記者之聲The Journalist (HKJA)

《記者之聲》 2011年11月號目錄

2011-11-23T03:57:00.001-08:00

專題：免費報　　　Focus: Freebies

標題 Item Title	作者 Author
封面故事｜免費報越多，市民越著數？　　九月中，壹傳媒集團的《爽報》殺入免費報章市場，正式掀起免費、收費報章大戰......	尤翠茵、曾錦雯
封面故事｜昔：鐵腳馬眼神仙肚　今：採寫編一職多能　　免費報發行量大，人手卻相對精簡，記者傾向一職多能。縱向從採訪、編輯到美術排版；橫向從港聞到財經娛樂，都要一手包辦。傳媒集團拓展免費報市場，同系收費報章記者的角色也有微妙轉變......	雷子樂、曾錦雯
封面故事｜廣告人：免費報將來會成為主流　　隨著爽報的出現，香港總共有六份免費報紙，每天有300萬份免費報紙派發，較收費報紙每日出紙的100萬份還要多，廣告公司的行政總裁曾錦強認為免費報將影響銷量非頭一二位的傳統報紙......	譚蕙芸
封面故事｜香港這場仗更難打！　　台灣爽報前總監李月華在接受訪問的時候認為，香港爽報面對五個已經佔據市場的免費報對手，戰役比台灣難打......	譚蕙芸
封面故事｜免費報工作的苦與樂　　還在求學階段，已經踏足一名實習記者的道路。原因只有一個，就是這份工作太有意義了。在這個世代尤其有意義。在個人利益掛帥的今天，人要堅守人性價值不容易......	鄭秀韻
記協之聲｜通脹太高了　傳媒加薪追不了	莊曉陽
城中熱話｜警方要挫傳媒銳氣　我變成「企圖爆竊」	曾愛盈
記協之聲｜記者宵夜有乜好去處	陳凱迎
風聞｜多位記者負笈充電	《記聲》
風聞｜台灣記協雪中送炭　支持黑衫行動	《記聲》
風聞｜凌樹輝喜愛兒渡海奪冠	《記聲》
------------------------	-----------
Cover Story｜Freebies creating knowledge gap in society A war of the freebies has erupted. It came with the launch of Next Media's Sharp Daily in mid-September. There are now five Chinese and one English tabloids......	Gillian Yau, Phyllis Tsang
Cover Story｜All-in-one approach to journalism High-circulation of free newspapers does not mean better job opportunities for journalists. Those already on the job simply do more, with reporters doubling as editors or even doing the art work......	Ken Lui, Phyllis Tsang
Cover Story｜Freebies headed for the mainstream With the newly-launched Sharp Daily there are now six free daily newspapers in Hong Kong. That's a total of about 3 million copies distributed every day, or about three times the number of regular newspapers sold......	Vivian Tam
Cover Story｜Sharp Daily in Taiwan launched in double-quick time An interview with Daisy Li. Former News Director of Sharp Daily, Taiwan......	Vivian Tam
Cover Story｜Into a new dimension with am730 Two newspaper companies launched their own free newspapers recently, and suddenly freebies are the centre of attention in the media industry. When I meet reporters from other companies, I am invariably asked: “How are you going to fight this battle?” My usual reply is, "We'll just do our best!"......	Kusche Cheng
Voice of JA｜Media pay hikes trailing inflation	Chong Hiu Yeung
Talk of the Town｜Forced to urinate in the open...behind bars	Emily Tsang
Voice of Journalist｜Late night snacks with Sham Yee...	Jackie Chan
Gossip｜Back to school	"The Journalist"
Gossip｜Unity across the Straits	"The Journalist"
Gossip｜Lings across the harbour	"The Journalist"

免費報越多，市民越著數？

2011-11-22T07:26:00.000-08:00

尤翠茵、曾錦雯

【記聲2011年11月號】九月中，壹傳媒集團的《爽報》殺入免費報章市場，正式掀起免費、收費報章大戰。

香港的免費報業，從2002年只得一份《都市日報》，到2005年《頭條日報》、《am730》加入，瓜分免費報市塲一段長時間，初時也有淘汰收費報擔憂，但幾年下來影響未如預見顯著。最近3個月《晴報》、《爽報》加入，傳媒行業再度進入戰國年代的緊張氣氛，除了5份中文免費報相互競爭外，業界關注免費報市塲是否已經飽和？這次是否真的威脅了收費報的生存空間？

對於香港來說，這是創新紀錄，《爽報》9月出版後，香港共有6份免費報紙(1份英文，5份中文)。目前香港市面上每天出版約300萬份免費報紙，已經超越100萬份收費報紙。平均而言，是每兩個人便手擁一份報紙，但免費報紙以高密度形式在香港存在，是否能夠令我們的社會資訊更流通，加強第四權的力量，讓市民有更多得益？

顧名思義最基本的不同是免費報紙不收錢，換言之，免費報紙的讀者一般不會有太多期望，相反，收費報讀者付出金錢，最基本的要求是這些報紙要配合讀者的閱讀習慣。雖然一直以來，不少傳媒研究都証實，媒體早已在內容上為讀者作出決定，但讀者仍然是可以在付款買報的過程中「享受」一定程度上的選擇，並有所要求。但免費報紙是另一個故事，每天你上班前，電梯門打開，數份免費報紙已經整整齊齊的放在你面前，當你走到巴士站或地鐵站，又有一群「阿姐」很禮貌地為你奉上一份、兩份、三份........免費報，作為一個讀者，又有甚麼地方可以投訴之有？

結果，免費報紙最值錢的地方──銷量──讀者人數便是這樣煉成的，銷量數字背後就是爭取廣告收入。

報業集團「霸平台」

免費報發行量每天已經達300萬份

香港中文大學新聞與傳播學院教授蘇鑰機在過去數年都有跟進收費報紙和免費報紙的變化，他指出，某些收費報界是因為免費報紙的出現而進行「霸平台」的動作，造成此消彼長的狀態，如當年星島集團出版《頭條日報》，近期的經濟日報集團出版《晴報》，和壹集團出版的《爽報》。

他指出，免費報中的《都市日報》和《am730》，背後沒有收費報紙集團在「撐腰」，將來會否面臨重大經營困難，尚有待觀察。

所以，市面上再多一份免費報紙，影響主要在量的方面，而不在質的方面。現在市面上因為免費報紙所帶來的影響巳經發生，下一個影響將會是行業內部將會如何「洗牌」。

傳媒中人很關注誰會被淘汰，但仔細看看，這些擁有40萬，甚至90萬份流通量的免費報，在傳媒作為社會中第四權的角色下，曾經在社會起過哪些影響力？有沒有「爆過新聞」？有沒有報導一些調查性的新聞？或是曾經出現一些令整個社會不得不關注、不得不談論的新聞？答案很明顯，免費報紙的定位：只用提供簡單的資訊。當然，各報都有不同專欄去表現特色，但這些都是意見，不是真相，更不是新聞。免費報搶眼的版面位置要留給廣告。

市民「知識貧富鴻溝」

每天早上巴士站、地鐵站或路口，都有人派發多份的免費報。

免費報的定位不能只看成個別現象，這樣的生態對社會影響力不容低估，蘇鑰機指出，因為免費報紙的流行，出現了一個叫「知識鴻溝」(knowledge gap) 的社會現象，那是原本不看報紙的人，因為有了免費報紙而變成報紙讀者，對時事有點了解。但由於免費報的內容傾向短少精簡、不重分析，因此這些讀者只是「知多一點點」，與細看收費報的讀者在新聞認知的水平和深度有很大差距。於是社會上的時事知識分佈很不平均，雖然整體閱報的人數增加了，但在知識的貧富分野愈拉愈開。

這樣的情況不是香港獨有，其他地方的免費報紙也是扮演著相若角色。蘇鑰機指出，免費報或者風格不完全一樣，但同樣都是以大眾化為定位，就以歐洲的免費報紙為例，同樣走大眾化路線，而隨著時間發展，免費報的定位逐漸演變，同樣的情況相信也會在香港發生。但他相信，收費報紙和免費報紙始終各有分工，不會出現免費報紙完全「打低」收費報紙的情況。

昔：鐵腳馬眼神仙肚　今：採寫編一職多能

2011-11-21T07:29:00.000-08:00

雷子樂、曾錦雯

【記聲2011年11月號】免費報發行量大，人手卻相對精簡，記者傾向一職多能。縱向從採訪、編輯到美術排版；橫向從港聞到財經娛樂，都要一手包辦。傳媒集團拓展免費報市場，同系收費報章記者的角色也有微妙轉變......。

5份中文免費報紙的操作模式有所不同，《爽報》與《頭條日報》編制雖然同樣精簡，但背後是壹傳媒《蘋果日報》與星島集團的《星島日報》提供採訪內容與協助。

發行量大　截稿時間推前

《爽報》十月發行量90萬份，編寫部門約30多人，記者、編輯全部由《蘋果日報》各部組抽調，暫時沒自己的採訪隊伍，由《蘋果日報》記者供應新聞資料或稿件再改寫。為配合目標100萬份的發行量，《蘋果》、《爽報》記者首先面對的挑戰，就是要提早截稿。以《蘋果》港聞版A1的稿件為例，記者在晚上十時前就要交稿，整個編採部門的開會、定稿時間，也要向前推。提前截稿，新聞質素或會受影響，《蘋果日報》總編輯張劍虹表示，若新聞有最新進展，報館會不斷改版以確保質素。

對發行量過100萬份的《頭條日報》記者而言，「死線」不斷推前，已是常態。據了解，在印量多達過百頁，甚至140多版時，該報的截稿時間就要推前，死線目標有時是傍晚六時，但實際運作能達到七時半已不錯。因新聞不斷發生，所以要在短時間內做到快而無誤，壓力不少，愈近死線愈緊張。趕完第一輪紙，也不代表鬆口氣，當再有重要新聞發生，或是要優化第一輪已完稿的新聞，記者就要準備第二輪改寫。

《頭條日報》總編輯蕭世和指出，該報記者工作量與其收費姊妹報《星島日報》相近，由於《頭條》截稿時間較早，記者要有能力在短時間內完成「精簡」的重點稿件。新聞內容採取與《星島》「資源共用」原則，但有時候記者也要直接參與採訪。每宗新聞的稿件字數由300至500字，記者平均每日要寫三宗新聞。

記者要具多種才能

《am730》有別於傳統報章記者，交稿之後，免費報章記者還要兼顧「後期製作」。社長盧覺麟表示，該報要求記者抱「肯認識新事物」的心態，並要「能夠multi-tasks(多功能運作) 」辦事，以配合該報記者能就採訪、編輯、排版以及起標題的多功能集於一身的特點。

盧覺麟指出，該報會向新入職記者提供電腦排版軟件的訓練，以便記者也能掌握排版概念及工作。記者亦不像傳統收費報般有仔細分組或分工運作，例如主力寫港聞記者，有時候因為人手問題要協助收料、搵料撰寫國際、體育新聞，甚至娛樂新聞。

發行量約40萬份的《都市日報》，是本港免費報章的「老大哥」，該報助理總編輯梁錦雄表示，他們對記者的要求是效率要高、需兼顧採訪及上版工作，報道字數雖短，但偶爾會在報章最中間兩頁讓記者撰寫「大特寫」報道以補不足。「要求內容準確，無論免費、收費報章也是一樣」。

免費報的擴張，也令收費報記者的角色有微妙轉變。《蘋果日報》總編輯張劍虹表示，《蘋果》作為供應內容的單位，採訪部門安排記者工作時，會考慮《爽報》的取材，加以配合。「《爽報》係一份發行量80至100萬份的報章，新聞選材要更平民化、掌握城市脈搏，如消費新聞，日後《蘋果》也會採訪多些」。

