I often hear TV news broadcasters use the word "isolationism" when criticizing the government's China policies. A closer look at the local TV news stations, however, indicates that it is the local media themselves that are suffering from isolationism.
I followed developments surrounding Kosovo's declaration of independence. Apart from a few reports and commentaries in the print media, there was almost nothing on the TV news apart from scattered mentions.
I was thus forced to turn to CNN, the BBC and other international media outlets to gain a deeper understanding of events in Kosovo. This begs the question of where those who don't speak anything but Mandarin or Hoklo should turn. Could it really be that Kosovo's independence is of no interest at all to Taiwan, a nation that wants nothing more than to become a full member of the international community?
We will only be further disappointed if we look to TV news for information on other international news related to Taiwan.
A week ago, several former US government officials and experts on East Asian strategy in the Taiwan Policy Working Group published a report titled Strengthening Freedom in Asia: A Twenty-First Century Agenda for the US-Taiwan Partnership. In it, they make some important recommendations to the US government, such as affirming Taiwan's leading position in Asia in terms of technology, economy and democracy, confirming the strategic importance of Taiwan and advising that the US must not see Taiwan as an adjunct to Sino-US relations.
The contents of the report were worthy of deeper analysis. Unfortunately, most TV stations either ignored or only briefly reported it. I monitored one of the news stations most persistent in its critique of the government for almost an hour and it did not say a word about the report.
At a Washington seminar last month Bonnie Glaser of the Center for Strategic and International Studies mentioned a study conducted by Chinese academics on Taiwan's upcoming presidential election, citing their prediction that there might only be a narrow margin of 6 percent between Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) presidential candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) and Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) candidate Frank Hsieh (謝長廷). Perhaps I am ignorant and ill-informed, but I do not remember seeing this news reported on local TV.
Although such news events happen overseas and are categorized as "international news," they are closely related to Taiwan in light of their regional significance. But news stations either ignore them or only mention them briefly. If the media are not active even when dealing with news related to us, how would they deal with international news that appears to be unrelated to us?
As for the media channels that often push the government to loosen its cross-strait policy, they themselves seldom report China's situation and problems, and fail to give us an understanding of whether we are dealing with friends or foes. Regardless of whether we support unification or independence, shouldn't people on both sides of the Strait at least have some general understanding of each other?
According to research, narratives of more than 1,000 words cause impatience in most readers. Fewer people read newspapers now, and their in-depth grasp of news correspondingly weakens. Hence the electronic media have become the fastest and most convenient conduit for information.
But news stations are not fully realizing their responsibilities. They focus on political confrontation, social incidents and even entertainment gossip, bombarding the audience with the same news again and again.
Although some weekly news programs do occasionally cover international headlines, the proportion is still insignificant -- let alone the fact that some falsify news reports.
Even the most popular political commentary shows in Taiwan restrict themselves to the confrontation between the blue and green camps without a sense of right and wrong. Their general attitude is one of disinterest with any other issues.
No wonder the Taiwanese public is unaware of the international situation and has little awareness for matters that should be general knowledge. This is a result of the media's "isolationism," and their neglect to perform their duty to disseminate information.
Hsu Yu-fang is an associate professor of Chinese at National Dong Hwa University.
Translated by Perry Svensson and Eddy Chang
The US Senate’s passage of the 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which urges Taiwan’s inclusion in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise and allocates US$1 billion in military aid, marks yet another milestone in Washington’s growing support for Taipei. On paper, it reflects the steadiness of US commitment, but beneath this show of solidarity lies contradiction. While the US Congress builds a stable, bipartisan architecture of deterrence, US President Donald Trump repeatedly undercuts it through erratic decisions and transactional diplomacy. This dissonance not only weakens the US’ credibility abroad — it also fractures public trust within Taiwan. For decades,
The ceasefire in the Middle East is a rare cause for celebration in that war-torn region. Hamas has released all of the living hostages it captured on Oct. 7, 2023, regular combat operations have ceased, and Israel has drawn closer to its Arab neighbors. Israel, with crucial support from the United States, has achieved all of this despite concerted efforts from the forces of darkness to prevent it. Hamas, of course, is a longtime client of Iran, which in turn is a client of China. Two years ago, when Hamas invaded Israel — killing 1,200, kidnapping 251, and brutalizing countless others
Taiwan’s first case of African swine fever (ASF) was confirmed on Tuesday evening at a hog farm in Taichung’s Wuci District (梧棲), trigging nationwide emergency measures and stripping Taiwan of its status as the only Asian country free of classical swine fever, ASF and foot-and-mouth disease, a certification it received on May 29. The government on Wednesday set up a Central Emergency Operations Center in Taichung and instituted an immediate five-day ban on transporting and slaughtering hogs, and on feeding pigs kitchen waste. The ban was later extended to 15 days, to account for the incubation period of the virus
The government and local industries breathed a sigh of relief after Shin Kong Life Insurance Co last week said it would relinquish surface rights for two plots in Taipei’s Beitou District (北投) to Nvidia Corp. The US chip-design giant’s plan to expand its local presence will be crucial for Taiwan to safeguard its core role in the global artificial intelligence (AI) ecosystem and to advance the nation’s AI development. The land in dispute is owned by the Taipei City Government, which in 2021 sold the rights to develop and use the two plots of land, codenamed T17 and T18, to the
RSS