The Independent Evening Post used to be the epitome of independent media. But the paper began to tilt toward the KMT after a change of ownership in 1995, before swinging back to the DPP camp after Taipei City Councilor Wang Shih-chien (王世堅), a DPP member, took over the presidency of the paper last October. Now, the paper is poised to become pro-KMT once again, following the latest change of leadership. The swift changes at the Post are a reflection of the scramble among politicians for control of the media.
As a political party, the KMT probably has the best understanding in the world of the adage "knowledge is power." It is also one of the few parties in the world to own newspapers and radio and TV stations. During the decades of KMT rule, media institutions were all controlled by either the government or the party. Even though the KMT gradually allowed wider participation in politics as part of the process of democratization, it retained a tight grip on the media. Despite its often draconian efforts at thought control, however, it was unable to stem the tide of free speech. Eventually the KMT lost its monopoly on the media along with political power.
Even though the KMT controlled much of the media before last year's presidential election, it nevertheless blamed the media for Lien Chan's
After the election, the KMT got rid of its minor newspapers, which had small circulations and were losing money. But it also used the Hsiang Shan Group
While in opposition, the DPP frequently took a beating from the KMT's powerful media -- and criticized the KMT for its control over the media. However, after coming to power, the first thing the DPP government did was change the leadership at TTV and CTS. In other words, it turned out to be just as eager to control the media as its predecessor. There is concern that Public Television Service
Having emerged from KMT control, Taiwan's media is now prey to another monopoly. Political powers remain the driving force behind media operations.
Despite Taiwan's claim to be a democracy, its media remains in the authoritarian era. All the parties claim to respect democracy and media freedom, but they all stretch their tentacles into media institutions and manipulate them. This is a tragedy for the media and a shame to the democracy Taiwan claims to practice.
Giving free rein to the media may invite capitalist manipulation and commercialism. But Taiwan's media is suffering from a double malady of political interference and commercialism. If democracy is to grow further, the media must be the fulcrum for reforms.
To reform the media we must start by doing away with political interference. The government should restructure the Government Information Office and transfer the work of media supervision to an independent committee, where professionals can formulate media policies and oversee media operations. Political parties should also pull out of media institutions and allow journalists to be professional. Let the people choose what they like from the media market and discard poor-quality products. Don't let politicians decide what journalists should do or how the public should think. Taiwan's media must no longer be a slave to politics.
A series of strong earthquakes in Hualien County not only caused severe damage in Taiwan, but also revealed that China’s power has permeated everywhere. A Taiwanese woman posted on the Internet that she found clips of the earthquake — which were recorded by the security camera in her home — on the Chinese social media platform Xiaohongshu. It is spine-chilling that the problem might be because the security camera was manufactured in China. China has widely collected information, infringed upon public privacy and raised information security threats through various social media platforms, as well as telecommunication and security equipment. Several former TikTok employees revealed
For the incoming Administration of President-elect William Lai (賴清德), successfully deterring a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) attack or invasion of democratic Taiwan over his four-year term would be a clear victory. But it could also be a curse, because during those four years the CCP’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) will grow far stronger. As such, increased vigilance in Washington and Taipei will be needed to ensure that already multiplying CCP threat trends don’t overwhelm Taiwan, the United States, and their democratic allies. One CCP attempt to overwhelm was announced on April 19, 2024, namely that the PLA had erred in combining major missions
The Constitutional Court on Tuesday last week held a debate over the constitutionality of the death penalty. The issue of the retention or abolition of the death penalty often involves the conceptual aspects of social values and even religious philosophies. As it is written in The Federalist Papers by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay, the government’s policy is often a choice between the lesser of two evils or the greater of two goods, and it is impossible to be perfect. Today’s controversy over the retention or abolition of the death penalty can be viewed in the same way. UNACCEPTABLE Viewing the
At the same time as more than 30 military aircraft were detected near Taiwan — one of the highest daily incursions this year — with some flying as close as 37 nautical miles (69kms) from the northern city of Keelung, China announced a limited and selected relaxation of restrictions on Taiwanese agricultural exports and tourism, upon receiving a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) delegation led by KMT legislative caucus whip Fu Kun-chi (傅崑萁). This demonstrates the two-faced gimmick of China’s “united front” strategy. Despite the strongest earthquake to hit the nation in 25 years striking Hualien on April 3, which caused