society. Also our monthly maga-

China since 1989.

1 Arrgust A996 (Thursday) Bill Overhalt from Bankers Trust.

9 August A996 (Friday) Jasper Becker will talk on his book Tbe Hungry Gl¡osts which is about the 1958 famine in China.

Re s ent øtùon s are recotnmendc d nout ø s demøndfor tb e s e et ent s

is exþected to be beøuy

CORR]SPONDDNT

June/July 1996

During our Board meeting this

A membership-drive committee will be set up as soon as possible. We have made

a

good start. This year,

2

10

new members joined the Club. Our total membership increas ed to I,442. Finally I would like to pay a]/ery sincere tribute to the staff who work at the Club - 110 in total. Not all familiat to you, because many work

in the kitchen, accountants department in Lan Kwai Fong or in the basement. The greatest compliment was probably made by the top leader of the Freedom Forum from $f/ashing-

ton, who was much more impressed

zire Tbe Corcesþondezf provided us

by our staff than the staff at the Grand

Hyatt. And rightly so.

opinion it is a quality magazine to be proud of. I mentioned that preparing the Club for the future was one of our prime objectives. But how do you do that? Where do you start? By improv-

I would like to thank my fellow Board members, who have worked so hard this year. Also those who had to step down because they moved

ing our working relationship with organisations like the Government Information Service (after 4O years GIS has joined the Club in an official capacity), the Trade Development Council, several consulate generals, other departments of the Hong Kong Government, the Hong Kong Journalists Association, Amnesty International, the Freedom Forum, the

,\sia is l>oorning, so good tirnes are alread, right? l\zla¡zbe not, said .A.rlrerican e><pert l(ent Calder in a hrnctreon speectr to ttre Club. As lfodd Crouzell rellorts, troul>le could tre akread-

complicated. However, the aim is very clear: to attfact more members, raise revenue and, as a result, keep our seryice level high and our prices low. This is not easy, because Hong Kong is no longer a low-cost environment. Actually, it is tather a highcost environment. As of today, we haye launched a membership drive until September 1. Until then, the entrance fee for Correspondents and Journalists has been lowered to an incredible $3,000 non-transferable, of course.

with a lot of entertainment. In my

Preparatory Committee, the General Tf,[

hopetully have.

touches on a complete overhaul of the fee structure. It may sound a bit

Legacy of Tíananment: Cl¡ina

political causes of instability in

matic skills our new president will

morning, we put the finishing

fully, organising the first

Where the realdansers lie

Putting ouf case to the new sovereign power will require all the diplo-

Laiand Bernard Kalb. Also professional, but approaching the topic from a slightly different angle, is the newly formed Freedom of the Press Committee. It has been very active, sending letters pleading for the release of the jailed Chinese journalist Xi Yang, testifying for panels of the Legislative Council, lobbying Legco to get rid of the several

organised more great evenings than ever before. In particular, I would like

potential econornic, security and

a working trip through Guangdong province, etc. These links haye given the FCC a firmer footing in Hong Kong society.

bers of the FCC to adinnerwithJimmy

Journalists Association and the FCC. If you are sceptical about any interest in

1996 (rriday)

Chamber of Commerce, with whom

we hope to organise

oYefseas.

Finally I would like to admit that also the Presidencyhas itsfrustrations. It is not so much that I am from the Nethedands, but that my children are not eyen allowed to enter the club to have lunch on a Saturday afternoon. I sincerelyhope thatthe incorningBoard will open up the Verandah for children on Saturdays. I wish the very best to the incoming Board.

@

Iub members have listened to many experts at many luncheons explain howAsia's dramatic economic advances of the past few dec-

ades will usher in ar era of ever-expanding prosperity, peace and democracy. Now comes Prof. Kent Calder of

the Center for Strategic & International Studies in'Washington to formulate a new equation. It goes something

like this: economic growth,

equals

energy shortages, plus arms buildup means global insecurity. That was the theme of his recent luncheon speech and the thesis of his new book, Asiø's Deadly Triøngle (Nicholas Braeley). Calder is best

known for an earlier work, E astøsi a E dge

Tbe

(with Roy Hoflreinz), in

which he discussed the reasons behind Japan's economic success and predicted that it would spread, as it did, to the Asian Tigers and eventually to China. After writing several books onJapan's economy, he has widened his horizons to make a broader, sweeping analysis of the changing power balance in East Asia. The first thing that comes to mind these days when the subject of "security" is raised is China, but Calder says

this is a mistake. "With our fixation on China, we are ignoring other dangers and possible ways to try and stabilise them," he said. He went on

to describe these potential areas of conflict: An "arc of crisis" stretches across the northeast coffrer of the continent, centred on the "deadly tdtangle" ofJapan, Korea and Taiwan. This region has been relatively stable for the 40years since the end of the KoreanVar, thanks in mainto the US militarypresence and

the quiescence, until recently, of the Taiwan reunification question. But the prospects for rapid and destabilising changes are greatest here. The view in lØashington inclines more and more to the idea that North Korea is headed toward internal col-

lapse because of its deteriorating economy and uncertain leadership. Its economy is now about 1/15th that of South Korea's; it was 1/6th in 1990. Pyongyang has been sending troops into the Demilitarized Zone sporadically, trying to be as provocative and unpredictable as possible. "There are more Koreans under arms (1.7 million) than Russians orAmericans [about 1.5 million each]," said Calder.

Adding to the uncertainty is the lack of any kind of security affangement in northeast Asia, other than the US-Japan treafi and the presence of

100,000 American troops.'Washington's ability and desire to play the role of regional policeman much longer is diminishing perceptibly. There is not even an organisation in embryo, such the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) in Southeast Asia. Like a lot of analysts from the 'West, Calder s€es ARF as useful for confidence-building, perhaps, but lacking any real capabilities of defusing a crisis. Asian's new prosperity has given many countries the means to buy more and better amaments. Overall spending has increased 25 pet cent in recent years, against post-Cold War cutbacks elsewhere. Not all these new weapons as

forAsia's "slow motion arms face" are imported, either. An indigenous arms technology is slowly developing, providing the technical base from which

to build new and betterweapons. Japa-

nese Tomahawk cruise missiles, though produced under license from the US, are said to be more accurate than the Americans'

But the biggest potential

destabiliser, says Calder, is energy. Many newly prospering Asian countries are becoming net energy importers. China joined those ranks lastyear. Indonesia is expected to become one shortly after the turn of the century. Most of the supplies will continue to come from the volatile Gulf region. Consequentþ, the importance of keeping the sea lanes open will increase. Growing energy needs also increase

the regional bias toward nuclear power,'which gives countries the capability of acquiring nuclear weapons, he added.

Added to this is the problem of offshore reserves in areaswhere claims for territory and natural resources are disputed. The problem of the Spratly

islets in the South China Sea is well known, but potentially more troublesome is the East China Sea continental shelf. "Some petroleum engineers speculate that oil reserves there could be as valuable as the North Sea depos-

its," Calder said. The trouble is that these reseryes are located in areas disputed by Japan and China. "The bottom line is that East Asia is entering into a new danger zone that has global implications, " he said. There is a need for new security networks, and mechanisms, the continued American presence is vital and much more attention must be paid to energy." His prognosis? "Call me somewhat pessimistic. "

@

¡une/July 1996 Tÿ

GORRDSPONIIENT


Decided on a rufr-off t was Llnprecedented. The annual election of the Board of Governors produced a clead head in the

presidential poll between Cathy Hilborn and John Giannini. Officers went in search of the rule book ancl came back with the aclvice that there would have to be

'a¿

a nrn-off.

The result of thatJohn Giannini is the new President. He scored 80 votes

ftt¡ \::

againest Cathy Hilborn's 78. More details in the next Tbe CowesþonclenL These pictures are of the AGM.

