The Communications Authority has "seriously warned" RTHK over its program Pentaprism, saying complaints over its accuracy and incitement of hatred were substantiated.
The political commentary program was the subject of 347 complaints over an episode aired on November 20, the authority said yesterday.
Complaints emphasized that remarks over police actions during protests last year were not credible, distorted facts and incited hatred against the force.
The station noted that the remarks by the host, Sam Choi Chun-wai, a lecturer at the Education University of Hong Kong, were mainly based on different media coverage of the incidents.
But the authority said Choi didn't make it clear his remarks were based on secondary sources or cite them "to enable viewers to decide for themselves the credibility of such secondary information." It also noted that even though RTHK submitted sources for the host's comments afterward, there were "inconsistencies" between his remarks and the meaning of the sources cited.
It highlighted the host's remark that a foreign correspondent had compared the police to the terrorist group ISIS, with the original source saying: "I worked at the ISIS frontlines but I'm more afraid of the HK police since they are unpredictable."
Choi is also said to have used loaded terms such as "shooting madly" and "threatening citizens" to "demonize" the police.
Secretary for Commerce and Economic Development Edward Yau Tang-wah urged RTHK to give a "direct and responsible" response regarding the warning.
"It should fully review its editorial decision and mechanism of its production of its programs, ensuring the same mistake will not happen again," Yau said.
