Chapter 4 The "chief executive" is by my side?

On May 17, 2006, the 10th anniversary of the broadcast of "News Investigation", "investigators" from all over the world rushed back to their parents' homes, and everyone gathered together for more than 4 hours with applause, laughter, flowers, and tears. In the live show, several hosts were also asked to give a birthday speech to the column.My "birthday speech" was very weak, and it must have something to do with the fact that I was an "inconspicuous" reporter in Hong Kong for a while: "Ten years ago, "News Investigation" was still a seedling, but I was arrogant all day long. ;Ten years later, "News Investigation" has grown into a tree, but I have become a quiet grass... To be a reporter, you must first be a man, you must have a conscience, and you must have a sense of normalcy. Ordinary heart', maybe you can do some extraordinary things for the country and society."

As a reporter in Hong Kong, I used to get annoyed by the "red string", but I didn't understand why.Later I heard that this was to maintain the order of the meeting place or event site, and the more specific intention was to warn the "uncrowned king" in advance not to interview unarranged people casually, so as not to cause extra complications and change the subject.Later I discovered that some reporters in Hong Kong persistently "caught" the people they wanted to interview, and the questions they asked had nothing to do with that "event".Why do Hong Kong journalists do this?Most of the content they want to inquire about is political dissent, social focus, potential business dynamics or celebrity privacy. Of course, the "prey" must be careful to avoid them. Squat and wait.

There is absolutely no need for CCTV reporters to do this in Hong Kong, but the same problem we encountered is also difficult to interview.Hong Kong people generally don’t “hurry up” to ask the media. Even if you say that these are free and you can show your face on TV without spending money, most of them will refuse them.However, on some occasions, the reporter has no intention of inserting willows, and accidents happen from the sky, which makes people lose their way for a while. At this time, it depends on who is smart and who is brave.For example, in the Mainland, if we want to interview the top leader in some activities, we can’t do it without applying for approval in advance. However, in Hong Kong, sometimes, when you turn around, hey, the chief executive is by your side. As long as he agrees, you Ask anything.

In the second half of 2005, a few cases of human infection with bird flu were discovered in the mainland. In September, Southeast Asia began to report deaths. This "natural disaster" may cause at least 7 million deaths worldwide.During the "SARS" period, everyone knew that Hong Kong was a hard-hit area. I browsed through the video database of the CCTV Hong Kong reporter station, and I was able to find footage of wearing masks all over the street and spraying disinfectant everywhere.It is precisely because of the outbreak of SARS here that Hong Kong people pay special attention to and guard against "bird flu".

On November 8, 2005, the Hong Kong Hospital Authority organized an exercise code-named "Operation Firebird". This exercise was mainly to test the ability of Hong Kong government and public hospitals to respond to the "bird flu" pandemic in Hong Kong.The drills were held in two places, "United Christian Hospital" and "Tuen Mun Hospital". The simulation was that the first medical record was discovered in Hong Kong. The Hospital Authority immediately launched the "Avian Influenza Pandemic Contingency Plan", that is, "Red Contingency Alert". The Central Command Committee of the Hospital Authority headquarters also immediately held a meeting for overall planning and decision-making.This exercise has a sense of prelude to "the rain is about to come and the wind is full of the building", so it has attracted a large army of media from all walks of life, including plane, three-dimensional and Internet.

It was this exercise. We filmed the doctors and nurses upstairs and downstairs in a hurry, tense and orderly, and even filmed simulated "wards" and simulated "patients". Everything seemed real.Everyone concentrates and has no other distractions.However, as the exercise drew to a close, no one knew that the chief executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Chief Executive Donald Tsang, had arrived at the scene at some unknown time. Because "Tuen Mun Hospital" has treated many "SARS" patients, this place was shrouded in mystery two years ago.When I entered the "Major Accident Control Center", I turned around and saw Tsang Yam-kuen. He was observing the "operation" of the "Center" at that time. After speaking, he turned around and left.Many reporters, at least me, came back to the memory and immediately called the cameraman to catch up with them. The chief executive passed through a section of corridor after another in Tuen Mun Hospital. The little red light flowed and flickered right in front of him; the chief executive entered the elevator, and the nimble reporters squeezed in, and those who didn't squeeze in quickly ran down the walking stairs.Finally, Zeng Yinquan came to the registration hall of the hospital and stopped. This time he may have the time and mental preparation to accept the media interview, so a tripod was erected in front of him quickly, and the reporters surrounded him thickly from the front. .

