''Easy Finder'' () was a weekly Chinese tabloid magazine which was first published on 13 September 1991 in Hong Kong. Published by

Next Media Next Digital Limited (), previously known as Next Media Limited, founded by Jimmy Lai, has 2,095 employees (as of 30 Sep 2020) and is the largest listed media company in Hong Kong. From 20 October 2015, the company has changed its English na ...

Limited which is owned by

Jimmy Lai Lai Chee-ying ( zh, link=no, t=黎智英, born 8 December 1947), also known as Jimmy Lai, is a Hong Kong busniessman and a politician. He founded Giordano, an Asian clothing retailer, Next Digital (formerly Next Media), a Hong Kong-listed me ...

. It stopped publishing on 23 May 2007. ''Easy Finder'' was commonly known to participate in

Yellow journalism Yellow journalism and yellow press are American terms for journalism and associated newspapers that present little or no legitimate, well-researched news while instead using eye-catching headlines for increased sales. Techniques may include ...

(ex.

hidden cameras A hidden camera or spy camera is a camera used to photograph or record subjects, often people, without their knowledge. The camera may be considered "hidden" because it is not visible to the subject being filmed, or is disguised as another obje ...

, aggressive pursuit,

harassment Harassment covers a wide range of behaviors of offensive nature. It is commonly understood as behavior that demeans, humiliates or embarrasses a person, and it is characteristically identified by its unlikelihood in terms of social and moral ...

, etc.) in collecting story ideas.

History

Initially, ''Easy Finder'' was a free supplementary booklet of '' Next Magazine'' which mainly provides information on new products. There was a section of job vacancy ads (青雲路) and a section of classified ads. The name of the magazine gives hints that it is originally more an information guide than a normal magazine. It became a separate magazine in 1991. The target readership of ''Easy Finder'' are youth and students. Apart from ''Easy Finder'', two additional publications (''Eat and Travel Weekly'' (飲食男女) and ''Trading Express/Auto Express'') (交易通/搵車快線) are included free of charge. Those three booklets cover the latest trends, for instance, fashion, hot gossip, horoscopes, food, fitness, etc. The average net circulation per issue reached 118,720 (1 April – 30 June 2003) according to Hong Kong Audit Bureau of Circulations. ''Easy Finder'' published its last issue (No 800) on 22 May 2007. ''Eat and Travel Weekly'' and ''Trading Express/Auto Express'' continue to published and are included from issue No 801 with FACE Weekly, a new magazine under the same stable of

. The official website of ''Easy Finder'' is now re-diverted to FACE Weekly's new website.

Magazine sections

There are twelve sections in ''Easy Finder'': #Ji Zone (激 Zone) (hot gossips) #Easy Girl (pin-up girls, models) #Manhuazuo (漫動作) (comics news) #Qingyunlu (青雲路) (careers, success stories) #Touwenzi Evolution (頭文字Evolution) (cars, motors) #Yuletian (娛樂天) (showbiz) #Chaoliu Wucun (潮流屋村) (fashion, trends) #Digi Finder (Digital products) #Xinli Ceyan (心理測驗) (personality test) #Zhan Me Life (占 Me Life) (horoscope) #Bianli Bojing (便利波經) (soccer betting) #Bianli Zhuweng Guangchang (便利諸嗡廣場) (reader's forum)

Positioning

To attract teenage readers, this magazine uses a lot of Cantonese colloquial words which are very popular in leisure magazines in Hong Kong. Recent examples are "潮" (fashionable) and "界" (to court someone). The use of colloquial Cantonese words, however, does not comply to traditional or 'correct' written Chinese grammar. ''Easy Finder'' maintains a heavy coverage of entertainment news. Since teenagers in Hong Kong are interested in local entertainment and show business, ''Easy Finder'' puts a lot of emphasis on entertainment news. Even when some of the reports are just rumours without solidity, they still appear on the cover if they are attractive and sensational enough. ''Easy Finder'' is a market-oriented publication which tries to supply for what it perceives to be what young people desire. Images of sexy or even half-naked models appear on the cover. It covers a lot of sensitive topics such as sex, drugs, and even suicide. Reports on crimes such as murder and prostitution are often seen in this magazine. Such negative but shocking topics are the selling points of this magazine and these have undoubtedly attracted young readers. However, it has also raised strong argument among the society. Many people claim that such awful and sexual pictures and topics will bring serious and harmful effects to the teenagers. This makes ''Easy Finder'' the most controversial magazine in Hong Kong. A lot of people do not accept the magazine, but the circulation stands.

Electronic Version

''Easy Finder'' publishes an electronic version via PDA version or via internet. In the electronic version, subscribers have access to not only the latest issue but also previous issues up to Issue 479 (2 April 2001) in archives. PDA format is also available.

Controversies

Valentine's day romance guide

For instance, as a protest to its sex-related articles in the booklet of "情人節浪漫手冊" included in volume 366, Rev. Lo Sek Wai (羅錫為牧師), the chief board member of Goodnews Communication International Ltd (福音傳播中心), urged for a boycott of ''Easy Finder'' and made a complaint to the Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority.

Gillian Chung dressing room incident

On 22 August 2006, Hong Kong tabloid magazine Easy Finder published a series of photos of

Gillian Chung Gillian Chung Ka-lai (born Chung Tik-shan, 21 January 1981), known by her stage name Chung Yan-tung, is a Hong Kong actress and singer. She is a member of the Cantopop duo Twins, along with Charlene Choi. Early life Chung was born in Hong K ...

inside a changing room after a Twins concert at the Arena of Stars in

Genting Highlands Genting Highlands is a hill station located on the peak of Mount Ulu Kali in the Titiwangsa Mountains, central Peninsular Malaysia, at 1,800 metres elevation. Located in the state of Pahang Pahang (; Jawi: , Pahang Hulu Malay: ''Paha'', P ...

, Malaysia. The pictures were taken while she was in the changing room with her personal assistant. One of the cover photos shows Chung's bare back as she is fixing her bra backstage. Her breasts are not revealed. A second, smaller cover photo shows Chung undressed and naked from the shoulder up. Hong Kong celebrities such as

Jackie Chan Fang Shilong (born 7 April 1954), known professionally in English as Jackie Chan and in Chinese as Cheng Long ( zh, c=成龍, j=Sing4 Lung4; "becoming the dragon"), is a Hong Kong actor, filmmaker, martial artist, and stuntman known for ...

staged a public protest denouncing the magazine's irresponsible actions. The Hong Kong Television and Entertainment Licensing Authority received 2,875 complaints regarding the revealing photos and the incident was referred to the Obscene Articles Tribunal for further action. On 1 November 2006, Easy Finder lost its appeal against an obscenity ruling on the published article and pictures. In the appeal, a panel consisting of one

Magistrate The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a ''magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

and four lay members, upheld the judgement, branding the article obscene, and saying it was a "calculated act of selling sexuality which is corrupting and revolting". During an interview of

(founder of

, Easy Finder's publisher) on the television show Be My Guest, he apologized to Gillian and claimed that he will return all the negatives of the photos.

References

External links

Easy Finder
1991 establishments in Hong Kong 2007 disestablishments in Hong Kong Celebrity magazines Chinese-language magazines Defunct magazines published in Hong Kong Magazines established in 1991 Magazines disestablished in 2007 Next Digital Weekly magazines published in Hong Kong {{italic title