{

@

tr@

è ù THD GORRXSPOIIDEIIT June/July 1996

June/July 1996 Tf,X

CORRISPONDDNT


Yes, this is

the place to be

more than l,4OO. Vriens would like to see this ¡ise to about 1,750 in the New Year. "That would be enough to maintain the club's financial wellbeing without getting so big that you have to book a table in the restaurant

three weeks in advance," he said. Unfortunately, in the past, whole segments of the journalist community in Hong Kong and other potential a¡eas fo¡ new members were neglected. "I see all these new media

organizations

This programme is already in motion. To date, we have acquired eight corporate members, five diplomats and one new media-related, with several others pending. Among the media-relatecl members applications are the head of the Government Information Services. Vriens thinks such

participation in Club affairs will prove inyaluable as the FCC gets closer to the handover date, July 1, 1997, when more than 3,000 our-of-

gramme. The popular documentary fllm Tbe Gate of Heauenly peace on

the Tiananmen massacre, has already

been shown twice to packed audiences. Discussions are underway now to expand the menu to provide a gteatü variety of food for differing tastes and even to make the club more child-friendly by allowing children in on Saturday. Two members of the membership

drive committee, Lynn Grebstad and

Mary Justice Thomassan,

coming to Hong

Kong such

as

have also takena close look at the

Bloomberg, CNN or NBC, and I think we

Club and its

premises to iso-

really need to do

lat€ its "unique

more to attract

selling points". These can be

them, " said Vriens. Corporate member-

used in developing more promG

ships, a bulwark

tional materials

of financial sup-

port for

aimed at selected

many

"tatget gfoups".

social clubs in town, have lan-

Many have already been summarized in anew

guished unused,

eYen though there was al-

brochure.

also plan to take

ready provision

for them in the club bylaws. "It Tbe u,tork roorn gets a good tuorkíng-ouer, was there in theory, but we never used it,,, says town journalists are expected to deVriens. scend on Hong Kong. ,,Amazingly, you So the club is taking action. fo¡ more than 4O years we,ve nerrer have probably already read about had the head of the local GIS as a

q

s Ès

Soon ue

uill

be søns scetffolding.

"

lftre rnerrrt>erskrip d.ri.rze is picking up pace and tkre felao\zations are ttndersza)¡. Wery soon ttre results uzill begin to strovrz, xzrites Tod-d- crou¡elAnd the'the ch-rt> uzill rea_lly tra.rze sornettring

to l>oa-st a.l>out.

can'r jusr rely on peopte to \fou I knockon yourdoor,', saysformer

president Hans Vriens. ,,you have to go out and sell yourself.,, One might think that an institution such as the Foreign Correspondents, Club does sell itself. After all, we have a proud history, an incomparable location in the historic building in the middle of Central and a main bar thathas often been described as one of the best watering holes inAsia, if not the wodd. But we can't liye on John LeCarre ,s novel, Ihe Honourable Scbootboy fot €Yef.

"For too long we,ve been run_

ning on autopilot,,, says Vriens. ,,Our growth was stagnant; there was even a slight fall-off in members," he said. The membership stands at a little

many of the details in previons From the President's letters in Tbe Coryesþondent. To recapitulate the main points: the club has instituted three new membership categories, in addition to Correspondent, Journalist and Associate. They are Corporate, Diplo-

matic and International Media-Related. In essence, for a ruther large

joining fee, the corporation or consulate gains a transferable membership for an employee, though these individuals continue to pay their own monthly membership fees. . New Entrance Fee Structufe: .Corporate: $50,000, next three .

from the same company, $30,000 Diplomatic: $30,000, next three from the same consulate, $20,000

.Media-Related: $30,000, next three from the same company $20,000

'We

member," said Vriens. "This being Hong Kong, people often ask us, 'what's the deal,?,, he adds. So the club is setting one up. A news organisation that wishes to pro_ pose, say, five new members, can have their individual membership fees re-

duced to $3,000 from the standard $4,000 rate. These would be non-trans-

ferable, voting members, as opposed to the three new categories, which are transferable to other corporate members but do not have voting rights. Changing the membership structure is only one aspect of the campaign. It is also important to make the Club more appealing to a wider variety of people. That means more attention to the menu, entertainment and speakers. More than lO eyents were scheduled forJune, even in the middle of our recent renovation pro-

out advertisements in other club magazines,

such as those

publishe{ by rhe Hong Kong Chamber of Commerce and the American Club. Here are some of the themes we

want to hit: The FCC is where ir is all happening - especially next year. you can't aflord not to be a part of the action. 'W'e have the best food and beverage prices in town. 'W'e have awarm atmosphere in a

historic building convenient to the heart of Hong Kong. Every month we have highcalibre lectures, panel discussions and films on tim€ly topics. '$íe are well equipped both for working and for work-outs on our

lower level. Some of the language of advertisers such as "selling points,' or ,,target groups", may sound strange or even

grating to some of the more hardbitten journalists. But , says Vriens, Hong Kong is Hong Kong. Nobody gets anywhere here without a little hustle.

THE GORRESP0NDEI{T June/Jtrly 1996

June/July

I

@

rl

il

l

lr


What role for RTIIK after the }nrandovefl R-THK is a- gorzerlarnent depa-rtrne't- So lrztrat .re its ctrances of retaining its editorial independence after 1997? Stephen Vines sa)r's CLrina-'s tra.ck record a_nd recent sta.ternents l>¡. Ctrinese leaders sLrggest they a_r:e not goodhinese officials responsible for Hong Kong affairs haye a knack of getting to the heart of things, even if they do not do so intentionally. Zhang Junsheng, a deputy director of the New China News Agency @inhua), is arguably the most adept

in this matrer. Zhang is the public face of the agency, Beijing,s de facro embassy in the territory. He is in charge of propaganda matters. Note the word propaganda, because the Chinese goyernment has yet to employ the sophisticated art of obscuring things with euphemisms. Unlike some governments, it does not pre_ tend that its propaganda is an information department. This, in some respects, is refresh-

ing, but not necessarily reassuring. The least reassuring aspect of China's

attitude toward government pfopaganda is an inability to understand that some of the state ,s information tentacles can perform a genuinely neutral role. In Hong Kong, for example, Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) is, in some ways, a model of public broadcasting in as much as it manages to retain a considerable degree of autonomy from the government which pays all its bills and owns everything bearing the RTHK stamp. Turn on the radio any day of the week, orwatch some of RTHK's wellinformed television programmes, and you will hardly get the impression that this is some prorpaganda arm of govem-

ment.

The same can hardly be said of China's Central Television, or some of the central rudio stations @ut not

necessarily some of those outside the capital), which are as predictable as

meeting in Beijing for^tpropaganda officials and newspaper editors. They

However, as we are endlessly told, Hong Kong is supposed to be di¡fferent after the glorious return to the motherland next year. Ask Zhanghow different will be RTHK's relationship with the new govemment.

manding that the go\/ernment tell RTHK to give air time to the work of the Preparatory Committee, the Chinese-appoinred body which is making preparations for the handover of powef. As it happens, the committee gets

alot of atr time on RTHK but that was not what Zhang has in mind. As the head of a propaganda department, he m€ans that air time should be given to produce propaganda on the committee 's behalf. Told that RTHK does not operate

in this way, he angrily replied thar it was the govemment's responsibility to tell its subordinate what to do. "I don't care what their editorial policy is," he said. "I only know that RTHK is a government department using taxpayers' money.,, In other words, RTHK should therefore be disciplined into doing what the government tells it to do. RTHK was unflinching in response to Zhang's demands. It simply said that it would not provide air time and justified this stance by saying that the Hong Kong Government had never made similar demands. RTHK's response was less than entirelyfrank, because as a broadcaster it has been very much an atm of govemment propaganda. This was notably so during the Cultural Revolution-

Many GIS officials believe that they can enter the post-1997 era doing much the same kind of things they are doing now. This is a, tragic delusion. There is simply no understanding in China of a system which allows propaganda department officials to do anything other than produce propaganda. By the merest coincidence, this point was emphasised afhree-day

flies in summer.

