Radio Television Hong Kong (RTHK) has removed a tongue-in-cheek tweet referring to the government’s new waste reduction proposal as its “latest rubbish plan.”
On Monday evening, the city’s public broadcaster posted a link to an article headlined “Govt sets out plan to ditch reliance on landfills” on Twitter.
The tweet accompanying the link read “The SAR (Special Administrative Region)’s government announces its latest rubbish plan for #HongKong.”
The double meaning in the tweet was not lost on RTHK‘s followers, many of whom read it as a clever jibe at the city’s unpopular powers that be.
Never mind. I’ve archived that piece of art😘 https://t.co/LVLuHaUKvX pic.twitter.com/HbuiMEnhUQ
— A Witch in the Garden 🏳️🌈 (@BadenWitch) February 9, 2021
Less than 24 hours later, on Tuesday, RTHK‘s Twitter account posted a link to the article again, adding: “RTHK is replacing an earlier tweet on this story for clarity purposes because the original post may have been misconstrued.”
The broadcaster’s redaction was met with puns and feigned outcry, a common thread among them that they saw the deletion coming.
“I never would have dumped the first one,” one person wrote.
Another tweeted: “The old one is clean and blunt. What’s wrong with it?”
Others weighed in with more serious responses, believing that the brief saga reflected self-censorship by a broadcaster generally disliked by pro-government supporters.
“The way this tweet played out is such a good metaphor for how the HK media landscape has deteriorated over the years,” a user said.
Known for occasionally posting tweets perceived as sassy or even slightly sarcastic, RTHK‘s Twitter account has earned a reputation among followers, who praise the page’s manager—or managers—for subtly weaving what appears to be reproval of the government into its posts.
On Dec. 29, RTHK tweeted: “Chief Executive Carrie Lam says once this pandemic is over, she’s going to get people to trust her administration once again. She didn’t say how though. #HongKong.”
Chief Executive Carrie Lam says once this pandemic is over, she’s going to get people to trust her administration once again. She didn’t say how though. #HongKong https://t.co/9lApjHAELY
— RTHK English News (@rthk_enews) December 29, 2020
A week later, the broadcaster linked an article quoting Executive Council member and government advisor Ronny Tong. In an accompanying tweet, it referred to Lam as merely “the woman he advises.”
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