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EDITORIAL: Cable news snuggles up to Ma

It would be hard to miss the non-stop reporting on cable news channels about the details of the everyday life of president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

After Ma won Saturday's presidential election, cable news stations rushed to bring viewers almost instantaneous coverage on a variety of his personal details.

The stations are pulling out all the stops. Topping the news on cable channels are what the president-elect likes and dislikes, how he likes his hair cut and how he styles it, his zodiac sign and whether he and his wife Chow Mei-ching (周美青) are astrologically compatible.

It may seem like the staff at these news channels have reverted to junior high crushes, but even so the conspicuously positive reporting is reminiscent of the days of dictatorship. The overt attempts to present Ma as charming may cast doubt on the media's progress since the days when it was a key tool of idol-making in the service of Chiang Kai-shek (蔣介石) and Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國).

The next president clearly deserves public attention, but cable news stations are focusing on inane personal details instead of any number of crucial issues he will soon have to face as president.

The media's depiction of Ma as almost flawless in his patriotism and kindness is disturbingly similar to the quaint anecdotes of the Martial Law era that were designed to inspire awe and loyalty to Chiang Kai-shek.

Back then, Taiwanese were fed stories about his childhood and impeccable behavior while growing up. Likewise, Taiwanese were told that every act Chiang Ching-kuo performed reflected his love of the people.

The media circus over the past few days does not augur well. After Ma's inauguration on May 20, will these channels offer fair and balanced coverage of Ma's successes and follies or will they seek to embellish their image of him?

Ma has long said that Chiang Ching-kuo was his idol. The public no doubt hopes he will mimic Chiang Ching-kuo's achievements in terms of the nation's economic development and show a fervent desire to develop Taiwan.

But the public should also want fair and unbiased media coverage of his administration. The media serve to check those in power, not help them by promoting a skewed picture of who they are and what they do.

The starstruck behavior of news outlets is cause for concern -- no leader should be allowed to escape the scrutiny of professional media coverage that has the public's best interests in mind.

The day after Ma was elected, cable news channels spent little air time on the plight of Tibetans as China continued its crackdown, nor the cries of Tibetans exiled in Taiwan as they fasted in front of Liberty Square.

This is hardly flattering to an institution that sometimes calls itself the "fourth estate" and claims it fights for the public's right to know.
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