Well, as it happens, there is no need, because he has willingly let us know his views. Recently, he was de-

bureaucrats the wodd over, they tend to be both protective and defensive of the institution which gave rise to their existence.

were told by Xu Guangchun, the vice-director of the Communist Party's propaganda department, that the

Steþlren Vines, formerpres¡rtent of tbe Ctub

inspired unresr of the lare 1960s. It was also so in thousands of smallways

when senior government officials wanted to ensrrfe that a particular spin was put on the news when it was of concern to those in charge. However, the situation facing the Hong Kong broadcaster is not undermined'by a frank assessment of its

past. RTHK has developed as Hong Kong itself has developed into a more sophisticated, less deferential and more

questioning society. The same, in some ways, can be govemment,s official propagandamachine, known bythe inoffensive euphemistic name of the Govemsaid for the

role of the media and those communicating with the media was to follow instructions given by President Jiang Zemin This means the media should be run by potiticians who are loyal to the Communist party. In Hong Kong, the role of the party will not be so obvious, at least during the initial stages of the transfer of power. However, no one should imagine that the policy of the Chinese goverrunent, which is the policy of the Communist Party, will be anything other than the line that the government spokesmen are expected

to take. Propaganda is a very serious business in China. It is not an afterthought

left to be executed by junior officials. The head of the propaganda apparatus is a leading figure within the party. In contrast, the director of

tures of the bureaucracv. And like

GIS staffmembers

old dayswhen the Hong Kong Government still admitted that it was administering a colony, rather than a teffitory, as it nowprefers to describe this place. In this, as in so many things nowadays, Hong Kong is poised to take a step backwards to a way of life which many hoped had long disappeared.

@ This article first appeared iîthe As¡a Times, where Stephen Vines is consulting editor

the earth are ignored by editors, creating an imbalance in coverage. "!(zhile 'W'estern European

cities and Toþo

have remained havens for healthy num-

bers of US journalists . . . throughout

the century huge areas of the wodd have had little US representation: China

and Southeast Asia, the Indian Subcontinent, most ofAfrica and l¿tinAmerica, Iran and the Gulf States and the former Soviet Republics."

Follouíng American Foreign Coruesþondents a.cross tbe Twentìetb Century [Wasbngton: The American University Press, 19951, Emery writes: "An overall analysis of the correspondents'

work suggests that, for the most part, the men and women of the US press corps are fairþwell educated, reasonably well trained, serious about their work and generally successful ge!^t ting their stories into their reader,s

living room." But there is a failure. "Over the years," he writes, "the level of education rose, including foreign-language ability. However, few correspondents had sufficient appreciation of the role of a particular culture in their work a serious deficiency that needs to be overcome if stories are to be framed in

work is affected here and abroad by the

jobs as they do them now would be best adyised to ask some of the old[imers how they worked in the good

On the other hand, they are crea-

his death in California last December, at the age of 55. From Floyd Gibbons in \Øodd VØar I to Christiane Amanpour in Bosnia, Emery gives them generally good grades. But he recognises cultural and other problems. In his book, On tbe Front Lìnes:

who fondly im-

spokesman forthe govemment and the

Its officers are, generally speaking, decent men and women who can be genuinely informatiye and are no longer supposed to routinely tell reporters that this or that matter is none of their business or to prepare atticles which were expected to be reproduced in newspapers without alteration.

ing the work of foreign correspondents. He published some of his conclusions just two months before

agine that they can cary on doing their

GIS in Hong Kong is not even a policy-

level official.

mation.

ichael Emery spent years study-

the proper context without unconscious stereotypes being passed on to the reader or viewer." He adds: "Unhappily, in roday's wodd of professional'agenda-setters,, the impact of the foreign journalist,s

ment Information Seryices (GIS). It is a lafge organisation, employing 366 people. It acrs as the official

production centre for government propaganda, officially known as infor-

Making sense of foreign lands

greatþ increased sophistication of gov-

efnment pfopa-

And how much interest is there in the States in foreign news? "Local news is king," says Emery, "just as it was in the 1880s, when the phìlosophy of the tight-fisted SØilliam Rockhill Nelson,s

Kansas City Starwas 'The further it's from Kansas City, the less it's news'." Emery was a foreign correspondent himself, reporting from the Middle East and Central America, before he became a journalism professor at Cah-

fornia State University, Northridge, where he specialised in acadernic studies of international news. He worked for IIPI, Tbe los Angeles Times andlTce Village Voice atdwasc<> authot o[,The Press inArnericø lPrentice

Hatl,79921 andAmeúcø's Front Page

Neus,

1 69O- 1 97O

ÍDoubleday, I97 Ol,

Then came his book on foreign correspondents.

Emery devotes each chapter to correspondents who covered this century's defining moments: the coming of the Great war, the rise of Stalin, the eye of World rù(i'ar II, Korea, Vietnam, Central America and the Middle East. @

gandists, who proudly create 'disinformation',

and corporate

we

prouide

bespoke programmes

of

lobbyists, image-

søuices for expats de-exþatriating to Scotland

makers and oth-

For further information contact

ers skilled in avoiding the

Lynne Bridge

truth.'

Another

problem, says Emery, is that vast swathes of

P0 Box 97, Edinburglr EH9 Scotland, UK rel: +(44)r3r 447 6652

1yT,

fax: + (44) t3t 466 9191 e-mail: dxs@xpat d€mon,co

THE GORRISPONIIDNT June/July 1996

June/July

I

uk

DE-,CPATR IATI oN SERVICES


Into the age of the Cyber-portfolio

',:,{

+=.*J#

w I

IJntil recentl5z, professional ptrotograptrers rziev¡ed. tkre Ilterlìet vrzitkr deep suspicion- Ifhe;. regarded it a_s )r'et ¿taother potentia_l rnea-11s of beireg ripped off by ulascrLrpulous Lrsers unvrilling to l?a)z for qua-lity irrra-ges. ElLrt, a.s À4ark Gra-frarrr reports, rnc¡re a-nd rrrore photograptrers laoq/ rega-rcl ttre Net a.s a. vita,l br-rsiness tool_

tr ' l! \11¡ ¡¡rrLr¡¡

I

.I¡,¡ !ú! \¡ r,

i

i

_tl

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lrortnr!rl1

ìil

(¡t'ru',1

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I r ,t,, t)¡rGLlory Wlßdor Èt

l;

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lr

lt

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I ¡t,r

rry tr,r

I

neh,

- within 15 minutes I had the picture in my computer and put

Þ?Ë

straightinto t}:,emagaztne. I think a home page is going to become increasingly imporrant for pho-

.ø. t'¡ ';: ii ¡- 2

photographers they are great, but if the pho- '"'-:l*:11 "ï^ tographers had a web page addresson it I couldaccess it and see p. î,--,-on my wall from --^tl

Welcome to Profile Photo

Hong [ong

q-¡ [onnecrion "-,l"Ëîffi

the younger people who are embracingthetechnology. Rightnow I have got about 30 postcards up

FILE Libran'Ltd.

,-t-

- -

photographic technology during a career with Reuters, Eastern Exþress and the Reuíeu.t, thinks

electronic transmission

-

cur-

lions? How else can a would-be client

in, say, Denver instantly review the portfolio of a shooter working in Hong Kong? It was with this marketing potential firmly in mind that Profile photo llbrury, v/ith more than a few initial worries about high-tech theft, decided to take a spin along the infor-

mation superhighway. It proved to be a far less daunting task than many technophle whiz kids

(and older technobores) would have you believe. And, rather surprisingly, we have found ourselves in the company of esteemed intemational photo Iibrades who haye obviously swapped

In truth, the opportunity for picture abuse is minimised by ensuring all

the lower screen, adds an extra sitevisit incentive without being ovedy gimmicþ. Simple pictures on a page are not enough: there has to be an extra creative element to stand out from the web page crowd.

images are scanned at a low resolution, making downloading a wasted effort. The best quality reproduction any light-fingered Net surfer would get from a Profile picture would be a

particulady those located in other parts of the wodd, a web page is a quick-hit

gr ainy, smudged facsimile.

way of checking what a library has to

But the low resolution web site quality is more than ample to display a photographic library's range of stock. Profile has a main picture page, arr Asian page, a Hong Kong page and so on, all gMng an eye-catching account of contract photographers' work. An interactive element, where the screenflashes and messages drift across

.' -

business, he is candid about the

medium's limitations. For photographers, he says, putting full-

þroTnotional þa.ge.

lmages.

busíness This is tl:e Profile page.

their copyright reservations for commercial potential.

his living from Internet-related

¿ts readers in"fonned, uitlr tlJe møgazine ancl, a ueb þage. J: Hong Kong Connection uses a collage ofþ¡cturesfor its

common for everyday transfer of stock

likely to become a more ímþortqtnt þart of tbe þboto líbraty

or photo librury, instantly reach a potential audience of mil-

Although A,rmstrong makes

=

keeþs

-

here else can a photographer,

tive sources?"'

