DATELINE: HONG KONG
What newsmen are looking for is rioting
in the streets, the People's Liberation Army marching down the road
with fixed bayonets: Ted Thomas.
I had already written a book, What's going to happen in 1997, which I published myself as a vanity publication, but which was later taken up by Simon and Schuster.
Knight: Do you think Hong Kong could have a public relations problem with the handover?
Thomas: I think they have a staggering public relations problem. Let me tell you the story of the three taxi drivers. Last month I was in three major European capitals, Berlin, Paris and London. I went to Berlin for the International Tourism Bourse, which is the biggest tourism show in the world. I was going back to my hotel by cab one day when the cab driver engaged me in conversation. He said, 'You are British right? Are you from London?' I said that I was from Hong Kong. He said, 'I had my honeymoon there, but now kaput, eh? The Chinese come take over everything. Finished!' I told him that in my view Hong Kong would not only survive but prosper. I was a little concerned because while I don't think that taxi drivers are the necessarily cleverest people on earth, they do tend to have a gut feeling about what people are saying. A few days later we went to Paris and my lady was carrying a DHL bag with Hong Kong on it. The cab driver asked whether we had been on a holiday in Hong Kong. I told him we lived there. He said, 'Ah but now finis!'. We went to London to continue my holiday and took a cab to Heathrow airport. The cabbie saw the Hong Kong Kong labels and said,' You going to Hong Kong mate? You've left it a bit late haven't you? We are giving it back to China, aren't we?' I told him that Hong Kong would operate as an autonomous state, more or less, and would be left to the people of Hong Kong to run. They would probably have more to do with the run of it than they did under the British. He didn't believe that. When I got and found time to have a look at what the British press were saying , I found it so totally negative and sensationalist, even the quality dailies, that I got quite worried. I decided that unless we did something, we might talk ourselves into a crisis. The Hong Kong Tourist Association had retained us to do a newsletter for them because they were disturbed that people thought all the hotels were full for the handover. They are not by any means. They were quite concerned that there's a tremendous dip in the bookings for July and August, because people thought this was a meltdown situation. Then I talked to tour operators , there are ten million tourists coming here every year, and I was told that people were not coming here because they were afraid because of often distorted and sensationalist reporting going on all over the world.
Knight: But surely it is part of western journalism, to seek the sensational angle?
Thomas: Oh yes. These guys are coming here for a story and [think] if its not bad news its not news. They don't want to hear there has been a peaceful handover, that the place will continue to succeed and prosper. What newsmen are looking for is rioting in the streets, the PLA marching down the road with fixed bayonets.
Knight: So what do you propose to do?
Thomas: Something has got to be done. I have no doubt that the Hong Kong government, the Government Information Services, the Joint Development Council, the Hong Kong Tourism Association, the Hoteliers Association, are all doing what they think is as much as they can do. The time has gone for formal road shows. We have got to get down to the grass roots, talking to the media itself, journalist, broadcasters and put them on the road fast and say 'Ok here's your airfare to New York or San Francisco, London or Paris. What are your media contacts there. Right them up tell them what is happening. Tell them that people aren't jumping out or windows because they are about to come under the iron heel of the communists. Tell them that business is going on. tell them that the real estate business is up sixty percent. Tell them someone just paid the highest price for a block of land here in the history of the world. Tell the stock market is booming and savings are increasing. Tell them that business are thriving and that people are putting up grand new buildings that are worth billions of dollars.' That story is not getting out. There is confidence in Hong Kong that will carry it through as it always has in the forty two years, I have been here.
Knight : What do you plan to do during the handover week then?
Thomas: What I would like to do is keep journalists and broadcasters out of mischief. I think if you are very careful and there isn't something interesting happening, there is a danger, particularly of television crews creating something exciting to film. If they arrive too late for something they may recreate the incident and that may be something more dramatic than the real thing. Television crews are already slanting news. There's no doubt about that. It was reported that a well known journalist was interviewed a dozen times to get the right emphasis on the right word, with a frightened look on her face. Television news is entertainment in one way to pull the crowds and justify the high advertising costs.
Knight: So who is paying for your campaign.
Thomas: I am. I have take out ads in the South China Morning Post and in the Chinese Economic Journal. That costs money. I have had all of my staff working on this for a couple of weeks and I have brought in a couple of freelancers as well. That costs money as well. I am hoping as a result of the public meeting at the Furama Hotel at 6.30 PM on the 28th of this month that businessmen will turn up in substantial numbers and contribute. If I can get half a million, I will get ten journalists on the road in two weeks. The world is going to be watching Hong Kong.