muttonhead

2016/06/16 08:41:34 網誌分類: 生活

16 Jun

         I have said many times before that the members of the Electoral Affairs Commission (EAC for short) are muttonheads(slang for idiots, fools). I said it again in my previous column. The EAC decides on the rules for elections in Hong Kong, such as the Legislative Council elections. Do you know the names of the three muttonheads of the EAC? The chairman is Barnabas Fung Wah. The two members are Fanny Cheung Mui-ching and Arthur Luk Yee-shum. From now on, I’ll call these three EAC members the Three Stooges. They know nothing about how the media decides what is newsworthy when covering elections. They don’t even know that social media has now become an important part of elections in free societies. Yet the Three Stooges of the EAC are in charge of Hong Kong’s election rules.

        　　As I have said before, the EAC’s brainless (stupid, idiotic) rules tie the hands of the electronic media in covering elections properly. To tie your hands?means to not allow you to freely do what you want to do. The?brainless?EAC rules do not give the electronic media a free hand to decide how it wants to cover elections. The expression “a free hand” means having the freedom to decide how you want to do things. The EAC’s birdbrained?(slang for foolish, stupid) rule requires the electronic media to give?equal exposure?to all candidates. To give?equal exposure?means to give exactly the same air-time to all candidates in a constituency.

        　　There will be numerous candidates in every constituency in this September’s Legco elections. It is impossible for the electronic media to give?equal exposure?to all the candidates. Other free societies do not have such?birdbrained?rules. US TV stations have?a free hand?to interview Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump without having to give equal exposure?to Democratic Party candidate Hillary Clinton. The EAC has now warned that people who use social media to support candidates will be breaking the law even though social media has become a part of elections in other countries. The?muttonheads?of the EAC have gone crazy. That’s why I call them the Three Stooges.

        我從前曾說過許多遍，選舉管理委員會的成員都是傻瓜（muttonheads），我在上一篇文章中再說多遍。選管會為香港的選舉如立法會選舉，制定規例。你可知道選委會那三個傻瓜（muttonheads）的名字？主席是馮驊，另外兩位委員是張妙清和陸貽信。由現在起，我會叫這三個選管會成員為「三傻」。他們完全不懂得傳媒報道選舉時，是如何選取哪些具備新聞價值的。他們甚至不曉得，社交媒體現在於自由社會中，已成為選舉的重要部分。然而，選管會的三傻卻主管著香港選舉的規例。

        　　正如我從前說過，選管會那些無腦（brainless）的規則，令電子傳媒綁手綁腳（tie the hands of），未能好好報道選舉。To tie your hands意思即是令你諸多掣肘，不能隨意而行。愚蠢（brainless）的選管會規則沒有給予電子傳媒如何報道選舉的自由（a free hand）。習語 a free hand 即是你想怎樣做就怎樣做的自由。選管會那愚笨（birdbrained）的規則，要求電子傳媒給予所有候選人平等的曝光率（equal exposure），to give equal exposure 意思就是要給予同一選區所有候選人完全相同的廣播時間。

        　　在今個九月的立法會選舉中，每一個選區的候選人為數眾多。要電子傳媒給予所有候選人相同的曝光率（equal exposure），是不可能的。其他自由社會都不會有如此笨拙（birdbrained）的規限。美國電視台有自由（a free hand）訪問共和黨總統候選人特朗普，而不需給予民主黨候選人希拉莉同樣的廣播時間（equal exposure）。選管會現在還警告使用社交媒體的人，支持某些候選人會觸犯法例，即使在其他國家，社交媒體已經成為選舉的一部份。選管會的三個傻瓜（muttonheads）真的瘋了，因此我要叫他們做「三傻」。mickchug@gmail.com

        中譯:七刻

        Michael Chugani 褚簡寧

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