å^¡o,uËrËi,n.uo á

1: trIost foruardlooking ¿ntern.tt¡onal pltoto agencies nou.t baue apage slsou.tíng tlseir u.tares 2j Photo District News, tbe bible oÍ tlre tIS þboto industry

rently used heavily by news outfits will become increasingly xaeb þ¿tge ís

:

exactþ what they have got."

Mountfort, who has consistentþ been at the cutting edge of

Hauíng a

managing director of Information Resources Group, the company that launched Asia Online. "It has already started in the US and the UK. The photographer is going to say'What about the revenue coming in from alterrta-

it

Forphoto editors and art directors,

offer. The images chosen should give a

flavour of the agency's work, enough to prompt further interest. "If there is a picture I need, I wa.nt to be able to call it up and see it," says Rob Mountfort, photo editor of tlrc Far Eastern Econoruic Reuietu. "Recentþ I wanted a picture to illustÍate Jap an and South Korea bidding for the Wodd Cup

Should photogfaphers (and

uíetu is rooting thorough its library of slides, prints, and negatives before scanning them onto CD. So far 15,000 have been arc digitized, with another 75,OOO in the queue.

freeelance writers) be reimbursed for this extra readership - and if so, by howmuch? And how is the readership calculated? The general policy of libraries is to ask for an extra percentage, as much as 50 per cent in some cases, but the idea of magazine web pages, with woddwide access, is so new that suppliers

to launch headlong into cyberspace has produced a heated, side-issue debate aboutphotographic licensing. Most photographers and photo agencies license their pictures for one-time usage lot amagazrne. Payment rates are usually based on the size of circulation and the catchment area the publication cir-

culates in: more countries means a higher price. The move towards web pages has called that traditional pricing structure into question. tùØhen outfits such as Asiaueek tl¡e Reuieu and Tíme display the magazines on web pages,

promises are not being delivered," he says. "The Internet is cfeating a feyolution in informatiqn but it is not happening as fast as some people are claiming.

they have the potential to be seen by countless millions.

Like many publications, the Re-

Enthusiasm from some magazines

resolution images on web pages is impractical because the material takes aî age to download. "There is a lot of hype and

(the photographers) and users (the magazines) are still establishing ground mles.

Likewise with advertising. Profile recently received a request for a an image to be licensed for web site usage. Our quoted price was based on guidelines laid down by our US and UK affiliates based, theoretically, on woddwide usage, leavened with a dash of practicality.

"Copyright is s€t to become a major issue," says Nigel Armstrong,

Eventually, though, having

a

presence

on the Internet will be like having

a

telephone today." That is what makes doing business on the Internet so challenging: it is tfeading on new turf, forcing people to examine long-established customs and practices.

It is clear, though, that a web will become an increasingly important tool for business, just like the fax machine which, within the space of a few years, became a vital sit€

part of the modern office. And for a photo library, so dependent on visual display for sales, what

better way than to let people flick through, anytime, an).where, day or night, the best the library has to offer?

@

Ma¡k Graham is general managel of Profile and can be located at p¡ofile@hk linkage net

The Profile pLge is www profilephoto com.hk

Tf,E CORRXSP0I|IIEI|T June/July 1996 June/July

1

^t

lirrtp:/ /


media was able to join the protest against the attack on Mr Leung. Their presence would have been deeply appreciated and widely publicised.

Living in a state of rrncettainty

In closing, I would like to

say

that the Leung Tin-wai affairhas acted as a kind of lightning rod, attracting much of the energy of fear and uncertainty being faced by the news

media. Like the rest of the community, we do not know what the future holds. Under the bright light of one countrytwo systems, will we maintain the freedoms we now enjoy? Will Hong Kong reporters continue to keep their

Lu Ping, tkre Director of ttre Hong l(ong and lVlacau Affa-irs OfBce, tras girzen ttre first indications ttrat Hong l(ong's press lawrzs .wzill be ckranged after 1997- Adr¡ocating tlre independence of -Íaisran.r, Tibet or Hong l(ong should be a crirninal ofÊertce, tre told CM- A.vrzeek or so l>efore tfrat irrterwievrz, FCC President flarrs \Zriens !\zent on RTHI('s Letter t<> ,H<>ng I{c>rzg to discuss tttreats to ttre rnedia- TÏris is tkre te>.t.

pfesent pfotections when covering Ctyna after 1997? Will China begin the licensing of journalists and foreign coffespondents in Hong Kong - something that exists on the mainland but not here? \ùØill the British engage in some kind of pre-screening of joumalists who will be covering the transition, as China has already reportedly requested? rüØill

the Hong Kong Goyernment

continue to dally on reforming

fI.

t ir sad that sometimes the real

importance olsomething does not become clear until we have it spelled out for us in blood. ff that seems like an overþ dramatic statement, consider the case of Leung Tin-wai, the Hong Kong journalist whose arm was hacked off by assailants. Enormous amounts of blood were required to save Mr Leung's life. His attackers knewwhat theywere doing. They were sending a message; not just to Mr Leung, not just to his staff, not just to every journalist and correspondent in Hong Kong and not just to the police. It was a message intended for each and every citizen of Hong Kong. The message was chillingly simple: "We who committed this assault can actwith impunity.'W'e can carry out an assault in broad daylight. 'We can do it not in a dark alley or secluded car park, but in the bright lights of a

busy office during working hours. that we feel no need to hide out faces. 'W'e can do this to a journalist who dares to exercise free speech and no 'W'e are so brazen, so shameless,

one can stop us." The attack on Mr Leung has not occurred in a vacuum. It has come

during a Yety turbulent period on many fronts. TtrE c0RRXSPOlfl¡EItI June/July 1996

number of remaining laws that affect a

decided, for commercial reasons, to shift from a general news daily to a

free press? ìøill the gov€rnment let the people know soon the content of its proposals to China on laws covering se-

when

paper with a business focus - a move that repoftedly cost 40 joumalists their jobs. Paper costs have sþrocketed over tlre past yeat and a half, which was a major reason some publishers decided to call it quits. None of this, of course, is to men-

tion the problems associated with political sensitiyity, such as self-censorship. One of the most commonly asked questions about the Leung Tinwai case is whether there might be a

The recent price war in the Chinese-language press has seen at least

five publications close their doors. An estimated 600 media workers lost their jobs. More closures are likely and even many successful and profitable papers are trimming staff and

holding down salaries. ìØith established papers and magazines unable to make it in the market-

a

it

tlae Eastern Exþress showed

China connection. Not a shred of evidence has been produced to support such a hypothesis. Nor does a mainland connection seem even remotely logical to those familiar with Mr Leung, a journalist of many years standing with an unblemished reputation for professionalism. It is a mark of the times, perhaps, that people even pose the possibility of

place, new publications such as Mr Irung's Surþrìse Weekþ lace an uphìll

such a link. But such conspiracy theories will continue to find fodder in the absence of reassuring statements backed up by acts from China and its

battle to survive. Norhave the English-language news media escaped market pressures, as

suppoftefs. Thus the FCC deeply regrets that no official from the pro-China news

-

JohnWoodnrffi the man from ßaltimore

cession, sedition, treason and the theft of state secrets?

This is a short list of our worries. But I believe it is enough to show why journalists' groups, ìncluding the Foreign Correspondents' Club, are becoming more actively and more publicly involved in issues affecting freedom of expression. To express this concern in a positive andproductiveway, we have joined

with the Hong KongJournalists Ässociation and Amnesty International to create the first annual Human Rights Press Awards.

It is a measure of the community's widespread interest in protecting

its liberties that neady 224 submissions were entered for the awards with only 30 days' notice. This overwhelming response is deeply gralfying and encouraging.

Our fondest wish is that Leung Tin-wai will be able to join us in pefson at the awafds ceremony.'We have no doubt he will be there in spirit.