《爽報》另一目標是要做有聲有畫有片有文字的新媒體，加上壹傳媒近年發展動新聞、即時新聞，張劍虹表示，《蘋果日報》記者的定位，會變成傳媒集團內的「內容供應者」，記者走在最前線，要懂得利用不同的表達方法，將同一宗新聞，演繹於不同的媒體上。

他舉例指，攝影記者從前只需拍好照片，現在到達採訪現場，首先需要拿出iPhone4拍照片供應即時新聞，接著是用攝影機拍片給動新聞和用相機拍照給《蘋果》、《爽報》。又例如早前匯豐銀行裁員的新聞，財經組記者當日其實早數小時已收到相關的消息及電郵，「明知呢個消息好快會通天，報紙記者收到料，都要決定係咪要立即報料比即時新聞，即使只得兩小時『獨家』，都要去做，大家思維都要變！」

編制小晉升機會也少

免費報大都只是約30人編制的編輯室運作，「報紙規模不大, 晉升機會不多」《am730》社長盧覺麟坦言，該報成立只是數年間, 故有部份記者創刊以來一直在此工作，也有記者做了數年後，轉到收費報，或者去working holiday, 有的會轉行。

盧覺麟指出，該報記者除了要擔任採訪與編輯排版的工作, 更會直接參與構思標題，可發揮及自由度不少。他認為報紙是「文字工作」，《am730》縱使是免費, 但記者是有機會寫深入分析或訪問文章。他指出，該報近期做了不少全版的人物專訪, 由林奮強、田北辰、李鵬飛到「甘仔」甘浩望神父等，記者有「寫作發揮的空間」。

他不諱言，相對傳統收費報, 免費報記者的前線採訪機會並不多, 「少D機會去做ASSIGNEMENT」，學習發問及質詢、親身到場採訪的機會，相應較少，不過，記者工作不止採訪, 也有很重要的分析環節，運作上有時候寧願記者省卻搭車時間，在公司「炒台」後有多點時間看看報告或資料, 可能時間運用效率更佳，「提問留番俾電視台(記者)做」。

《頭條日報》總編輯蕭世和表示，免費報的發行量極大，每份都是數以十萬計，記者如果做得好, 可以在社會發揮很大的影響力。

廣告人：免費報將來會成為主流

2011-11-20T07:27:00.000-08:00

譚慧芸

【記聲2011年11月號】隨著爽報的出現，香港總共有六份免費報紙，每天有300萬份免費報紙派發，較收費報紙每日出紙的100萬份還要多，廣告公司的行政總裁曾錦強認為免費報將影響銷量非頭一二位的傳統報紙。

問：記者之聲
答：廣告公司Group M行政總裁曾錦強

問：免費報9年前在香港出現，當時客戶接受嗎？

曾：初初也擔心，不知道報紙質素怎樣，不肯定免費的東西是否受歡迎。但客戶落廣告之後，發現反應不錯，就覺得「啊，免費報真係有人睇。」而我們建議客戶使用傳媒，是不會理會它是收費還是免費，最重要看兩點：一。讀者人數；二。讀者質素。

收費報廣告首當其衝

問：免費報的讀者人數和質素如何？

曾：免費報主要在地鐵站派發，故此多一點上班族拿到；但現在已入了屋苑，故此讀者群已很Mass（大眾化）。整體來說，3份免費報（頭條日報、AM730和都市日報）都是最多人看的報紙，故此會建議，希望進軍大眾化市場的客戶，可以在5份報紙上落廣告：3份免費報、東方日報、蘋果日報。這5份報紙已經接觸到所有看報紙的人。其實現在大部份客戶都係以這個模式落廣告，約佔整體客戶6至7成。若客戶想向高階層讀者（行政人員或經理級市民）打廣告，才會用經濟日報，信報和南華早報。我們計算過，若以廣告價錢和讀者人數來看，一般收費報的成本效益，不及免費報那麼好。

問：經濟日報的免費報「晴報」較新，又如何呢？

曾：坦白講，我覺得晴報不是很好看。但我們的內部調查發現，晴報一出，讀者人數已經比很多傳統收費報紙要高，令我有點訝異。可能媒介變成免費，人們覺得沒成本，總會拿來看看。

問：爽報加入了戰線之後，又如何？

免費報的激烈競爭有可能加速傳統報的死亡。

曾：本來傳統報紙可能沒有死得麼快，但爽報一出呢，就有機會將一些平日看蘋果日報的人轉過去睇爽報。因為爽報未出版前，喜歡看蘋果日報這種政治立場和「加鹽加醋」形式新聞的讀者，在免費報市場沒選擇。爽報一出，令蘋果日報的讀者有了免費代用品。再加上，我們覺得蘋果的讀者，跟東方日報的很相像，故此，我估計，爽報若搶走了別人的廣告，應該是來自蘋果日報和東方日報。

問：但台灣經驗說，爽報出版沒有令蘋果日報跌紙。

曾：台灣不同，爽報控制了發行網，沒有發行到較遠的鄉郊。但在香港，爽報一心要打擊頭條日報，一出就達到五十萬分。看來爽報在香港蠶食蘋果的機會，會比在台灣大。

問：傳聞東方日報也有計劃出免費報。

曾：如果是真的，真是加速了傳統報紙的死亡。長遠來說，未來的報紙市場可能是：7成讀者看免費報，3成讀者看高質素報紙（如信報，經濟日報和南早)。將來收費報紙會沒有甚麼生存空間。現在收費報紙要做，就只能做財經新聞。那些賣正氣（形象）乾淨路線，可以入到學校屋企的定位，其實免費報已經做緊。客戶覺得，頭條日報、AM730和都市日報都傾向正氣乾淨，沒有誇張圖片，所以收費報紙若純粹做「正氣」路線，未必可以殺出重圍。

收費報讀者老化

曾錦强

問：收費報的讀者是怎樣一群人？值得廣告客戶追捧嗎？

曾：收費報始終內容豐富得多，是一班相對「老化」的讀者，喜歡深入的分析。或許是退休人士，有財力，對廣告客戶不是不吸引。但讀者老化的問題，是死一個少一個。

問：一時之間免費報紙大量出版，會否令廣告效益下降？

曾：現在免費報吸引的廣告開支，佔所有報紙廣告市場的3成，仍有很多上升空間，故此免費報會先搶走收費報的廣告。至於免費報之間會否有淘汰賽嗎？也是有可能的，因為3成廣告要爬升到8成，也需要時間，過程之中可能有報紙會捱唔住。好像晴報出來的效果不大好，爽報出版可能加速晴報的滅亡也不一定。但長遠來說，我覺得香港可以承受4-5份免費報，300萬份也可以。到時的閱讀模式可能是，一個人拿幾份免費報，份份也不會看完，只挑自己喜歡的專欄來看。

問：你可以解釋免費報為何會成功？

曾：是天時地利人和。人們越來越不喜歡長篇的文字，喜歡短小精幹，精簡的內容。坐車20分鐘剛好看完一份免費報是很合適的長度。另外，互聯網的普及化，亦令我們閱讀習慣改變，較接受免費的資訊。

問：你會預計那些報紙最有危機？

曾：所有收費的報紙，不是頭一二位的銷量，都會好危險。新報，成報，太陽報，明報，都好危險。收費就要走很尊貴讀者的部份，只能是財經報紙，否則好難生存。又或者像東方日報或蘋果日報這些大堆頭的報紙，但若兩集團自己都出版免費報，也有可能生存不了。

廣告市場佔有率

	廣告營業額	佔報紙廣告市場（40億）比例
傳統收費報紙	28億	70%
頭條日報	6億	15%
AM730	3億	7.5%
都市日報	3億	7.5%

＊電視(30%)是本地廣告的最大市場，其次為報紙(25%=40億)，戶外(20%)，雜誌(15%)，互聯網(10%).　　資料來源：曾錦強個人估計

各報紙廣告收費

	全版廣告收費
南華早報	10餘萬
東方日報，蘋果日報	10萬
經濟日報	8-10萬
明報	5-6萬
頭條日報，星島日報	4-5萬
AM730，都市日報	2-2.5萬

香港這場仗更難打! －台灣爽報前總監李月華專訪

2011-11-19T08:56:00.000-08:00

李月華　台灣爽報前總監

【記聲2011年11月號】台灣爽報前總監李月華在接受訪問的時候認為，香港爽報面對五個已經佔據市塲的免費報對手，戰役比台灣難打。

問：為何台灣要出爽報（下稱台爽）？

答：黎智英早年不贊成在香港出免費報，他說過：「人們不會珍惜免費的東西，付費的才會珍惜」。他的意思是，免費報做不出「有諗頭」的東西，不如集中精神做好收費報。但台灣那邊他沒明確反對，適逢2006年台北市政府捷運局（相等於香港的港鐵），把捷運免費報專營權公開競投，台蘋廣告部同事認為，可開拓多一個廣告渠道，高層葉一堅向黎智英提出，黎不反對，就決定出版。（編按：後來捷運報專營權，被聯合報旗下UPaper取得，台爽就集中捷運站外派發）

問：台爽由決定到真正出版，只用了1個月時間（2006月9月中決定，10月23日出版），為何要那麼快？你們如何做到？

答：我們機構做事文化是先推出，再讓市場來測試。台爽拍板時，我在台蘋剛設立一個研究部，專責支援同事在深度報道時，進行外國資料搜集。我認為，把全隊人抽調過台爽，是最快的方法，於是研究部全部7人就變成台爽的寫稿員，再從台蘋借調文字編輯4-5人，美術編輯7人。至於台爽的副刊，就由台蘋記者多寫簡短版，或多拍幾張相供給台爽。基本上，台爽開始的編制，沒有增聘額外編輯人手。

問：台爽內容，是把台蘋現有的內容再改寫，為何不自行獨家採訪？

答：這是「好自然」的做法。台蘋每天有很多內容，免費報從中抽取，成本低，才有機會賺錢。

台爽生活化內容取勝

問：台爽會挑選那一些台蘋的新聞？

答：捷運搭客都是上班族和學生，生活化的東西最有吸引力。例如台北早餐店經常打價格戰，這類頭條很受歡迎。相反，一宗發生在鄉下的突發新聞，就不太吸引。

問：在版面設計上有那些策略?

答：捷運的車程一般只有20分鐘，我們亦不預計讀者會把報紙拿走，故此要滿足短時間閱讀，字數要少，頭條不超出400字，內頁新聞最長200字。圖片上我們強調visual flow(視覺流動性)，例如會以幾張連環的相片和美術圖片，表達一宗突發新聞，即使讀者只看圖，也能掌握個大概。另外，車廂閱讀顛簸，字型會比收費報大，行距亦疏一點。

台爽不影響台蘋銷量

問：台爽有沒有影響台蘋銷量?

答：台爽出版之後，台蘋的銷量沒有明顯下跌。我估計，台爽開拓了一些以前沒有買報紙的人，例如中學生。而這些學生的父母，或許家裏仍買一份台蘋，令台蘋維持一定銷量。

問：在工作流程上，台爽有沒有跟台蘋「分工」？

答：上頭指令很清晰，台蘋不能保留東西做「獨家」。故此，會出現台蘋和台爽，同一天以同一頭條出街，而翌日在（壹集團裏的檢討大會）「鋤報會議」裏，主管可能說：「爽報條題起得好過你」，令台蘋有壓力改進。我的看法是，報紙讀者下跌是大趨勢，我們要做得更好吸引讀者，某報銷量下跌，問題不在於免費報的出現。

問：香港爽報推出名人讀報聲音版，台爽又如何？

答：我們較「煞食」的是，除了國語版，亦推出台語版，並由同事讀出。至於為何推出聲音版本，我個人認為，壹集團現在是多媒體方向發展，聲音版是整個策略一部份，而且成本亦較低。

問：你們如何決定出版頁數?

