Representatives from schools, parent-teacher associations and faith groups tear up copies of Sharp Daily and toss them into a litter bin at a media conference on Thursday, to underscore their condemnation of the city's newest giveaway newspaper. Edmond Tang / China Daily

Seventy-eight groups join to urge boycott of Sharp Daily at schools and residential estates

Outraged teachers, parents and community organizations are up in arms over the distribution of Sharp Daily, the city's newest giveaway newspaper - because of the paper's explicit sexual content.

Opponents want the paper kept out of residential areas and school areas because they say the newspaper's content is toxic to youngsters.

A joint letter, signed by 78 groups, including 38 schools and several parent associations, will be distributed to more than 100 residential estates all over Hong Kong in the coming days.

In the letter, the newspaper's opponents charge that Sharp Daily has "very little news", looks "more like pornography", with a lot of sex tales, gang cartoons, and bikini-clad girls.

The protest groups are demanded that management of housing estates ban any person from placing Sharp Daily in the estates or distributing the papers on site.

About 20 representatives of the various groups gathered at a school hall on Thursday, with each holding a piece of Thursday's Sharp Daily.

In ceremonial style, the representatives tore the pages and tossed them into a litter bin, to underscore their determination to pursue their campaign.

The new free newspaper didn't hit city streets until Monday, immediately trumpeting a daily circulation of 800,000 copies.

The paper stated its aim was to circulate 1 million copies, making it the leading circulation newspaper in the city.

However, Leticia Lee See-yin, president of the Federation of Parent-Teacher Associations of Yau Tsim Mong District, called last Monday when Sharp Daily debuted on the streets "a dark day".

She said she has been receiving complaints from parents from morning to night, who are worried that the newspaper will be a bad influence on their kids.

By Thursday noon, Lee claimed to have received 261 calls.

She noted that some parents are "extremely angry" after finding the newspaper on the desks of their kids.

Ho Hon-kuen, vice-chairman of Education Convergence and vice-president of a secondary school in Sheung Shui, also found many students in his school have brought the newspapers to classrooms.

"This is not a newspaper, but takes advantage of publishing freedom," Ho said, indicating one of the stories published in the newspaper deals with a young girl selling her body to get money back to her sister.

He said he found the newspaper "very dangerous" in that it directly targets young readers.

His school has already told students not to read Sharp Daily, Ho said.

Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Playground Association Leung Wai-kuen described the newspaper as "almost all about sex".

"They even use a half-naked girl to report weather," Leung said. He said he hopes the newspaper company will take its social responsibility seriously.

The 78 groups also asked Sharp Daily to remove all the sexual content and stop distribution in school areas.

They urge all Hong Kong citizens to refuse to accept the newspaper and complain to the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority.

If the paper does not make changes by next Monday, the groups will plan further action, Lee said.

The management of Sha Tin Cityone, a private housing estate, Paramatta Estate Management Ltd, said Sharp Daily has not yet started distribution at the estate.

But a spokesman for the company said the newspaper definitely will not be accepted on the site.

guojiaxue@chinadailyhk.com

China Daily

(HK Edition 09/23/2011 page1)