ìJvoodrut'f,

an o]d Asian f ofrn hand who spent many hours at Jthe FCC as

the Baltimore Sun's

In 1989, he came back to Beijing to help me out with coyerage of the Tiananmen demonstra-

Hong Kong bureau chief in the l970s and later during visits from

tions. I remember his enthusiasm

postings in Beijing and Toþo, died of cancer in Baltimore onl[/ay 72.

bureau from the square, where he had watched the students put up the Goddess of Democracy statue. He was really thrilled by the spirit of the demonstrators.

Hewas 57. A Michigan natiye, S7oodruff joined Tbe Sun in 1965 for what would be a 30-yeat career at the paper. In 1969, he was assigned to cover the war in Indochina, first out of Saigon and later from Hong Kong, where he was named bureau chiefin 1970.

He returned to Baltimore in L975 and became Tbe Sun's city

editor and weekend editor. In 1982,he was named Beijing bureau chief, a post he occupied for five years.

one night coming back to our

One of the things I remember about movinginto Tbe Sun apafiment after Woody left was find-

ing dozens of bottles of Heinz tomato catsup and canned corn that he had hoarded from shopping trips to Oliver's in Hong Kong.,Woody loved to eat, but the poor guy had gone through five rough winters in Beijing with Yirtually nothing available but local cabbage. It was his bad luck

FCC memberJohn Schidlovsþ,

to leave Beijing just as new Italian

now director ofThe Freedom Forum Asian Center in Hong Kong,

and German restaurants were opening up and imported foods were allowed in. For months, I kept those unopened bottles of catsup to remind myself of the bleak days that Woody endured. After leaving China, Sloodruff

remembers succeeding Woodruff as The Sun'sBeijing bureau chief in 7987. He writes:

Woody had hired me on to Tbe Sun 10 years eadier, and

now

here I was following him in the Beijing bureau. He was very gen-

erous and helpful with his insights. John's journalistic

strength was analysis. He gave me excellent advice in warning me against predictions. That's smart journalism anywhere, but especially in coverage of Chinese politics.

wrote a book , Cbina in SearcLt of Its Future, and spent füve years as Tbe Sun'sTolq,o bureau chief. After returning to Baltimore ]n 1993, he worked as a reporter on the paper's business sta.ff. He is survived by his

children and his second wife, the former Peifang'S7ang of Cockeywille,

Maryland.

@ June/July 1996 TÃj CoRRf,SPoNIIDIIT

E


Ted, the floor and Mt. Everest

Press R.elations

CanOn

10/F., Mirror Tower,61 Mody Hd , Kowloon, Hong

Kong

7/E Swire House, 9 Connaught Road, Central, Hong Kong

Services/Products:

Manager Corporate

Canon cameras and video camcorders

Address i 21lF, Cornwall House, Taikoo Place,979 King's Rd , Quany Bay, Hong Kong

l\lanager

Assistant Producl Marketi¡g

Forrrrer Asi¿t staffer lfed Dur¡fee is continuing h.is slovz reco\zery frorrr a- stroke si>< ¡zea.rs ago- NTo-nz living in Vancoll\zer, lfed ta-kes ttre rrps uzittr the douzns- He wrzrites tlr:at iust recentl¡z ttrere lvas an une><pected dovrzn-.

Mr Albert

l\,4anager

fi4s

Chan

Louise

Wong

2565 2008 2565

2OO7

r{

I

tr1tr Hong Kong Trade Development Council 38/F , Office Tower, Convent¡on Plaza, 1 Harbour Road, Wanchai, Hong Kong Tel: 2584-4333 Fax 2824-0249 Internett http://www tdc org hk

lnternational

a thousand epithets at the

sþ.

But I hadn't time for even one. The best I could manage during the millisecond or two of my descent to the carpet was "What the..." Pretty lame, eh? I surveyed the unfamiliar surround-

elated. I took

bed. I became cross

-

with myself,

the chair and the bed. It had taken me all this time to fall out of bed, and I

had chosen the wrong side to do

it

on.

During the six years I have required

wheelchair, my dear old mom has suggested, repeatedly, thatthe only a

Tf,E CoRRXSPoilDEI|T June/July 1996

Director Associate Managing Director Marketing Co-ordinator Services:

how long it took, but I made it. I was

and,

with one mighty effort

and

a

great bellow, lifted myself. My chair and I became one .

Kodak House 1, 321, Java Road, North PoÌnt, Hong Kong

Assistanl Public Relations Marketing

pause, to catch my breath

and applaud myself. And then I planned

my assault on the chair. I examined it in the way Sir Edmund Hillary must have looked up at Mt. Everest back in the year of my birth, 1953.limagined my chair's stoic silence to be mocking me, to be challenging me.

I respond well to

challenge. It I looked my wheelchair ..

well, in the armrests.

and braced myself.

Manager

Jessica Chan

Enquiry :2564 9333

Direct

Fax

: 2564 9309 : 2856 5004

InternatíonalRiskManagementConsultants I nter n ati o nal C o rp o raÍ e Inv es t i gat o rs

But since I live alone, my only outlet was by calling someone on the phone in the other room. At high speed, I

.

.

I grabbed hold

thought was my sister's name. But, due to the adrenalin rush, I suppose, I hit the wrong numbers. I should explain that my

1

undecipherable to the unitiated. I gabbled out my conquest of my own Mt. Everest. Somewhere in the Lower Mainland, there resides one veryperplexed and extremely

- polite Eastem European gentleman. He is probably still head.

Chev¿lierCommucial

Mm

Centre,

MirandaLeung

MissMagghso

lTth Fl00r, BWang Hoi

Road, l(owloon 8ay, Hong

Kong

Fa:27959991

CorporateRelationsl\,lanagu

Tel:2993 2175

ExternalAflairsúanager

Tel:2993 2166

MnBetty0han PublicRelalionsManager

Tel:2993 2929

MissClaudiaHo AssislantPublicRelationsManager

Tel:2993 2276

Mak 0utside0lfictHours Miss Oaphne

Assistant Public Relations Manager-A¡rporl

Railtvay

Tel: 2993

21 36

Tel:2993 2599

lnircnl

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Shriro (H.K.) Ltd.

Public Relations

2/F Hutchison House, Central, Hong Kong

Director Manager

Poon

Managing PL 25245031 Senior Jimmy 25245031 Services/Products: Sole agent of Nikon cameras, Hasselblad cameras, Linhof cameras and

Wan

Epson LCD portable TVs

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Phillip

Media Relations Manager Helen Media Enquiries (24 hours)

Bruce

Hung

28247700 28247705 28247152

Function: Developing Hong Kong's new airport at Chek Lap Kok

990 stroke

rendered my speaking voice all but

scratching his

Mass Transit Railway Corporation

\ rl

I could barely restrain my glee.

motored over and dialled what I

spurs me. So square in the.

Stephen GVickers Steven J Einsel Yasmin R Shaker

Wordwide Business

- on my back - to where I wanted to be . I don't know a

I King's Road, Taikoo Shing

Managing

granted. There was nothing for it; I had to get around the bed to the chair. It was an anguished, sweat-soaked struggle

here. Falling out of bed was inevitable. I had narrowly escaped twice before, the last time just last month. I was aghast. My wheelchair was close by, but on the wrong side of the

2747 5393

Publicity Section at258+-+333 Ext 7489.

been unintentionally

to drag myself

Stoyle

@ i'"åliJHåËï*n"o

and analys¡s. Fast. call TDC's lnternational

way to establish if I tdy neededitwas to "lose" it. Rather eadier than I expected, her wishes had

ings with self-loathing. How could I have not acquainted myself with the floor before? Three years I've lived

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901-911 Mount Parker House, l l I Tel; 2884 7788 Fax: 2568 8505

to scream

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rvices/Products: Hong Kong-based international airline

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KROLL ASSOCIATES (ASIA) LIMITED nu out ofmybed this moming. As I tumbled, my initial instinct was

C F.

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X fI

Communication

Manager Corporate Communicat¡on

Sole Distributor : JOS Consumer Electronics Senior

CnrHnv PncrRc

Canon Hongkong Company Limited

E33

SIEMENS

For direct access to the people who can best answer your press questions, please use the contacts in this section.