答：主要看「飯碗」，即當天有多少廣告。我們的宗旨是，不能「頁頁是廣告」，必須有一定份量內容平衡。（筆者曾計算過，9月初一個周五，台爽出版60頁，廣告約佔一半版面。）

問：比較香港和台北兩地，兩張爽報有何不同挑戰？

答：香港這場仗更難打！首先，台爽出版時，台北只有一些文化味重的小眾免費報；相反，香港爽報要面對5個競爭對手。另外，香港有地產商會限制免費報進入它們旗下的屋苑，而台北就較少類似屋苑。至於成本方面，紙價，印刷和發行是主要開支，估計香港派報員人工應該較台灣貴。至於寫稿人手，由於主要使用台蘋內容，開支不算多。

問：免費報聘用較少編採人手，記者出路是否暗淡？

答：新聞傳媒行業，一定是走向多媒體，已經沒有了純粹文字者或純粹的圖片記者。記者需要掌握多元工具。如果一個記者可以分析，一宗新聞應該用錄像，文字還是聲音表達，這樣的記者一定不會失業。

李月華為爽報前總監，現職台灣蘋果日報網路中心總監

香港台灣爽報市場比較

	台灣	香港
爽報發行量	18萬	90-100萬
蘋果日報銷量	48萬 (台北銷量第1) ＊	26萬(香港銷量第2)
免費報競爭情況	台灣爽報 (大學生閱讀率 6成 ) 聯合報系UPaper (每日發行8萬份，大學生閱讀率4成)＊	頭條日報(每日發行80萬份) AM730(每日發行36萬份) 都市日報(每日發行30萬份) 晴報(每日發行50萬份) The Standard(每日發行22萬份)

＊銘傳大學2010年調查，調查對象為傳播科系大學生

免費報工作的苦與樂

2011-11-18T08:56:00.000-08:00

鄭秀韻　am730

【記聲2011年11月號】兩個報業集團近期先後出版免費報章，令免費報章在行內忽然備受「注目」，碰到行家總會問「如何應戰？」我的答案一貫是「做好自己！」大家與其關心免費報業市場進入戰國時代，繼而會否出現汰弱留強局面，我不如先為大家上一門認識免費報章的「通識課」。

先來自我介紹，加入am730晃眼已5年，5個寒暑有苦有樂，與很多人一樣，轉換工作機構總要一段時間適應，但自己那段適應期較一般人長，因為工作性質、崗位及需要兼顧的範疇與以前有異，更重要是為自己重新定位，在跌跌撞撞中摸索，過程中曾經碰過一鼻子灰，但找到了方向、調整了心態，便從工作中找到樂趣。

不少行家對免費報章的認知不多，無不「艷羨」免費報章「好做」，他們主觀認為免費報章假期多、版面小、早截稿、早收工……事實上這都只是一廂情願的想法；不少行家更以為免費報章的新聞內容都出自「炒台」，這全是誤解，我們堅持要做的必派人採訪，人手不足才被迫「炒台」，我們有我們的原則，我們也有我們的底線。

相對於收費報章，免費報章的編採部架構比較簡單，主要是沒有傳統編輯的崗位，所有記者要肩負起標題及排版，即記者要集「編採寫」於一身，工作自然繁重了，但自己排版的最大好處，是若稿件太長可即時自行刪文，毋須再經與傳統報章編輯翻來覆去的「角力」，減省繁瑣流程及不必要的摩擦，但「代價」是要等「走版」，印證了在免費報章「早收工」只是流言。

已有6年歷史的am730，在行內已建立起一定地位，但仍有人對這份報章懵然不知，一次向一名政界中人遞上名片，那人很認真看過名片後，一臉天真地問這是否電台？其反應令我啞然失笑，我不敢說那政界中人無知，但那孤陋寡聞的程度頗令人吃驚，可能有些人的眼底裡只有自己的世界。

忽然記起一件舊事，中聯辦某年組織一個傳媒內地考察團，我們不在被邀之列，我向中聯辦了解，對方推說名額有限，還附上一句：「你們不是主流媒體！」我沒有追問「主流媒體」與「非主流媒體」如何區別，因為明知不會得到答案，但換另一個角度，如果因為並非主流媒體而不在「被統戰」行列，也未嘗不是好事。

通脹太高了，傳媒加薪追不了

2011-11-17T08:58:00.000-08:00

莊曉陽　香港記者協會總幹事

【記聲2011年11月號】本年七月的通脹率達7.9%，創了十六年的新高，絕大部分記者本年的薪酬加幅只有3%至4%，加幅遠遠追不上通脹。即使個別傳媒機構的平均加幅超過7%，原因卻是記者薪酬普遍偏低，過半數有十年經驗的記者薪酬不及兩萬元，實際加薪金額不多。

與政府及大機構比，記者加薪的幅度更是望塵莫及，加薪幅度只有政府公務員的一半。公務員本年加薪的百分率是6.16%至7.24%，這是按政府的薪酬趨勢調查以香港過百間大企業的平均數而定。

雖然在免費資訊泛濫的互聯網年代，不少人指印刷傳媒已淪為「夕陽工業」，記者難指望有理想的薪酬加幅，但近期傳媒集團爭相出免費報，霸平台，爭取印刷媒介更多的廣告商機，顯示仍有出路。

再看看上市印刷傳媒公司近期公佈的業績，情況並不如想像中一面倒悲觀，除了壹傳媒(282)因台灣的電視業務錄得虧損，其餘印刷傳媒，例如星島集團(1105)、東方報業(18)的盈利算穩定，經濟日報(423)的盈利更大增八成。

至於《明報》的母公司世界華文媒體有限公司(685)本年三月至六月賺1億600萬，但旗下的香港及內地業務，除稅前利潤只是1300萬，而《明報》只是眾多業務的其中一項。

上市印刷傳媒公司也持有大量現金，東方報業集團傳接近有20億現金、壹傳媒和世界華文媒體有接近9億，經濟日報、南華早報(583)及星島集團則持有近4至近6億現金不等，由於上市印刷傳媒公司一般沒有借貸或借貸比率偏低，這反映它們的財務狀況健全。

部分電子傳媒的業績更佳，例如電視廣播(511)和持有香港寬頻的城市電訊(1137)的盈利也大幅上升。可惜坐擁巨額盈利，不代表公司的管理層與員工分享成果，每逢在加薪前吹淡風，「外圍經濟不明朗」、「明年經濟可能轉壞」、「經營環境依然艱難」，以調低員工對加薪的期望，已是某些機構慣常的做法。

不少傳媒機構已不在佈告欄貼出整體平均加薪幅度的通告，因為不同組別記者的平均加薪幅度也有差異，還是讓大家不知道好了。以某報為例，副刊記者的薪酬加幅比港聞記者低，因為副刊記者每天寫作的字數不及港聞記者。

但盈利減少和虧損，傳媒調低記者的薪酬加幅並不是明智之舉，需要承受留不住人才、新聞質素下降、打擊員工士氣的惡果。有電視台高層曾苦笑，他們每年都要流失一、兩打優秀記者給其他行業；《南華早報》近期流失大量記者，或多或少因為近年的凍薪及減花紅，而薪酬較低傳媒機構的記者，往往成為競爭對手挖角的目標。

即使因台灣電視台業務而錄得虧損的壹傳媒(282)，記者薪酬也有平均4%的加幅，其他傳媒機構絕對有空間加更多薪酬，沒有理讓加幅連通脹也追不上。香港經濟過去一年相當好，《記者之聲》希望傳媒機構明年的薪酬加幅，至少可以追得上通脹，讓記者分享應有的成果。

1 《明報》，2011年7月12日

傳媒	平均加薪幅度(%)
東方報業集團	5~6
蘋果日報	4
星島報業集團	3
明報	4至5
經濟日報	4
信報	5
新報	2
成報	按個別情況加薪
南華早報	凍薪
文匯報	3
大公報	5~11
都市日報	3
am730	7
無綫新聞	3
亞視新聞	只有部份員工獲加薪
有線新聞*	3
now新聞	只有部份員工獲加薪
商業電台	3~4
香港電台	6.16~7.24
新城電台	3
香港寛頻	8

資料來源：各大傳媒記者

*年中部分員工再獲加薪

警方要挫傳媒銳氣　我變成「企圖爆竊」

2011-11-16T09:03:00.000-08:00

曾愛盈

【記聲2011年11月號】「假如發生爆炸，記者抵達採訪現場，必定選擇站到最近可觀察情況，但不會被炸到的地點。」每個記者心中都有自己的目標與底線，不敢說所有同行想法和我一樣，但我確是如是想。

那天完成立法會大樓工程採訪，進入新政府總部，便是這想法作祟，關注曾特首這棟面子工程，是否不漏水不塌樓堅固挺拔。

我們三名記者不吝嗇一點腳力到新政府大樓門外仰望一番，然後問保安「可以進去嗎？」對方簡單說「可以」，然後叫我們登記訪客證。

「哦，原來可以的!」我們便直接登記訪客證，寫上公司名稱、姓名和身分證號碼，換來一張鮮橙色的訪客證掛在胸口，名正言順進入政府大樓逛。

我曾問過幾個腦筋正常的朋友，叫他們說說幻想中特首辦門外是什麼模樣，大家都覺未必有大炮飛彈，但總有幾名警員站崗吧。按記者的本能，既來之則安之，能夠為讀者預先看到多少情況、觀察到多少資料就寫多少。

探政府大樓堅實　誤墮迷宮

我心中大概的內容是「特首辦已入伙，門外有X名保安把守」之類，但故事教訓記者凡事不要理所當然。情況是，當我們踏出電梯，大樓內甚麼也沒有，指示牌也沒一個。我們三人在全無指示牌的迷宮中迷路近一小時，對於在所位置本已很迷糊，加上大樓收不到電話訊號，GPS也派不上用場，我們搞不清何地何方。

當我們在政府大樓層內上上下下穿梭，經過長廊來到另一座建築物，保安員開閘讓我們進入大堂，同樣沒有任何標示，猶記得特首辦大概在三樓，按三字，我們以疑狐的心情踏出電梯，看見一道落地玻璃門，剛巧一名女士推門出來，撐著門示意我們進去，我禮貌地微笑說謝謝。進去了才赫然發現站在辦首辦主任房間門口。更意外的是，後來發現罪名變成「企圖爆竊」。

朋友說，這橋段很像請君入甕，我想一想覺得像空城計。動漫化的表達，是擺一個門戶大開的空城，三名記者不明所以就走進去，突然千軍萬馬從旁殺出，這時畫面閃過禿鷹的奸笑：「呢班記者都惡得耐喇，嘻嘻，今次仲捉你唔到﹗」

事後看警方新聞稿，說是因三人出現三種身份而覺可疑。老實說，若非當事人，只看警方新聞稿，我也會誤以為自己刻意準備好假證，刻意冒充公職人士招搖撞騙，真是個壞蛋！

但事實卻不是這樣，當我們發現登記進入的証件，無法「嘟」卡離開玻璃門，緊張兮兮趕來的警察連珠炮發問我們身份，才弄得氣氛緊張萬分，大家七咀八舌解釋，同伴有人指著心口搶眼的訪客證，隨即又出示記者證，事實也無必要隱瞞，記者登記了訪客證，路路通行，然後迷路了，雖然丟臉，也沒必要冒充他人，令光明正大變成偷雞摸鼠。當時警察，根本沒有誤會過我們是職員。

果然，警方這個「企圖爆竊」聲明，令一些電子媒體和花生友受誤導，矛頭指向記者，說什麼「放蛇」不對，又冒充職員，又「懷疑持假證」!!!