I was ashamed because I met Chief Executive Dong "It's not good to be interviewed by CCTV alone", so I didn't push forward desperately this time, and to be honest, my attention was not on the interview at all, but I didn't believe in Zeng Yinquan How could such an "ordinary person" come and go in and out of the hospital at will, without police or guards around him?I know the several staff members standing behind him when he was being interviewed. They are all from the Government Information Office, and they are definitely not plainclothes. In order to test whether my observation was accurate, I helped the cameraman set up the machine and connect the microphone. Seeing that he had already captured the picture, I quietly walked around to the back of the "reporter area" (this time I didn't have time to set up any "reporter area"). red string"), slowly rubbing against Tsang Yin-quan's side.At first no one cared for three meters, two meters, and then it was less than one meter away from the chief executive. I could hear my heart beating in my ears, but no one stepped forward to stop it—was Donald Tsang not afraid? Being made things difficult by reporters?Aren't you afraid of being disturbed?Not even afraid... Even if he is not afraid, how come the Hong Kong government's security department does not see any supporting activities for the routine protection of the chief executive when he goes out, or is it too well concealed for me to see?I was dumbfounded: If such a thing happened in the mainland, not to mention higher leaders of the party and the country, even if the governor and mayor came to a certain public place in a planned way, the minimum security work would be closely followed, not to mention the situation in Hong Kong So complicated again?

Tsang Yam-kuen spent at least half an hour talking with reporters at Tuen Mun Hospital that day. Hong Kong reporters were all asking the Chief Executive, and I was the only one wandering around nervously.At that time, there were still many people in the hall. Those who registered, those who saw the doctor, and those who accompanied the patients were all local people.I found that the appearance of Chief Executive Zeng did not break the normal operation of the hospital. People were still doing what they were supposed to do. A middle-aged couple seemed to come to see a doctor by chance. I didn’t quite understand why the hospital hall was suddenly different from the past, surrounded by so many people. ?The wife went up to have a look, and then returned to her husband, passing the words: "Tsang Yam-kuen, the reporter is interviewing", which means "nothing big, no big deal"!

My "anxiety" finally turned into a self-deprecating sound from the bottom of my heart that day-Hong Kong society is so rigid and casual in front of my eyes.Think about the fact that the media has to interview the chief executive in a serious manner, including the three major departments (government affairs, finance, and legal affairs), as well as key members of the Legislative Council and the Executive Council of the government. As for "Tuen Mun Hospital", the chief executive came whenever he wanted to, interviewed when he wanted to do an interview, and the "procedural" necessary appointments, examinations, paperwork, and other exhausting and annoying processes were all gone!The same feeling, sometimes at other events, when the "big shots" come to the scene, they are actually just a car. Usually, the taxi we take with us will stop at the same place, get on and off the car, and the contact is almost "zero distance".

It is difficult for mainland journalists to escape the "official air", but when we actually meet an official, let's not say that we are not nervous.But the reporters in Hong Kong are different. When they meet "officials", no matter how big or small they are, they are not restrained, and they are not particularly "careful".But the officials here, I found that they are always cautious when facing the media or citizens, for fear of doing something wrong to make the society dissatisfied.Their official salaries are much higher than that of mainland officials, and their responsibilities are also clearer. For example, if something happens to the department in charge, that person must immediately explain or apologize on TV or radio.Is it for this reason that Hong Kong government officials are always doomed to be "proud" in front of taxpayers?

On April 22, 2006, the 16th anniversary of the promulgation of the "Hong Kong Basic Law", a large-scale symposium was held in Hong Kong. The venue was an old-fashioned hotel in Central, just across the street from the Legislative Council.Because this celebratory "discussion" has a very high style, it is held once a year. Under normal circumstances, the Hong Kong Chief Executive, the Secretary of Justice, the President of the Legislative Council and others will attend whenever they are in Hong Kong. I went to interview on the 22nd, but I did not meet Donald Tsang, because the chief executive was attending the Boao Forum in Hainan at this time, and the position of Hong Kong chief executive was acted by Chief Secretary for Administration Hui Shiren according to the law.The first half of the event that day was over, and the rest was a purely academic discussion. Another reporter and I decided to withdraw (the news didn’t require too much content), and we were calling a taxi outside the hotel when we heard the doorman say, “Excuse me, please Let this car go first." Who is this car?It was Xu Shiren's.While speaking, the mount of the "Acting Chief Executive" had already driven to the door, he smiled around, sat in, and left so easily.I continued waving for my taxi, but my colleague kindly reminded me: "Oh, do you want to wait a little longer? Mrs. Fan's car may be coming soon." Women are used to putting their own names after their husbands' surnames after marriage, so Xu Litai was still called "Fan Tai" even though she was the chairman of the Legislative Council).I said: "There is no need to wait, let's go back and publish the manuscript." As I spoke, I continued to wave.This is not because I didn't see that the empty space in front of the hotel is too small to allow two cars to park side by side, nor is it impolite to deliberately not let the leader go first, but a minute ago, I saw a scene: Fan Tai alone, with his head bowed and a stack of materials under his armpit, has already walked out of the hotel and is quietly crossing the road by himself. Get into the taxi, the colleague is still asking: "Why, did you see Mrs. Fan go?" I couldn't help laughing: "Yes, I just saw her crossing the zebra crossing. Isn't her office in the Legislative Council just across the road?" Mrs. Fan left alone. She walked back to the office because she didn't need to take a car.But what am I laughing at?What's so funny about this?I really didn’t understand it at the time, but after thinking about it, maybe it’s because I’m too rare and strange...