Siemens Ltd. 58/F., Central Plaza 1

I

Harbour Road

Wanchai Hong Kong Marketing Communications Manager Monika

Sturm

2583 3307

Entries are free to advertisers makirg series bookings. A paid entry is an economical part of a company's press relation planning Please contact2S2I 7993 for details.


No more whiníng t rf emrrers ol lel'ed Ilìelr llvcrs alltt IVlr.p.,,atiotrs (sttci-l as tltcy arcr

a wine tasting on the Verandah. The aim was to satis$'the Club plrists by selecting fout house reds and fottr house whites, in two price categories: Editors and

in the name of research at

Journalists.

The results: Editors' V'trites

1. Chardonnay Reserve 1995 (Chile) 2. Angove's Chardonnay 1995

(Australia)

Editors'Reds 1. Cabernet Sauvignon Montes

I

1991 (Chile)

2. Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 1994 (Chile)

Journalists'

'Whites

1. Tyrrells Long Flat Char<lonnaY 1995 (Australia)

2. Chardonnay Carmen t995 (Chile). Because of limited supplies, this will go on the wine list onlY

Journalists' Reds

1. Angove's Cabernet Sauvignon

1994 (Australia)

2. Wolf Blass Eagle Hawk Shiraz Merlot 1994 (Ltstraha) $fl

U

s

Iò È

ù

,4


Three's a radio crowd FREE

lfhere's only one thing s/orse than the shor-rting radio f>r<>adcaster- And that's the burnbling radi<> f>r<>adcaster. In his continuing series ora ttre rrredia, Sand¡z- Gi-lbe¡z looks -¿t q¡hat's right and uzrong uzith radio in Hong] I(on54-

any radio broadcasters give the

impression that they believe they are in an unusual branch of show business - unusual because, unlike most other entertainers, they perform out of sight of their audience. But radio is nothing like performance enteltainment, and the sooner

z

substitute for a human being? It doesn't bear thinking about. So

broadcasting exists by uneasily

riding this paradox. The best practi-

trvo, no matter how many times the one or two is multiplied. This is so basic a concept in radio broadcasting that it is amazing so many should misunderstand it. Radio is the most intimate of media just the broadcaster and you, the

close. Test this theory by recalling your

This bond is vital. Without it, how is a broadcaster ever to convince himself that sitting alone in a sound-proofed room and talking to himself is even halfway to being a sane occlrpation for a grown-up. Ancl if he cannot convince himself of that, how is lre ever going to convince any THD GORRXSP0ilDENT June/July 1996

prinrcd

listener to accept that stupid, little black box that squawks at him from the shelf or table as a believable

influence thought that no other medium possesses, although print comes

aching a level of intimacy that enables him or her to establish a bond with the listener.

2 tÀc

oPnilorl, paPcr on

they are not talking to a vast number of people. They are talking to only one or

re

of

weckly

tioners are very, very good indeed; the worst are atrocious and seem like little more than fairground stallholders. There is something else about radio. It involves listeners in the creative process, providing listeners with the means to build the ir own images - words and sounds and, occasionally (but not often) music. Because of this, radio has a power to reach and

who understands this and uses it propedy is a good communicator,

of

printcd

these performers stop behaving like more frequently, comediactors -theor,better they will be at their ans craff. You can recognise these people immediately by the way they shout at you, as though haranguing alatgeand noisy audience in a theatre or club. The trouble is that they don't realise

audience; no more. The broadcaster

l(u

orgilz

surprise when you eventually see

a

picture of a radio presenter you have been listening to. Nothing like the picture you had created foryourself, I'll be bound. That's why it is probably wise to get news presenters pictures into

print

as quickly as possible, so as to

forestall false impressions. Of collrse, sometimes it won't matter too much; the mental picture is often far better than reality.

!ühether he likes it or not, the person at the microphone is the station. As far as listeners are concerned, what he says are his words. It doesn't matter that sorneone else may have written them. You'll oft en here "it says here" from someone who hasn't taken enough time to prepare for the programme who

-

hasn't read through the script properþ or hasn't listened to the introductions to unfamiliar introductions to discs in order to knowwhat to expect; that sort of thing. You probably know who the principal Hong Kong offenders are in this respect, so you won't need me to tell you. Another indicator - and a most irritating one is the broadcaster

TI,IERE \JVAS NO

SUq

THING?

-

who, when resuming music after the news or a commercial break, says "\ùØelcome back . . ." \ùfl-here the hell does he think we've been? He's the one who has returned, not us. We've been here all the time, listening to the news and possibly even to the commercials, too.

What every broadcaster has to learn, although some of them never

Another test of broadcaster un-

do, is that it is they who are the guests

derstanding and competence is if you hear one say "it says here" when read-

in listeners' homes - not the other way around. And they had better be polite while they are in my home, or I shall throw them out. And with so many things wrong about radio, that's easily done.

ing an announcement. That's when you know you've got one whose professional life is built on avoiding responsibility. Not myfault, guv, is what he or she is really saying, 'W'rong.

TVIIO SAID

@

The Correspondent needs

writers to help cover the growing number of luncheon

speeches at the FCC. The club

will cover the cost of your meal. Not only that, the

editor ol The Correspondent wiII pay you for your words. And he promises not to threaten your sense of self-esteem by making you rich. Please drop a note at the offices, addressed to Peter Cordingley, Editor,

The Correspondent.


ing Scbools Back to school: the gre€n, green Britain has a wealth of Boarding Schools. Some arc latge academic institutions, others are smaller and perhaps friendlier. Choosing the School best suited to your child is a serious challenge.

playing fields of home

lFhe nurrrl>er of ctrildren going to boarding sctrool in Britain frorrr Hong l(ong is on ttre increase- l\zlelanie Dargue takes a look at the l>oarding sctrool rnarket/\ s rar as hardship postings go, L lUong Kong isn't bad. No croco-

At AcademicAsia we have been doing the matchmaking since 7983 and so we have unrivalled

expertise and experience. Every year about 400 children find places at Britain's Schools as a result of our efforts.

no charge to parents for our consultancy services. Our income is from the exhibitic¡ns we

\Øe make

run, publishing, and language courses.

diles, no cannibals, no steaming unnamed diseases. The schools arefl't bad either. However, the number of local and expatriate chjldren sent from Hong Kong to independent boarding schools in Britain actually increased in the last year. This growth followed what had been a steady decline over the last ten years. 'What has caused this uptum? One important factor may well be that veryfew expatriates can say for sure where theywill be in ayear's time and continuity is tremendously important in a child's education. GCSE and 'A' Ievel courses are each two years. To interrupt these courses gives a child a serious disadvantage, as the chance

of

finding another school at a new posting which uses the same examining board and studies the same choice of books is slim. The other factor is that

Please call us for an appointment. \ü/e open every day of the week. 1

103 rü(/anchai Commercial Centre,

194-204Johnston Road, \Øanchai, Hong Kong

Tel:2833 0979 Fax:2834 5398 Internet: http / / www. aahk. com .hk/ -aahk

AcodemícAsío

friendships forged at school-age are deep and strong and it can be very distressing for a child forced to leave friends when parents transfer, The placement agencies cite their experience that parents are keen for their chldren to achieve Bfitish educational quali-fications because these are still recognised woddwide as being a rigorous and consistent test ofa chld's ability. By attending an independent school, the children have a higher chance of attaining these stars on their curriculum vitae. 'Why? Because the small classes and more disciplined atmosphere of an independent schools

attracts better teachers who are able to

to be big so that kids who can't keep up

stimulate even moderate achievers on to greater things. ISIS (Independent Schools Information Service), a placement and information agency, provides statistics which seem to bear this out; although otlly 7 per cent of British school children are at independent schools, these students make up 2O per cent of the those study-

with their classmates will quickly sink." In Britain there are over 1,400 inde-

ing for 'A' leyels and occupy 25 per cent of the university places. Another statistic that bears this out but won't shock too many people is that 50 per cent of Oxford and Cambridge places are taken by students from independent schools. Hong Kong's Intemational schools do offer'A'levels and GCSE's curicula and the teachers are undoubtedly motivated but many parents still feel that the best place for their chfdren to achieve British qualifications is in Britain. A lot of this has to do with Hong Kong's intense social and working lile where parents

can't make the time to supervise and develop their own child's social responsibilities and stimulate those enquiring minds after school is out. Stephen Peplow, Director of Academic Asia Lim-

ited, one of Hong Kong's placement agencies explains: "Parents believe that at a boarding school, the discipline will be stronger and that the children will be employed arotrnd the clock, leaving them

no time for video arcades and other Hong Kong distractions".