執法原來不講證據

但警方發聲明時，我們三名記者卻被扣留至三更半夜，不准致電公司解釋，欲辯無從。事件教訓我，警方語焉不詳的聲明很具誤導性。扣留期間和阿Sir吹水，當時大家都覺「很小事」，更透露是「有人」下令挫一挫記者的氣焰。這本是安撫的話，我卻聽著心寒，原來警方執法不是講證據，還有「恐嚇」目的。

扣留我的阿Sir很客氣，我不覺自己受了委屈，受委屈的是傳媒行業。對我個人只損失7小時，動氣也覺太小氣，無論任何環境，記者也得維持專業冷靜。最有力的控訴，就持平客觀地把事實一字一句寫出來。事件令我對警方的看法有新啟發，對於之後出現的「黑影論」，更不太驚訝，因為在拘留期間在鐵窗臭格內公開如廁的經歷，已讓我初窺到警權正漸漸膨脹張牙舞爪，而那只是序幕。

到今天，警方踐踏新聞自由的劣跡斑斑，我想起被扣留時平靜的心聲，在香港，「我不信警察，但我信法律」。幸好，記者現在還可以相信律法保障新聞自由，否則我已不知什麼還可信了。

記者宵夜有乜好去處

2011-11-16T05:04:00.000-08:00

陳凱迎

【記聲2011年11月號】記者食無定時，正餐時間經常順延，下午茶當作午餐，放工宵夜其實是晚餐。有天，跟同事商量到哪裡吃宵夜，同事說要求不多，最重要是「收得夜」；這個選擇宵夜地點的重要條件，也許幾十年來都無改變。

入行30年、由前線做到採主到近年於樹仁大學執起教鞭的岑倚蘭（一般行家會叫她「岑倚」）表示，宵夜對上一輩記者來說，是盛行一時的文化，一星期至少有三晚宵夜，「有時做嘢好辛苦，宵夜食好啲當係獎勵自己，係一種釋放壓力嘅方法。」

上代愛打邊爐

岑倚蘭說前一代記者愛打邊爐

岑倚說，他們那時最喜歡打邊爐，「如果第二日唔駛返工，會打到天昏地暗，四點幾先返屋企」，又會到銅鑼灣「太湖」吃小菜、到灣仔「新光」打冷，或到蘭桂坊摸摸酒杯底，每次只要有六個同事或行家便成行。到後來升職加薪，大家轉戰日本餐廳，享受魚生壽司。

遇有行家生日或大時大節，前輩們又會到卡啦OK唱通宵，個個變成「超級巨星」；岑倚笑言，最瘋狂的一次，是放工後到通宵營業的超市買料，駕車到石澳燒野食，「兩點幾先起到爐開始燒！」

這一代記者，邊爐偶爾還是會打，但怕肥更重要，又有部分行家晚飯時間抵不住肚餓，吃了晚餐才來，對肥牛或象拔蚌都耍手擰頭；要迎合各位餓鬼和飽鬼的意願，café或許是最佳選擇。
這代鍾情Cafe

談到café，離不開旺角和銅鑼灣，其中更有些店是由前行家或現任行家經營，也因此吸引不少記者捧場，位於旺角的TC2 café便是其一。

新一代記者轉戰Cafe 喝酒吹水

TC2 café老板岑仔曾於商台、TVB和有線電視等任職，三年多前離開傳媒，轉投飲食界發展。岑仔說，他還在當記者時，放工多數會與同事落酒吧飲酒，「例如舊陣時返cable，尖沙咀個公司station附近好多酒吧，會成日去。」當時宵夜同行，也以電子傳媒的為主：「電子行家同報紙行家多數會分開玩，除非大家係舊同學。」

如今岑仔當上老板，到TC2幫襯的電子與文字記者，依舊是分開兩批，但無論來自哪種媒體，現一代記者聚會時所談的話題與上一代卻大同小異。「有時我會側耳聽到，來來去去嘅話題都係講吓老細，有時會討論同一單assignment，自己同行家嘅採訪技巧有咩唔同，有時甚至會講到當時最熱門嘅社會政策，尤其係一班熟客仔嘅政治行家。」例如前陣子，亞視報道江澤民死訊 ( 已證實誤報 )更放下老板身份，參與記者們的討論。

兩代記者還有一個共通點，就是聚會往往都要很晚才到齊人，「佢哋（指記者）通常唔會一次過嚟晒，訂位時最好就講聲係行家，我哋可以易啲安排坐位。」所以行家們下次幫襯，最好先「表明身份」，隨時還可因此取得折頭。

可以吃得很健康

食宵夜容易與肥胖連繫，但營養師黃凱詩表示，其實夜食飯本身對體重影響不大，最重要是每日所攝取的熱量有否多於所需，「如果你整個生理時鐘都延遲咗，宵夜只係你一日三餐入面嘅最後一餐，全日卡路里攝取量又冇超標，其實問題不大。」她以一個120磅的成年人為例，每日卡路里攝取量上限為1500千卡，只要每日超標500千卡，一星期便可增重一磅。

黃凱詩說，以往也曾有記者找她幫忙減肥，她認為多數記者既然每天起床時已到達中午，可如常先吃午飯，到下午3至4時，可選擇一個早餐份量的食物作下午茶，例如一杯咖啡配一份三文治；晚上如果因為趕稿不能吃晚餐，黃凱詩建議先用餅乾零食「頂肚」，到放工時再以宵夜代替晚餐，「咁宵夜就唔會係額外嘅一餐。」

吃宵夜當然也要吃得健康，對於愛打邊爐的記者，黃凱詩建議最好選擇清湯或皮蛋芫茜，「麻辣或沙嗲都太油，要盡量避免。」食物方面，牛肉可以繼續點，「但就要揀新鮮牛肉，唔駛要咁多雪花（即肥膏）」，海鮮和丸類也是健康之選。

當宵夜場地轉到café，大家難免會吃薯條和雞翼，唯有慎選飲品，例如可選擇水果茶或花茶，「好多人都以為果汁係健康，但其實一杯果汁都有140千卡卡路里，等如一杯汽水。」黃凱詩說。

如果是吃糖水，記者們則可選擇水果涼粉或蕃薯糖水，「當然涼粉唔可以加太多糖水，蕃薯就可以食埋，因為本身都係高纖食物」，一碗芝麻糊的熱量反而高達300至400千卡，相等如兩碗白飯，怕肥就要可免則免。

即使宵夜只是你的晚飯，但吃飽就睡仍然有損健康，過往已有研究顯示，宵夜和胃酸倒流息息相關，另會造成消化不良，故記者們緊記，宵夜也不要吃得太晚。

多位記者負笈充電

2011-11-16T01:04:00.000-08:00

【記聲2011年11月號】每年都有不少記者退下新聞火線去充電進修。有線電視記者古治雄及《信報》政治組記者畢礎暉獲得英國外交部的志奮領獎學金，十月起於英國約克大學及錫菲爾大學修讀政治哲學碩士及國際政治傳播碩士課程。

人稱古Sir的古治雄愛讀書。古Sir說已有心理準備未來一年，天天留在圖書館寒窗苦讀，抗拒假期去外國旅行及開派對的誘惑。畢礎輝則說，希望畢業後從事政治相關的工作。

《南華早報》記者伍育行也負笈英倫進修，她取得太古的獎學金，在牛津大學的聖安東尼學院修讀一年歷史學碩士課程。她希望用這一年時間研究香港歷史，特別是《南華早報》的歷史。

香港電台記者蔡德蕙則在本地進修，於中文大學修讀文化管理碩士一年課程。近年有不少記者修讀這個課程，她說，開學迎新已碰到鳳鳳衛視廣東話台記者余展豪及前亞洲電視記者陳佩琳，兩人都以兼讀方式進修。

《記者之聲》祝各位學有所成！

台灣記協雪中送炭　支持黑衫行動

2011-11-15T11:05:00.000-08:00

【記聲2011年11月號】為了抗議副總理李克強訪港期間，警方對新聞自由的種種打壓，記協於九月十二日發起「黑衣行動」。台灣新聞記者協會也響應記協行動，他們也於同一天在Facebook展開「黑衣行動」，呼籲台灣的記者同業穿上黑衣，手持支持香港新聞自由的標語，自拍一張照片，然後上傳到台灣記者協會的Facebook專頁，隔海支援香港的記者。

行動得到台灣記者的支持，短短幾天已有數十名台灣記者響應。有台灣記者覺得香港的記者團結，短短三兩天已可以召集三百名記者參與遊行，十分難得。台灣記協關心香港情況，他們向香港記協表示，若日後有需要串連活動，他們很樂意一起配合！

凌樹輝喜愛兒渡海奪冠

2011-11-15T09:05:00.000-08:00

【記聲2011年11月號】維港渡海泳今年復辦，港隊成員凌天宇力壓群雄，以20分34.4秒奪冠。大家可能不知道，十八歲的凌天宇，父親原來是大家的同業──《蘋果日報》攝影記者凌樹輝！
凌樹輝說，天宇四、五歲開始學游泳，「細佬仔乜都會玩，唔係踢波就游水」，他沒有特別培養天宇習泳，後來看到天宇有天份，他自己又喜歡游泳，便順其自然讓他一直游。他謙稱，沒有做甚麼特別培養天宇，唯一功勞可能是小時候帶他到游泳池吧。

凌家一門出兩傑，天宇的弟弟、十三歲的天朗也是游泳健將。小時候跟哥哥一起游泳的天朗，也在渡海泳的男子團體組取得第四名！

Freebies creating knowledge gap in society

2011-11-14T11:54:00.000-08:00

Gillian Yau, Phyllis Tsang

[Nov 2011 - The Journalist] A war of the freebies has erupted. It came with the launch of Next Media's Sharp Daily in mid-September. There are now five Chinese and one English tabloids.

In 2002 there was only one free newspaper – Metro. In 2005 came HK Headline and am730. But the competition between them was not as serious as expected. It was not until three months ago, when Sky Post and Sharp Daily arrived, that the media industry began to see threats to paid newspapers.

Having six free newspapers in town is a record among cities. The circulation of free papers has reached 3 million while the paid newspaper’s combined circulation is 1 million. That means every two person in Hong Kong read one newspaper. It is a relatively high ratio compared with other countries. But does this mean the community benefits from this apparently stronger fourth estate?

Freebie readers do not have the same expectations as those who pay for their daily newspapers. Readers of paid newspapers generally look for content that fits in with their reading habits and interests. However, readers of free papers have no such expectations and do not complain much because they do not have to pay for anything. This has created a huge “readership” and a considerable amount of income from advertising.

Professor Clement So of the School of Journalism and Communication at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, has been following the development of the newspaper market over the past few years. He pointed out that some free newspapers were launched by paid newspaper enterprises merely for the sake of market share. He said Sing Tao Group's HK Headline, Hong Kong Economic Times' Sky Post and Next Media's Sharp Daily fell into this category.

Knowledge gap created

Thus free dailies like Metro and which have no back up of paid newspapers within their own stables are going to face more uncertainties in coming years, Prof So said. More changes within the newspaper industry can also be expected in coming years, Prof So added. But these changes will affect quantity rather than quality, though other changes were also in the offing.

While some media professionals are worried about the future of the industry, the influence of these freebies on society is generally ignored. Although the freebies circulate widely their role in societal change is not considered significant. It is not common for any of these freebies to run exclusive stories. Investigative reporting is totally unknown. These free newspapers solely provide basic information. There are some distinctive columns in several free newspapers, but they merely provide opinions. The front pages of these tabloids are usually taken up by advertisements.

The emergence of the free tabloid is usually understated. But a knowledge gap has formed inside our society because of their popularity, says Prof So. Those who did not read newspapers before have become readers of free newspapers which offer no insight other than simple reporting. Readers of paid newspapers, on the other hand, have reports with depth and analysis. The consequence is that the gap between readers of two different kinds of newspapers has widened. The number of newspaper readers has increased, but the understanding level of news and current affairs has become extremely divided.

The situation in other parts of the world is similar. Professor So said there might be differences in terms of style between free newspapers, but all of them are meant for the general population. It is the same in Europe. He expects there will be changes in the editorial position of some free newspapers in coming years, but they are not going to take over the market share of paid newspapers.

(Translated by Gillian Yau )

All-in-one approach to journalism

2011-11-14T07:56:00.000-08:00

Ken Lui, Phyllis Tsang

[Nov 2011 - The Journalist] High-circulation of free newspapers does not mean better job opportunities for journalists. Those already on the job simply do more, with reporters doubling as editors or even doing the art work. As Sharp Daily and HK Headline relies on content provided by Apple Daily and Sing Tao Daily – their respective “parents” – this also changes the work routine of reporters on paid-for newspapers.

Sharp Daily (circulation: 900,000) has a 30-man team, all previously reporters or editors on Apple Daily. They are responsible for rewriting news content provided by Apple Daily. Its front page is usually off-stone just after 10pm. This early schedule is to cope with the big jump in printing and to allow later editions to cope with new developments in major news events, according to Cheung Kim-hung, the editor-in-chief.

At HK Hadline early deadline is the norm for the staff. All stories must be ready by 6pm. It has over 140 pages. It is difficult to get every detail correct with such a rushed schedule. Even when the first edition has rolled off the editorial team's work is not over. Reporters have to start work for the second edition if there is a major news event.

The workload on free and paid newspaper is about the same, according to Siu Sai-woo, editor-in-chief of HK Headline. However, reporters must keep important news items to a few hundred words while those on sister paper Sing Tao Daily have much greater leeway. Both papers share the same sources for stories, but some reporters of HK Headline have occasionally to do their own reporting. The reporters have to write three stories, averaging 300 to 500 words each.

Accuracy remains a ''must''

Journalists on am730, are also responsible for post-production duties as well. Lo Kwok-lun, the editor-in-chief, says his reporters must be able to multi-task, meaning they have to report, edit, and do layout. Courses on computer software are provided for all new staff. Instead of beat reporting as in other paid newspapers, reporters at are responsible for international news, sports and even entertainment news.

Being the first free newspaper in town, Metro Daily has a circulation of 400,000 every week day. The journalists not only have to be responsible for reporting the news in short, precise articles, they also have to work on in-depth features, according to Leung Kam-hung, deputy editor of the Metro Daily. “There is no difference between free newspapers and paid newspapers in terms of accuracy,” said Leung.

The introduction of freebies have affected the pattern of news reporting of paid newspapers. Cheung Kin-hung, editor-in-chief of Apple Daily told The Journalist that editorial judgement of Apple Daily would have the readers ofSharp Daily in mind as well. “Sharp Daily is a paper with a million readers target. That means more consumer news and down-to-earth topics will be considered by the news team of Apple Daily,” said Cheung. He added that reporters of Apple Daily are going to be content providers for various new units of the Next Group, using different mediums including animation.

In the past it was common for journalists to shoot on the spot with their cameras. Now they have to use the iphone and send it online instantly. There is also the video footage and photos for Apple Daily and Sharp Daily. Cheung pointed to the lay-off at HSBC as an example, “The business desk at Apple Daily got the news that HSBC was going to have a large lay-off. The news-desk had to decide whether to to report via online instant news. Even if it is only 2 hours ahead of the announcement, we still have to do it,” said Cheung.

Reporters can still excel

The average staff size of a free newspaper is about 30 people on the editorial team. Lo Kwok-lun, editor-in-chief of the said that there are not many promotion opportunities in such a small unit. Some reporters moved to paid newspapers or changed careers. Some have remained on which was launched a few years ago. Though small it has relatively more variety in terms of editorial work, including in-depth features or personality profiles, said Lo. However, going out to get news is a rare exercise for journalists of free newspapers. Instead of going out to report and interviewing people, journalists of free papers mostly sit in the office and watch TV news. “Leave the TV reporters to ask the questions. It will be more efficient to spend time reading reports for further analysis,” said Lo.

Though there are fewer opportunities for reporters on free dailies, they can still excel because of the high-circulation of free dailies, said Siu Sai-woo, editor-in-chief of HK Headline.

(Translated by Gillian Yau )

Freebies headed for the mainstream

2011-11-13T07:59:00.000-08:00

Vivian Tam

[Nov 2011 - The Journalist] With the newly-launched Sharp Daily there are now six free daily newspapers in Hong Kong. That's a total of about 3 million copies distributed every day, or about three times the number of regular newspapers sold. The Chief Executive Officer of advertising company Group M, Tsang Kam Keung, believes freebies will continue to advance.

We put a series of questions to him.

Q: What did your clients think of the free daily when it was first introduced in Hong Kong?

A: They were worried about the quality of free daily and were not sure if it would succeed. But the reaction has been quite positive since and my clients have found that people do read them. When we advise them on how to make use of the media, we tell them to look at readership and quality of readers. Whether a paper is free or not is not the key issue.

Q: What is the readership of a free tabloid?

A: These free tabloids are mainly distributed at MTR stations, so most of the readers are working people. Some freebies have made their way to residential areas, reaching out to different types of readers. The most popular freebies are Headline Daily, <am 7.30> and Metro News. So we usually recommend our clients to place ads in these three free dailies plus Oriental Daily and Apple Daily. These five papers can reach out to nearly all types of newspaper readers. Most clients have adopted this practice when placing ads in the print media, accounting for 60 to 70 per cent of print advertising. Clients who want to reach out to high-end readers (executives or those at managerial level) put ads in Hong Kong Economic Journal,Hong Kong Economic Times and the South China Morning Post. Our experience tells us that it is more cost effective to place ads in free dailies.

Q: Hong Kong Economic Times’s Skypost, is quite new. How is it doing in the market?

A: Frankly I don’t find Skypost very appealing. But our internal survey found Skypost readership to be higher than the traditional paid newspapers. I am quite surprised at the findings. It may be because readers will read it anyway as long as it is free.

Q: What is the situation like now that Sharp Daily has joined the competition?

A: Sharp Daily is speeding up the decline of traditional paid newspapers, as Apple Daily readers also switching to Sharp Daily. Before that leaders who shared Apple Daily’s political viewpoint and preferred sensational stories basically could not find a substitute in the free daily market. But Sharp Daily now serves as the perfect substitute for Apple Daily which has a readership profile that is quite similar toOriental Daily. So I believe Sharp Daily is capable of fighting for ads which originally went to these two newspapers.

Q: But the experience in Taiwan was that Sharp Daily does not affect the circulation of Apple Daily.

A: Taiwan is different. Sharp Daily controls the distribution network, but the paper has failed to reach people in remote villages. Sharp Daily in Hong Kong, however, is determined to launch a war againstHeadline Daily by producing half a million copies a day. But it seems Sharp Daily is eating into Applemore aggressively in Hong Kong than in Taiwan.

Q: Oriental Daily is rumoured to be planning a free daily as well.

A: If it’s true then it will really speed up the death of traditional newspapers. The market in the future probably will be made up of 70 per cent of free daily readers and 30 per cent of readers who look for quality news such as the Hong Kong Economic Journal, Hong Kong Economic Daily and the South China Morning Post. There will be little room for paid newspapers to survive. Paid newspaper can only focus more on business news to build up its reputation and image to make its way to school and households. Freebies have adopted this strategy too, as Headline Daily, AM 730 and Metro News have shown. They don’t use sensational pictures.

Q: What is the profile of traditional paid newspaper readership? Are they attractive to advertisers?

A: The content of the traditional newspaper is much richer. The readership is much older and prefers reading in-depth analysis and reports. They might be retirees or have affluent backgrounds. But they don't appeal to advertisers, as they are getting old and the number of readers keeps declining as death takes its toll.

Q: Will the influx of free dailies in the market affect the effectiveness of ads?

A: About 30 per cent of expenditure on advertising go to free dailies. There is still room for free dailies to grab a bigger market share, and they will first take ads away from traditional newspapers. There is also competition among freebies, as it takes time for the 30 per cent to go up to, say, 80 per cent. Some free dailies might not be able to survive the competition. Skypost, for example, is not doing very well. Sharp Daily, might speed up the death of Skypost. But in the long run, I think, the Hong Kong market can accommodate four to five free dailies with a distribution of 3 million. The reading habit will change, too, and readers will pick up a few free dailies and only read the columns they like.

Q: Why is the freebie successful?

A: Right time, right place and right people. Readers prefer reading short stories. It is perfect to finish reading a newspaper in just about 20 minutes. The free daily satisfies this need. Also, the internet has changed reading habits. By now people have also become used to reading free dailies.

Q: Which newspapers, in your view, are in danger of being kicked out of the market?

A: All traditional newspapers, especially those which are not the top two sellers. Hong Kong Daily News, Sing Pao, The Sun, Ming Pao…they are all in danger. Traditional newspapers have to woo affluent readers in order to survive and only newspapers that focus on business news can make it or the major titles like Oriental Dailyand Apple Daily. But once they both introduce free dailies, I doubt the rest can survive much longer.

(Translated by Senga Lam)

The stark share-out of the market currently, in Tsang Kam Keung's estimation, is as follows:

Market share of the advertising sector

	Ads Turnover	Market share per centage(4 billion）
Traditional Newspapers	2.8 billion	70%
Headline Daily	600 million	15%
AM730	300 million	7.5%
Metro News	300 million	7.5%

＊Television(30%) is the biggest ads market, followed by newspaper (25%=4 billion), outdoor ad(20%), magazine(15%), internet(10%).　　

Price list of a full page ad

	Full page ad
South China Morning Post	100,000
Oriental Daily/Apple Daily	100,000
Hong Kong Economic Times	80,000-100,000
Ming Pao	50,000-60,000
Headline Daily/Singtao Daily	40,000-50,000
/ Metro News	20,000-25,000

Sharp Daily in Taiwan launched in double-quick time

2011-11-12T12:01:00.000-08:00

Vivian Tam

[Nov 2011 - The Journalist] An interview with Daisy Li. Former News Director of Sharp Daily, Taiwan .

Q: How did Sharp Daily come to life in Taiwan?

A: Jimmy Lai Chi Ying did not support the idea of having a free daily in Hong Kong years ago. “People will not cherish it if it is free. They will only cherish something that they have to pay for,” Mr Lai once said. What he meant was it was better to focus on producing quality paid paper than producing free daily with no gimmicks. But he did not have any strong opinion about Taiwan.

In 2006, there was a bid for a free daily franchise in Taiwan, and the advertisement department of Apple Daily Taiwan thought it might be a new platform for advertising. So Ip Yut Kin, Chief Executive Officer-in print Media of Next Media Ltd proposed to Mr Jimmy Lai and a decision was made. That was how we decided on the Sharp Daily in Taiwan. (Note: UPaper owned by United Daily News won the franchise and Sharp Daily Taiwan was distributed outside Metro Taipei Stations)

Q: It took only one month to launch Sharp Daily. (mid-September 2006 – Oct 23 2006) How could it be achieved in such a short time?