According to Peplow, "Hong Kong's standard of education is OKfor students doing well, but class sizes tend

pendent schools to choose from so if a child needs to develop a gift or catch up in another area, the chances are tlrat there will be at least one school able to meet the child's needs. How do parents go about choosing the ideal school for their child? In Hong Kong there are seyeral agencies whose business it is to help parents make the

right choice. Most agencies provide counselling service where, given

a

list

a

of

requirerfients, they provide a short-list of schools together with promotional brochures. Some are able to put the

parents in touch with other parents with children at those schools. Most agencies also arrange an interview on behalf of the chosen school and help the children sit any entrance papers. Academic Asia goes one step further with a high-tech approach ; a short video interview is made of the child for

the school.

Of course these services are not provided for free. Agencies either take a commission from the schools or charge afee to the parents. However, if paf€nts are ptepafed to DIY, ISIS publish a handbook, Cboosing Your Independent Scltool, a guide to 1,350 independent schools. Parents who want to find out more about a school than is printed in the schools' own promotional pamphlet

may wish to retum to Bfitain to visit the schools but if this is not possible, parents can take advantage ofthe frequent June/July 1996 rHD

GoRRf,SPoNIIDNT


fairs organised by Academic Asia. The

British Council organises a larger exhibition but this is held only every two years. At these exhibitions, head-teachers from several schools make presen-

tations aîd ate available to

market has meant that many schools have hacl to streamline their-activities and be mole targeted. WhiÌe one school may welcome students from overseas, making arrangements for interviews

talk to parents or even inter-

view the potential students on the spot. The other advantage of the fahs is that parents

with children already at the schools will attend to get an update on their child's progress and of course

That is the basic fee. The school

form can cost an arm and leg

better value for money

should heed Peplow's view that such schools are often found away from the South East of England. If parents worry about access to such

-

sclrools aftet an international flight, Peploe points out that KLM flies to Am-

from British independent schools make private visits to

Hong Kong and these are

sterdam and then links with

advertised in the newspapers.

flights to 12 dllferenr loca-

Given that the reason

tions in the United Kingdom.

parents are sending their chil-

dren to Britain is the pursuit of academic excellence, the most obvious measure of a school's 'worth' is its position in the league tables. The schools are rankecl by their points per

candidate score, a measure of the number of grades achieved at GCSE and 'A'level by each student. However, ISIS's Hong Kong consultant, Lindsey Bellis, advises: "Parents should

look at the score rather than the ranking. The score difference between a school ranked 2 and one ranked 20 may be minimal." John Towey, ISIS's senio¡ consriltant and a strong voice in the wodd of independent schools says: "The very reason that the school scores a

uni it is

usually only available at exclusive London stores; extras such as special coaching, school trips and the weekencl activities can easily add a couple of thousancl to the bill. The bad news is that as children get older the fees increase. Parents looking for

these parents are an excellent source of information. Occasionaly head-mastefs

highly often makes it not

as

practical

pfoposition for an overseas student without a full knowledge of English and without a background in British education. The highty ranked schools are often highly selective, very much oversubscribecl and have long waiting lists. "

The advice from all agencies spoken to was that parents should not get seduced by a school's league ranking but theyshould spencl time askingwhat the school can do for their child will

-

they meet the child atthe alrport? caî children remain in school at the holiday weekends?, what is the school's approach to discipline (liberal or more traditional}, caî extra coaching be organizedtf a child has a problem with a certain subject? The recession and

subsequent decline in the boarding

ovefseas, meeting children at the airport, arranging cnltural visits; another may do none of these things so making

life very difficult for the overseas student and his parents. The same applies

for special needs such as spol-ting facilities, music lessons or being able to cope with special learning difficulties such as dyslexia. The other big deciding facror is of course money. Boarding fees range from 58,000 to f,13,000 per annum.

As far as hardship

postings go, Hong Kong is not bad for adults. For children, Hong Kong,s space limitations do mean that even the simplest child's activity of mnning across a playing field can become a supreme effort for unexercised legs. It must be at this point that the academic

opportunities, constancy and the green, green playing fields of home make boarding school seem a wonder-

ftil idea.

@

THE 1997 FCC DIARIES

FTScore Fees/Annum

Sex

1.62 1.54 1.48

12,900 12,888 11,510

B B

4

College, London Eton College, Windsor St. Mary's School, Calne Wycombe Abbey School,

G

The FCC 1996 range of executive diaries is now available at 'club' prices. Each has been specially produced with a wealth of important information, in either black imported bonded leather or calf skin for the wallet. All feature a discreet club logo and your name, if requested. Avoid disappointment and order early as stocks are limited. Allow three weeks for person a¡zingwith your name or initials.

5 6 7 8 9 10

High Wycome Downe House, Newbury King's College, Canterbury Radley College, Abingdon Tonbridge School, Tonbridge Malvern Girls College, Malvern Banenden School, Cranbrook

1.47

12,240

G G

A. The FCC Desk Diary. 58 weeks in popular

FT 1,000 Top IndependentBoarding Schools (Secondary)

Rank School I Winchester ') 3

r.43

t.4t t.4t 1.40 1.40 7.39

12,420 12,795 12,3oo 12,969 11,700

12,630

G B B

G G

tweek-to-view fbrmat; international public holidays; world atlas and tift out directory.

,{cademic Asia Lrd - Tel: 2833 O9t9 Fax 2834-539a The B¡itish Conncil Jt3a

-Tel:2A79

Dolplrin Eclucational Serivces Lrcì - Tel: 2524 5tO3 Fax:2524 5923 Tel: 2849 6097 F.tx:2a49 6tj5 Tbantks to tbe aboue agencies for their assistdrTce in þutti,1g tbis artícle togetber.

ISIS International

$ 30s.00

B. The FCC Compact Desk Diary. New convenient size of 764 x 2lOmm. Popular week-toview diary; international public holidays;

Sex: B = predominantly boy, G = predominantþ girl

Source: Financial Times

I

general information and lift-out

C. The FCC Pocket Diary. 58 weeks in rhe

D.

The FCC Address Book. Handy pocket size with international IDD codes and world time chart.

Itr Itr

ln

directory. $ 192.00

popular week-to view format; international public holidays and general information.

lo lo

ORDER FORM FCC Desk Diary

HK$ 30s.00

FCC Compact Desk Diary

HK$

FCC Pocket Diary

HK$

70.00

FCC Address Book

rrK$ HK$

80.00

HK$

3s.00

HK$

plus my name/initials

192.00

(iltor 24 lellers, inc

TOTAL

$

7o.oo

Please

bill to my âccount

Name: Account No

$

80.00

:

Please telephone

Signature

when

ulits ale

availabìe

to be collected at the Club office Please ulloy, uî leúst three weeks

FAX TO: 2868 4092 The Foreign Correspondents' Club, Lower Albert Road, Hong Kong


_r

Tee time

in the Philippines

FCC golfers frorrr near axrd afar rrra-de ttre arrrrual pilgrirrrage last ûronttr to ttre Cadsberg Àzledia. Golf Cla.ssic in ttre Ptrilippines. Erzen trigtr-fl¡.er R-on Fitzpatrick flelr¡ in frorrr his lair irr Austra"lia" t<> join us at ttre Canlut>ang Clul>, a tqzo beer-joufl1e¡r frorrr lr'Ia-nila.

mw;.

\,Ë

on one hole. One eye-witness put it at 25,but Brian said the extra two were sonar rebounds from the trees. The caddies' putting competition followed. With prize money at 6,000 pesos, some FCC members had to be restrained from showing up in drag. Tranquilty was finally assured and it was determined that the FCC's Dennis Persson, playlng off a handicap of 29,}ead scooped the Classic with 41 Stableford points. After a stewards' inquiry, the Swede was cut five shots - which resulted in his heading off triumpantly into the night with his

good sport he is. Let's hope it won't be long before Rossy is hitting a ballagatn.

trophy.