A: The working culture of our company is to push the product to the market first and let the market test the product. Once we decided to launch Sharp Daily, I quickly turned a research department at Apple Daily Taiwan, which was originally set up to assist our colleagues to conduct investigative reporting, into a team of writers for Sharp Daily Taiwan. About four to five editors from Apple Daily Taiwan were also deployed toSharp Daily plus seven others from the art and design department. Reporters of the feature section also contribute stories to Sharp Daily. We basically did not hire extra hands to run the new daily.

Q: The contents of Sharp Daily basically is taken from Apple Daily Taiwan. Why doesn't the freebie do its own reporting?

A: This is a very “natural” practice. It is the best way to keep down the operations costs and maximize profits.

Q: How does Sharp Daily select materials from Apple Daily?

A: Most Metro Taipei passengers are working people and students. Content relating to daily life is the most attractive. Price war between restaurants offering cheap breakfast in Taipei, for example, is the kind of story that appeals to them. Breaking news about an accident in a village, to the contrary, is not their cup of tea.

Q: What is the layout and design strategy?

A： The average traveling time of a metro journey is around 20 minutes. We don’t expect our readers to keep our paper, so the reading time must be short. Based on these considerations, the front page story should not have more than 400 words and we have a 200 word limit for stories in the inside pages. We stress visual effect, for example, by using photos and designed pictures in series and we use more picture stories to report breaking news. The font size is bigger and spacing is wider to make reading in a train more pleasurable.

Q: Does Sharp Daily impact on Apple Daily's circulation in Taiwan?

A： We have not seen any significant drop in the circulation of Apple Daily in Taiwan since the introduction of Sharp Daily. I believe the free daily has reached out to people who previously did not buy any newspaper at all, like secondary school students. The parents of these students are Apple Daily readers so the circulation has remained steady.

Q: Is there any division of labour between Sharp Daily and Apple Daily in Taiwan?

A: Apple Daily must share their exclusive stories with Sharp Daily so the front pages of the two papers might be the same sometimes. But when reviewing performance on how the two papers handle the same story, Sharp Daily might have a better headline at times and that would put pressure on Apple Daily to do better. I think the number of newspapers readers will surely go down in the future. We have to woo our readers with good quality stories. Free dailies should not be blamed for the decline in the circulation of paid newspapers.

Q: Sharp Daily in Hong Kong has launched an audio version, will you follow suit in Taiwan?

A: Our selling point is introducing a Mandarin version and a Taiwanese version. Adopting multi-media in our production is our future development direction and it will be very cost effective.

Q: How do you decide on the number pages each day?

A: It really depends on how many ads we have for each page. Our principle is to strike a good balance between the amount of ads and new stories.

(Note: On a Friday in early September, Sharp Daily Taiwan had 60 pages, half of them filled by ads.)

Q: What are the challenges confronting Sharp Daily in Hong Kong and Taiwan?

A: It’s a tough battle in Hong Kong! When Sharp Daily was launched in Taiwan there was only one free daily on the market. But there are already five in Hong Kong, when Sharp Daily arrived in the Hong Kong. Some property developers in Hong Kong have banned distribution of free dailies in residential areas. We don’t have this problem in Taiwan. The cost of paper, printing, distribution and human resources in Hong Kong is higher than in Taiwan.

Q: Free dailies usually need less human resources in the editorial department, is there any future for journalists?

A: Multimedia is the future for journalism. There will be no pure news writers or news photographers. Journalists need to learn how to use tools to cover and present stories. If a journalist knows how to present a story by adopting multimedia approach, he or she for sure will not be jobless.

Li Yuet-wah, the former News Director of Sharp Daily Taiwan is now the Online News Director of Apple Daily Taiwan

(Translated by Senga Lam)

Comparison between Sharp Daily in Hong Kong and Taiwan

	Taiwan	Hong Kong
Sharp Daily distribution	180,000	900,000 ~ 1,000,000
Apple Daily circulation	480,000 (No1 circulation in Taipei )	260,000 (Top 2 in Hong Kong )
Free Daily	Sharp Daily Taiwan (the reading rate of university students is 60 % )United Daily News UPaper (Daily distribution of 80,000, 40 % of the readers are university students)＊	Headline Daily (800,000 daily distribution) (360,000)Metro News (300,000)Skypost (500,000)The Standard (220,000)

*Ming Chuan University 2010 survey, respondents are journalism major students

Into a new dimension with AM730

2011-11-08T09:45:00.000-08:00

Kusche Cheng, am730 reporter

[Nov 2011 - The Journalist] Two newspaper companies launched their own free newspapers recently, and suddenly freebies are the centre of attention in the media industry. When I meet reporters from other companies, I am invariably asked: “How are you going to fight this battle?” My usual reply is: “We’ll just do our best!”

Before getting too concerned about whether freebies are entering the “Period of the Warring States”, and whether the weaker papers are going to be eliminated soon, let me share my views about what free newspapers really are all about.

I have been working in one of them, AM730, for 5 years. There have been happy moments in these years, but there were also tears. A major challenge for me when I first got into it was not only adapting to a new environment, but that my adaption period was exceptionally long. It was because the nature of my new job, new post and the things that I had to take care of were all very different from the previous job. It was also a time when I needed to find a new direction and orientation in my career. I had made mistakes, explored different things, and fortunately, when I eventually found my new direction, and had adjusted to the right attitude towards work, I started to love my job.

Many of my reporter friends are envious of how “comfortable” our work is in a free newspaper. But I think that is only based on wrong impressions. These friends of mine usually think that reporters like us have more day-offs, less work to do, meet deadlines earlier every night and, therefore, we go home earlier. But none of this is true. There are also reporters who think that almost all the contents of a free newspaper come from copying instant news websites and other electronic media. This is a common misunderstanding, too! In fact, we insist on assigning reporters to cover major news events, and we copy materials from the electronic media only when we run out of reporters and have no other choice. This is a fundamental principle we hold on to.

While there are misunderstandings, it is true that unlike traditional papers, the newsroom of a free paper has a simpler structure. It is mainly because we do not have traditional editors, and all our reporters provide the headings for their stories and even lay out the pages themselves, thus combining reporting, editing and laying out. This means we have a heavier workload, and we also have to stay longer in the office to check and see off the final proofs. A heavy workload is bad, but the good thing about working in such a newsroom is that we can edit and even shorten our articles the way we like to. Unlike the traditional papers, we never have to “struggle” with the editors about how the stories are edited because we do the editing ourselves. That's put paid to all unnecessary squabbles among colleagues.

AM730 is now 6 years old. It has established its own niche in the industry. Yet there are still people who remain ignorant of our existence. I once met a local politician who, after seriously “examining” my card, asked me if we were a radio station. I was deeply shocked by this and, although I dare not say that he is ignorant, I think it really shows that there are people who live in their own little world.

Talking about ignorance, there was also an occasion when the LOCPG (Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong SAR) organized a study tour to mainland China for Hong Kong reporters, but did not invite AM730. Wondering why not, I called the LOCPG to ask. I was again shocked when they told me the reason was because they did not consider us to be a “mainstream media”. I did not ask how the LOCPG differentiated between non-mainstream and mainstream, because I knew there would not be an answer. At that time, I had thought that it was bad to be classed as non-mainstream, but who knows? If that means we do not need to be put on the Communists’ so-called “United Front”, being non-mainstream may be a bonus after all.

.(Translated by Tony Cheung )

Media pay hikes trailing inflation

2011-11-07T11:45:00.000-08:00

Chong Hiu Yeung, HKJA General Secretary

[Nov 2011 - The Journalist] Inflation in July hit 7.9%, a record high in 16 years. But salary hikes for most journalists were in the 3-4% range. The difference between the two is just too stark.

Such incremental rates hardly catch up with the inflation rate.

At some media organisations increments averaged more than 7%. But that is only because the wage levels are abysmally low. Half of the journalists with 10 years' experience earn less than HK$20,000 a month. So the actual increments do not amount to much.

The increases also lag far behind those of the civil service and large-size companies. They represent only half of the government increases which range between 6.16% to 7.24%. This rate is determined by the Pay Trend Survey, which is based on the average increase rate of more than 100 local large-sized enterprises.

With the flood of information in this internet era, the print media is usually described as a “sunset industry”. Reporters cannot expect any decent salary increments. However, it seems that there is still some hope as more media organizations have entered the free newspaper market to fight for a bigger market share and more advertising opportunities for the print media.

The situation does not appear that bad when we look at the performances of listed print media companies. Except for Next Media (282) which recorded a loss because of its Taiwan television business, others such as Sing Tao (1105) and Oriental Press (18) have stable profit margins. The profit of HKET Holdings (423) even soared 80%.

Media Chinese (685), the parent company of Ming Pao, earned 106 million from March to June this year. However, profits before tax was only $13 million from both local and Mainland earnings. Ming Pao is only of its many local businesses.

Listed print media companies have a huge amount of cash. Oriental Press is estimated to have $2 billion cash in hand, Next Media and Media Chinese have about 0.9 billion. HKET Holdings, SCMP Group (583) and Sing Tao are holding 0.4-0.6 billion cashi. Since listed printed media companies generally do not have borrowing or the debit rate is low, their financial status is regarded as healthy.

Results of some electronic media are even better. For example, profits at TVB (511) and City Telecom (1137) soared. Unfortunately huge profits do not mean any sharing with the staff. It is a normal practice in some media organizations to lower the staffs’ expectations by claiming “unstable external economic environment”, “the economy next year might be turning bad” and “the business environment is still difficult”.

Many media organizations do not announce the average rate of salary increment on the notice board anymore since the average increase rate for different kinds of journalists is not the same. For example, an increment rate for a supplement reporter of a particular newspaper is lower than Hong Kong daily news reporter because supplement reporters write less than a Hong Kong daily news reporter per day.

But it is not prudent to lower journalists’ salary increment due because of deficits or profit reductions. Media companies need to keep in mind the consequences of losing talented staff, decline in quality of news and newsroom morale. A management executive at a TV station once said with a bitter smile that he lost one to two dozen outstanding journalists to other industries every year. SCMP has lost a lot of reporters in recent times probably because it cut the bonus and froze salaries in recent years. Journalists with low salary often become the poaching targets of competitors.

At Next Media which has recorded a loss because of its Taiwan TV business, the average increments still reached 4%. Other media organizations definitely can afford higher increments. It is not reasonable that the increments cannot match inflation. The economy of Hong Kong was very good last year. The Journalist hopesthe increment rate of media organizations can at least match inflation so journalists can share in the fruits of our economic growth.

i 12 July 2011, Ming Pao

Forced to urinate in the open...behind bars

2011-11-06T09:08:00.000-08:00

Emily Tsang, Ming Pao Reporter

[Nov 2011 - The Journalist] Imagine...there's been a huge explosion. And I'm sent to cover it.

I tell myself I will get as close as possible to the spot where it all went up. Without getting myself hurt, of course.

I can't say this is what every reporter has to do. It's just what I believe I must do.

This gives you some idea of the kind of reporter I am...the reporter who went into the new central government complex at Tamar after covering the Legislative Council proceedings in part of this new structure.

I wanted to see if the Chief Executive's face-saving project had any leakages, any shoddiness to it.

Two other reporters and myself walked all the way over to the new headquarters to look at this new complex.

"Can we go in?" We asked a security guard.

"Yes."

We were told to register for visitor passes.

And so we wrote down the names of our media companies, our names and ID card numbers, put the bright orange passes on our chests and walked straight into the government headquarters.

With the full approval of its guardians and protectors.

Lady held open the door for us

I once asked a few friends to imagine what the outside of the Chief Executive's Office would look like.

They didn't expect there to be missiles or cannons. But there would be a couple of police officers standing guard outside.

By instinct we just wanted to see as much as we could, and report what we had seen through out sneak-peek at this centre of power.

Since Donald Tsang, Chief Executive, had already moved in, I was looking for police officers outside his workplace. How wrong I was to think that that has to be the case.

When we stepped out of the lift, there was nothing. No one. Not even direction signs.

The three of us walked around what proved to be a maze, for nearly an hour. Lost, dazed, we couldn't even get reception on our mobile phones. Even the GPS couldn't tell us where we were.

We walked up and down the headquarters, reaching another structure after going through a long corridor.

Security personnel opened a gate to let us into a hall. Again, no signs whatsoever.

We entered a lift, pressed button three, with faint memories that the CE's Office is on the third floor. A glass door was what we saw when we cautiously stepped out of the elevator.

And a lady just coming out in the opposite direction, held the door for us. I smiled and said “Thank you”. So we walked in.

We didn't know we were already standing right outside the office of Hong Kong's leader.

“Knock the media for its arrogance”

It was simply stunning to find out shortly that we were now about to commit "attempted burglary".

This was all very surreal. It was as if we had entered an “empty city” in which all its gates opened automatically as we approached them. Until we were ambushed. As the doors finally closed on us, an eagle appears on the wall to say: “Aha! We've finally got you! You, reporters have been so arrogant for such a long time...”

The police statement claimed that we were arrested because we had acted suspiciously by showing three different identities!

If I was not the one directly involved, I would – on reading the police statement – have believed that those arrested had prepared fake identifications. And how evil we were to have intentionally disguised ourselves as public officials. What trickery!

But that's not how it was. The passes that we had been issued with couldn't open the glass doors to let us out. The policemen on the other side dashed over.

They bombarded us with questions, demanded to know who we were. In this tense, chaotic situation, we explained ourselves, interrupting each other.

One of us pointed to the visitor badge on the chest, and then quickly brought out a press ID. Indeed there was nothing to hide, we had registered as visitors, and was given the green light to walk around.

We got lost, and though it was a bit of a shame, there was nothing for us to hide. More importantly, no police officer at the scene had mistaken us as staff members.

But when the police released the statement, the three of us had been detained until late at night. We were not allowed to call our newsrooms to explain our case.

This incident has taught me a lesson: the ambiguously-worded police statements are often quite misleading.

During our detention I had a chat with an officer. We both agreed it was “a minor case”, but he revealed that “someone” had given orders to give the media a knock for its arrogance.

While this was meant to be comforting words, they brought me chills. The force enforces the law not based on evidence, but they also try to overawe.

Forced to urinate in the open

The officer was actually quite nice, and I didn’t feel aggrieved. It was the media industry that was angry.

What I lost was seven hours. It would be churlish of me to have got angry. After all, journalists must remain calm and professional regardless of circumstances.

The strongest way to state my case is to give a factual account objectively, word for word. The incident enlightened me about the police, so subsequent comments about “a black shadow” didn’t shock me.

When I was forced to urinate openly behind bars during detention, I was already being given a first-hand look at how police power is gradually expanding.

And that’s only a prelude.

Up until today, there have been countless cases of violation of press freedom by the Hong Kong police.

I recall the calmness I had during detention. In Hong Kong, “I don’t believe in the police, but I believe in the rule of law.”

It’s a blessing in disguise that journalists can still believe that the legal system safeguards press freedom - otherwise there is nothing else to believe in.

( Translated by Damon Pang )

Late night snacks with Sham Yee...

2011-11-04T09:07:00.000-07:00

Jackie Chan

[Nov 2011 - The Journalist] Journalists eat at the most irregular hours. It's the nature of their work. Many sit down for lunch when others are having afternoon tea. Late night snacks replace dinners.

For those of us who work into the early hours the most important was less the food than the closing time of the eating establishments. So, often, the question of the moment was: Where do we go for the late, late night snack?

Thank heavens we have such a thing as a late night snack directory. A walking one at that.

It goes by the name of Sham Yee-lan. More popularly known as Shamyee. Thirty years in the making, she began as a junior reporter, working her way up to assignment editor or news editor in the western context.

Shamyee who is now teaching at Shue Yan University, says late-night snacking was a way of life for her generation of journalists. They have since been replaced by the “cafe generation”.

According to Shamyee journalists in her time went out for snacks in the early hours of the morning at least three times a week. “Sometimes, when you’re working very hard, a good late-night meal is good reward for yourself. It’s also a way of relieving work pressure.” she said.

Shamyee says hot pot was a popular choice. “If we’re off duty the next day, we would sit around the hot pot until 4am.” Places they frequented were the likes of Tai Woo Restaurant in Causeway Bay for local fare, or Hsin Kuang Restaurant in Wanchai for Teochew cuisine.

Sometimes they forayed to Lan Kwai Fong for long discussions over a glass of wine before going for supper in a group of six or more. Later, when incomes improved they favoured Japanese restaurants for sashimi and sushi.

To celebrate a colleague’s birthday or a big festival, they would go to a karaoke and sing through the night; everyone then being a “super vocalist”. Shamyee remembers, with a great deal of laughter, that the closest she got to being crazy was going off to buy raw food at a 24-hour supermarket after working late into the night. They she and her friends to Shek O for a barbecue. “We lit the grill at 2am,” she recalls.

The present generation of journalists may get together in groups for social activities but meals like hot pot are off the menu. Quite a few are concerned about gaining weight. Others regard marbled beef or geoduck simply over the top. So they compromise over a cafe meal.

When we think café we think of those located in Mong Kok or Causeway Bay. Some of are operated by journalists or former journalists. TC2 café in Mong Kok is one example.

TC2 café boss Patrick used to work in Commercial Radio, TVB and Cable TV. He left the beat three years ago to start a new life in catering. Patrick said that when he was still a journalist, he used to go to bars with colleagues after work. “When I worked at Cable TV, our centre at Tsim Sha Tsui was very close to the bars and I went there quite often.” He would have late night suppers with colleagues. Patrick said: “Journalists from the electronic media and those from newspapers did not mix together for activities, unless they had been classmates.”

Now, as a cafe boss, Patrick sees his customers keeping to two separate groups from the electronic media and the print media. But the talk is similar, even when different generations are involved.

“Sometimes, I listen to their whispers. They’re mainly talking about their superiors. At times they may discuss how different media handled the same assignment with their different skills. Sometimes, they may discuss the up-to-dated hot social issues because many of my old customers are from political beats.” Patrick said.

When the “death” of former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin was reported -- or misreported – by ATV, he had also joined in their discussions.

A common trait among journalists of whatever generation, is the long wait for everyone to turn up. “They normally don’t come on time. So if you’re making a reservation for a table, it’s better to mention that you’re journalists. It will be much easier for us to arrange the table.”

So next time you decide to go to this café, be sure to identify yourself. They may give you a better discount.

(Translated by Luther Ng)

People often associate late-night supping with weight-gain but Cynthia Wong, a dietician, thinks that taking late suppers may not be directly to blame. It all depends on whether your daily intake of calories is more than required.

“If our body clock is reset forward late-night snack is only the last one of our three daily regular meals. And if we do not exceed the normal daily intake of calories, there should be no problem at all.” She said, for example, the upper limit of the daily intake of calories for an adult weighing 120 lbs is 1500 kcal. If the person takes 500 kcal more than the daily requirement, he or she will have a weight gain of 1 pound after one week.

Wong says some journalists went to her centre for help in reducing weight. She thinks that many journalists wake up at noon but they should still take their lunch as usual. And when it is around 3 or 4 p.m., they can take a breakfast amount of food as their afternoon tea -- a cup of coffee plus a sandwich. And if journalists are unable to eat in the evening in the rush to complete their stories, Cynthia suggests they take some biscuits to keep hunger at bay. When they finish their work they can have late supper in place of dinner. “So the late-night snack will not be counted as an additional meal.” she said.

We still need to take late supper in a healthy way. For those journalists who like to eat hot pot, Cynthia Wong suggests choosing a clear soup, like parsley with preserved egg. “ Spicy soup base or satay soup base is too greasy and we should try to avoid,” she said.

“We can still eat beef in hot pot, but we need to use fresh beef and avoid marbled beef.” Seafood and meat balls are healthier choices.

As for cafe snacks, it may be difficult to skip chips and chicken wings. But try at least to give more attention to the drinks. Fruit teas and scented teas are good choices. “Many think that juices are healthy but a glass of juice contains 140 kcal. It’s equal to a glass of soft drink,” Cynthia said.

For desserts, Cynthia suggests choosing fruit mitsumame (a kind of starch jelly) or sweet potato soup. “We should not pour too much sweet soup into the starch jelly. It's all right to eat the sweet potato because it is a kind of high-fibre food.” She said. A bowl of black sesame paste contains 300 to 400 kcal. This is equal to two bowls of rice and those who want to avoid a weight gain should keep this at arm's length.

Even if a late supper replaces your dinner it may still harm your health if you sleep after a full meal. According to the past researches, late-night eating and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease are co-related and it also causes indigestion. So we all you late night birds – keep an eye on your meals in the wee hours.

(Translated by Luther Ng)

Back to school

2011-11-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

[Nov 2011 - The Journalist] Time for a news break...and back to school.

Its that time of the year for Cable TV reporter Alex Koo and Hong Kong Economic Journal political reporter Joshua But. Both were awarded the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Chevening Scholarships.

Mr Koo is taking up his Master in Political Philosophy at the University of York while Mr But is is reading Political Communication at the University of Sheffield.

Mr Koo, widely known as “Koo Sir” for his fondness for books, said he is prepared to camp in the library to indulge himself, resisting the temptation to travelling and party.

Mr But hopes to pursue a politics-related career upon completion of his master's degree.

Meanwhile South China Morning Post medical reporter Ng Yuk-hang is also studying the British way. Awarded the Swire/Cathy Pacific Scholarship, Ms Ng is spending the forthcoming year in the prestigious St Antony’s College of the University of Oxford to study history. She aspires to make an in-depth academic journey into Hong Kong history, especially looking into the old days of the Post.

The Chinese University’s Master of Cultural Management has become a popular choice among journalists for local studies in recent years.

Joining the cohort is RTHK reporter Choi Tak-wai, who has already met Phoenix TV’s Brian Yu and former ATV reporter Simone Chan – both pursuing part-time studies – during the orientation week.

The Journalist wishes all of them success!

Unity across the Straits

2011-11-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

[Nov 2011 - The Journalist] The Hong Kong Journalists Association initiated the “Wear Black” movement on September 12 to protest against police suppression of freedom of the press during Vice-Premier Li Keqiang’s visit. To extend their support across the sea, the Association of Taiwan Journalists also had their version of “Wear Black” on Facebook. They called on our Taiwanese counterparts to take pictures of themselves – wearing black and holding signs in support of Hong Kong’s freedom of the press – and upload them on its Facebook page.

Within a few days, dozens of Taiwanese journalists showed their warm support to the movement. Some of them thought the unity of Hong Kong journalists was miraculous, especially after seeing the swiftly organised protest march could gather hundreds of journalists. The Association told the Journalist they are concerned with Hong Kong’s media freedom and are happy to grant support to any future activities.

Lings across the harbour

2011-11-01T09:44:00.000-07:00

[Nov 2011 - The Journalist] Hong Kong swimming team member John Ling Tin-yu was crowned the champion of Hong Kong’s first cross-harbour swim in 33 years. While he beat 978 competitors by finishing 1.8 kilometers in a spectacular time of 20 minutes, 34.4 seconds, it will be even more surprising to know the father of this 18-year-old is also a journalist – Apple Daily photographer Marco Ling .