O'Hagan 39 Best Front Nine: Mike Smith 22 Best Back Nine: Ron Fitzpatrick 22 Nearest the Pin, Hole 11: Noel Quinlan Nearest the Pin,

Another inquiry was launched into the sudden improvement in the game of Kevin O'Hagan. After being part of the team that took the booby prize the day before, he finished with 4! points and it was only after a countback that he lost the runner-up spot to Dave Hodges. The recoverywas made even

TTIE RESLILTS

Cadsberg FCC Scramble Winners: Robin Moyer, Julian !üalsh, John Rittger, Gilbert Collins

Bum and Tit Award: Jeff

3 I

Clayton, Kevin O'Hagan

Cadsberg Media Classic

Winner Best Nett Score 72 Ray Cranbounte

Winner: Dennis Persson

49

Stableford points Runner-up: Dave Hodges 39 (on

Qeft) at Carlesberg Medìa Golf Classic, Canlubang Golf and Countty Club.

countback) Third place: Kevin

Hole I 5: John Maloney Longest DriYe,

24 Handicap and Under: John

Lenaghan Longest Drive, 25 Handicap and Over: Ron Fitzpatrick Best Net Score: Ray Cranbourne 71 Best

¡

Gross Score: Dave Stewart 80 The Ray

I

mor€ spectacular by the fact that on the bus out in the morning, he was thought to be unconscious.

Milland Most Intoxicated Golfer on the Course Award: Gary Beasty

It was good to see Ross'W'ay there. His illness didn't allow him to play, but

Chadesworth Award (Unusual Shot): David Bateson

his presence was testament to what a

þ

Heselwood, Mike Geraghty, Paul

Õ

ù

(Ieft) Jol:n Lenagban (Bangkok Team) Winner of Longest Driue presented. by Jobn McDouglsall

@

I

Õ

ò

I

roceedings began the evening before with a poolside reception at the Century Park hotel, where chjldren of the Kaibigan Outreach Programme performed songs - and where players dug into their pockets to make a donation to the charity.

lights of the Vixens'

Next moming there were two scrambles: one to get on to the bus and the

members Julian Walsh, John Rittger

other a Texas scramble out at the course. Dave Gilhooly, the Gene Sarazenof

golf, hit the traditional first ball down the Turway and the charge was on. The heat was insufferable - so bad, infact, that green cans and bottles of sþjuice

were downed at abreathtaking pace. Still, at the end of the day, some players

claimed they had had only six beers. The staff were reprimanded.

The presentation of prizes for the Scramble was made under the THD C0RRf,SP0illlf,llT June/July 1996

Carkberg Medíø Golf Classíc øt Canlubang (L to R) Derek Curríe Plríl¡Ppínes (Carlsberg) Dale Stelaart (Ca.þtain oÍ

SportsAcademy. Taking

the honours with

a

Bangkok Team and last ltears u,tinner) presents to uinner 1996 FCC HK member

round of five under par

was the team led by

Dennis Persson ulso gained 43 Staþbford

Time photographer

Po¡nts.

Robin Moyer, with FCC and Gilbert Collins. Entertainment came courtesy of the Jeff Heselwood team, who took the Bum and Tit award for their golf but were much better on the stage . The next day brought the serious stuff - made even more sobering by the fact that someone had forgotten to load the Cadsberg on board the bus for the trip out to the course. Tragedy was averted by several rounds of "pass the bottle" - the bottle being fìlled, in this case, with Tanduay Rum.

Our arrival at Canlubang was marked by an instant and torrential rainstorm. It stopped as suddenly as it had started and very soon a number of hopefuls were practising with caddies on the putting gfeen. Some five hours later just about eYeryone was back in the 19th and

N

boasting their heads off. The more

O

truthful lamented the loss of bags of balls down ravines and the discovery

S

of previously uncharted forest land. Itwas suggested that BrianMurphy, from the dish-lickers in Macau, took23

ò

(Left) Dauid. Gilbooly (Møcau Team) þresents þr¡ze to Neoffest Tbe

Pin Winner àt

1lth bole Noel Quínlan

HK)

Jtrne/July

1996

Tf,E

(FCC

CORRESPONIIENT


up from Down Under On

a

trip Down Under, Club mem-

The macho golfers

ber John Price played a little golf, drank a little wine and met up with some former FCC regulars. One was Mike Foote. Suave and debonair as

The slogan reads "Exercise is for wimps" and

it

made (from left to right) Keith Statham, Noel Quinlan,

ever, Mike is pictured in the colours of his favourite team, the Sydney Swans. At the Kogarah Golf Club are (from left to right) Mike Throssel, Barry Hauger,

Frank Casey and Mitch Davison winners of the category for best-dressed players and most original shit"ts at the Cadsberg Media Golf Classic in the Philippines last month.

Mike andJohn.

w U

The Arnett way Derek W.illiams met up with roving

èQ

ñ o a

Gotcha!

TV correspondent Peter Arnett at the inauguration of the Peter Arnett School of Journalism at Southland Polytechnic, in Invercargill, New Zealand. Some 20 media celebrities and journalists who were either born in Southland or who began their careers at Radio Southland or onThe Soutbland Times were invited to the inauguration. Peter presented the school with a large collection of memorabilia, including his typewriter, water bottle and camera (with a20-year-oldroll of film in it) from Vietnam

Cook calls by Robin Cook, the manroundlytþped to be British Foreign Secretary if the Labour Party win the next general elec-

è d o b q

tion, called in at the Club for an informal chat. He is pictured (extreme left) with a group of members

I{e's ouf man

Who's

a

naughty boy, then? Caught des on the use of

bending the Club

s

portable phones is Michael Gerber. The shutter-man who snapped him trying to hide behind a shutter was

3

S

Who would have thought it? The FCC as training ground for the first Chief Executive of the Special Administrative Region. Yes, that's what the historians will be saying if Club member and solicitor Paul Tse gets the nod of the Election Committee. Paul announced his bid for the top job af a news conference at the Club. With him was radio agony aunt Pamela Pak, with whom he hosts a pfogfamme.

F

s 3

Hugh Van Es.

ñ æ

rHD C0RRXSPOI|IIEIIT June/Juty 1996

June/July

1996

THX GORRDSPONIIDNT


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There's no truth to the rumour that Club election hopefuls Cathy Hilborn and John Giannini are polls apart. Here they are in

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near-cuddly proximity just before the tied vote.

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The Gazebo Restaurant (first floor) features breakfast, lunch and dinnel buffet À la carte menu is also available daily

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The Club had a distinguished visitor in the form of Garry Trudeau, the Pulitzer-winning creator of

fr:lì"i#

the Doonesbury cartoon strip. Garry had been on a fact find trip to Vietnam. Followers of the strip will have notice that B.D. is about to retum to 'Nam for

the first time since the war. At the Club, Garry (centre) helpedJohn Giannini put the Doonesbury Home Page on the computer. È I

s

( ì<>rrcs1><>ncl c

nt

l\4 <,'r-rr

l>crs

h

Bruno

Catherine Rice

Dawance

;{ - 'v

Where's ya harp, Terry? Now you know where he is when he's not at

the bar. Club member and ace photographer Terry Duckham appareîtly does the pubs with

Glenn Smith

Madeleine

Brot

<:eLel¡¿<tLi<)t) (rF

fr¿fsl.:

tDa:;fc

( ì< >r-¡><>r:rtc M

c'r-r-r

l>cr-s

Ass<>ci¿rtc Mcr-r-r l>crs

GrahamW

Evan

Norris

Blank

James A

Filmer-IØilson

his dog Kodak. Our thanks to Laurie Gilbert (and his computer) for the pic.

THE C0RRf,SP0illlElIT June/July 1996

June/July

1996

TÃE GoRRf,sPo¡f¡llNT


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Bill Barker Member since:

1983 Getting there, but not really gfown up yet Educator of young hopefuls at the APA - but not for much longer Some island off continental Europe I simply don't need another double vodka and grapéfuit Ah's goin' home ta see mah babie

Age:

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Nationality: Least likely to say: Most likely to say:

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