The proud dad said he had made no particular effort in nurturing John’s swimming skill, except to bring him to the swimming pool after seeing his talent and interest. “John started swimming at four or five. Kids either like playing football or swimming anyway,” said Mr Ling.

But that was not the only joy for the Ling family that day. Tin-long – John’s younger brother – was third runner-up in the team race across the harbour. The 13-year-old had spent his childhood swimming with his elder brother.

( all the gossip translated by Tanna Chong )

《記者之聲》 2011年8月號目錄

2011-08-20T13:28:00.000-07:00

專題：警權膨脹　七一夜踐踏採訪自由　　　Focus: Police Power Rises, Press Freedom Plummets

標題 Item Title	作者 Author
封面故事｜警方不依《警察通例》行事　　2011年7.1遊行後，警察清場大舉拘捕二百多名示威者，清場期間一度出動胡椒噴霧鎮壓。部分當晚在場採訪的記者，亦受到警方不合理對待。最少19名前線記者被胡椒噴霧噴中......	雷子樂
封面故事｜漫天開警誡線　記者採訪受阻　　採訪大型示威活動經驗不算很多，但今年「七一夜」身處其中，近距離經歷見證示威者、警員及新聞工作者的三方衝擊。......	何永康
封面故事｜七一晚　我中椒　　七一當晚，我是悲喜交集的，喜是目睹港人願意向替補機制說不，為自己發聲。悲是飽受胡椒噴霧「招呼」及粗暴對待，頓覺警權日漸膨脹，由保護市民為主的公僕，降格至完成任務為上的執法機器。作為「中椒」記者，有必要來個足本播放細說當晚經過......	張家灝
封面故事｜警員為何對我動粗？！　　踏入攝影記者生涯7年，採訪過不少大型示威，近年社運人士與警員埋身肉搏場面愈來愈多，警方部署更趨向嚴陣以待。夾縫中的記者，遭殃機會大增，七一夜就是一個明顯例子，警方發射胡椒噴霧，記者首當其衝......	廖雁雄
封面故事｜採訪被當成疑犯　我感十分屈辱　　還在求學階段，已經踏足一名實習記者的道路。原因只有一個，就是這份工作太有意義了。在這個世代尤其有意義。在個人利益掛帥的今天，人要堅守人性價值不容易......	蔡珮雯
城中熱話｜僭建風波席捲全港　傳媒聯手踢爆	黃偉駿
城中熱話｜揭露僭建亂象　重建公義社會	杜耀明
記者之聲｜入行一年　喜樂比痛苦多	莊丹娜
放眼國際｜為何尼日利亞可以但香港不能？ - IFEX會議見聞	麥燕庭
記協之聲｜捍衛新聞自由　提升專業的一年 - 2010/2011年度執行委員會報告	香港記者協會
記協之聲｜為您服務的新執行委員會	香港記者協會
記協之聲｜記協七一遊行	香港記者協會
風聞｜《晴報》面世　壹傳媒加入戰團　免費報業進入戰國時代	《記聲》
風聞｜《南早》招聘大量人手挽士氣	《記聲》
記協之聲｜週年晚宴圖片輯	香港記者協會
------------------------	-----------
Cover Story｜Police abandon Police General Orders for July 1 confrontation After the July 1 demonstration police cleared the area with overwhelming force, arrested more than 200 demonstrators and, in the process, used peppersprays to subdue resistance. Some of the reporters on the spot were also roughly handled by the police. At least 19 frontline reporters were pepper-sprayed.......	Ken Lui
Cover Story｜July 1 Protest: Reporters targeted by police I do not have much experience covering large-scale protests. But this year I was one of those at the scene of the scuffles which erupted in the evening of July 1. I was witness to the confrontation between the protestors, police and members of the press......	Ho Wing-hong
Cover Story｜On the frontline: Pepper-sprayed by the police On the evening of July 1, I was stricken with grief and gladness at the same time......	Patrick Cheung Ka-ho
Cover Story｜Photo-journalist: “Why was I roughed up?” I have covered many large-scale demonstrations during my seven years as a photo-journalist, but in recent times the police have tightened the net when dealing with protesters as the number of scuffles have risen......	Liu Ngan-hung
Cover Story｜Arrested - a humiliating experience as a police suspect Journalism had me captivated while I was still a student. But it was not till I became an intern reporter that I began to understand the difficulties of upholding human values, especially in a money-oriented society.......	Kiri Choy
Talk of the Town｜Media unite to spotlight the wrongs of the rich and famous – CE not excluded	Alvin Wong
Talk of the Town｜Illegal structures scandalize highest levels of government	To Yiu-ming
Voice of Journalist｜The joys of breaking into journalism	Tanna Chong
Voice of JA｜Mongolia and Nigeria can have it but not Hong Kong...Why?	Mak Yin-ting
Voice of JA｜Year in balance: Defending press freedom, promoting members' interests	HKJA
Voice of JA｜The New Excom That Serves You	HKJA
Voice of JA｜HKJA in July 1 march	HKJA
Gossip｜Free-for-all in the mud with yet another freebie coming on-stream	"The Journalist"
Gossip｜Posting all things bright and beautiful..at the Post	"The Journalist"
Voice of JA｜HKJA 43rd Anniversary Gala Dinner	HKJA

警方不依《警察通例》行事　傳媒七一夜採訪遭殃

2011-08-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

雷子樂　香港記者協會執委

[ENG]【記聲2011年8月號】2011年7.1遊行後，警察清場大舉拘捕二百多名示威者，清場期間一度出動胡椒噴霧鎮壓。部分當晚在場採訪的記者，亦受到警方不合理對待。最少19名前線記者被胡椒噴霧噴中、有記者向警察表明身份後，仍被警員故意用胡椒噴霧「兜口兜臉」施射、有記者被警察推撞甚至叉頸、按頭，更有前線記者竟被警察拘捕。

警方叉頸按頭，出動手銬，記者也遭殃。 ( 明報提供圖片 )

警方在中環清場期間，封鎖線一度延伸至金鐘，並故意留難能清楚證明身份的電視台攝影師。

7月15日，香港記者協會及香港攝影記者協會五名代表與警察公共關係科會面，就警察當日暴力對待記者、嚴重侵犯採訪自由提出交涉。

記協、警方先就當日的封鎖線問題進行討論。

清塲期間不合理封鎖

根據《警察通例》第39章，事發現場的警務人員「須以互諒互讓的態度，盡量配合傳媒工作；以及不應妨礙傳媒的攝錄工作」。

記協主席麥燕庭指出，警方清場期間，一度在現場作出不合理的封鎖，中環的清場行動，封鎖線一度伸延至金鐘！

記協表明警察行動期間，若在現場作出過份的封鎖並不合理，麥燕庭表示記協曾諮詢過人權律師的意見，得出結論是若作出過份的封鎖，情況等同「禁錮」。

警察公共關係科總警司李建輝在會議上回應指，警方採取行動時，一定要設鎖封線，目的之一是要在拘捕行動前，分隔開誰是參與者。他亦表示，清場期間，記者只要能展示證件，不會被拘捕。麥燕庭已即場表明，記者採訪，有需要在現場作出監察，不同意過份的封鎖，「不是你（警察）叫記者離開，記者就會離開，即使在中南海採訪，記者也是這樣」。

當日採訪示威期間，警察對部份能清楚表明身份的記者，曾作出阻撓，記協在會上亦有提出交涉。其中一名電視台攝影記者，將背包及記者證留在採訪車內抬著貼上電視台台徽的大型攝影機，到場採訪。警察仍堅持要他出示記者證，才能進入封鎖線內拍攝。電視台的記者已向警察表明攝影師確是他的同事，警察亦一度留難，雙方爭持了好一段時間，攝影師其後始獲放行。

記協代表在會上對此表示不滿，認為警方應採取靈活、彈性的手段處理事件，不要妨礙記者的正常採訪。

警方的代表堅持一定要出示有效證件，方能證實記者的身份。記協表示會提醒記者採訪要緊記攜帶證件，但對警察當時的官僚態度，仍是相當不滿。與會的記協代表質疑，該名攝影師當時抬著貼上台徽的大機，又有同事證實他的身份，「難道他會是個小偷，偷了電視台的攝錄機去扮記者嗎？」警方的代表其後也表示，類似情況警員應靈活處理。

表明記者身分　仍被按頭部鎮壓

清場期間最少19名記者被胡椒噴霧射中，記協在會議上表明，記者採訪期間，明白場面混亂，有隨時「中椒」的心理準備，若警察不是故意，記者也是無話可說。不過，記協指出，清場期間，有記者被警員故意推撞，有文字記者清楚向警員表明自己是在場採訪的記者後，仍被警員「兜口兜臉」噴中、有記者被警員故意按住頭部「鎮壓」，記協表明這是不可接受！

警方如臨大敵，胡椒噴霧對者示威者與傳媒。

警方代表指沒有收到有關的資料，又指有關情況不應出現，表示記者可以投訴。記協代表反駁指，在場採訪的記者，往往會將記錄現場情況視為首要任務，很少會花時間跟警察在這些事件上糾纏。筆者亦相信，但凡採訪過監警會新聞的同行，或多或少會對投訴警察機制的公信力有所質疑！

無理拘捕19歲實習記者

另一宗令記協不滿的事件，是一名19歲實習記者，因沒攜帶記者證，清場期間被警察誤當成示威者錯誤拘捕。記協代表在會上指出，該名記者被捕一刻是站在電視台攝影師的「大機」旁，明顯是進行採訪。但警方的代表稱，該名記者當時未能出示證件，「現場亦沒報稱是記者」（這與該名記者的說法有出入）。警方代表又稱，她在口供紙上沒表明記者的身份。記協代表即場質疑，對調查程序最為了解的警務人員，究竟有否清楚告知她的權利，有否向她說明如有不滿可如何投訴？

清場期間不合理封鎖。

在會議前一天，警務處處長曾偉雄公開回應有關事件時，曾反駁說「冇人有特權」，指當晚的被捕者相信都是參與非法集會，又指責有人「一方面採取不合作態度，一方面透過公共媒體提出指控，是無助調查」。但筆者當日曾向該記者查詢，她表示當晚其實不斷向警察道明她正在採訪，只是警察不理會。她獲釋後，亦只知道12月要再回警署報到，並不知道可否在期間再向警方提供她不合理被捕的資料。

清場期間發生多宗記者受不合理干預事件，與會的警察公共關係科警司董偉璋表示，警察公共關係科的「傳媒隊」當日及在其他的大型活動中，也有派員到場作出協調。不過記協代表質疑，若「傳媒隊」能有效發揮作用，何以當晚仍會出現多宗不愉快事件。記協代表要求日後在採訪現場一旦發生「警記爭拗」，能否有一個即場的聯絡方法，如手提電話，可盡快找到「傳媒隊」人員到場調停。警方的回覆是，記者屆時可致電警察公共關係科的傳媒熱線！各位行家，請問你們對上一次能駁通警察公共關係科電話是在何時？

除了7.1遊行問題，記協及攝協代表還就中聯辦外的採訪限制作出投訴。攝協代表指出，警方最近禁絕記者在中聯辦外花槽這「有利位置」採訪，要記者進入中聯辦正門「斜對面」的採訪區拍攝。攝協代表指出，現場的警員不讓記者到花槽上採訪，理由是「站在花槽後危險」，但與此同時，又有警員可站在花槽上監視示威者。記協對警員這個「反智」的「理由」表示強烈不滿，要求警方撤銷有關採訪限制，警方代表答應，會向西區警署作跟進。記協立此存照！