The latest Worldwide Press Freedom Index released on Tuesday by Reporters Without Borders (RSF) saw Taiwan’s ranking plummet to 59th place from last year’s 36th. While the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus was quick to dismiss the significance of the report — with some KMT lawmakers questioning whether it harbored a “certain ideology” (without elaborating) — Taiwan’s poor showing this year should serve as a wake-up call on government interference with the Fourth Estate.
KMT legislative caucus whip Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) yesterday said that most Taiwanese do not think the government compromises media independence. What Liu apparently failed to realize was that the RSF report was the product of responses gathered from hundreds of journalists and media experts worldwide on issues such as censorship, harassment, media independence and legal frameworks.
In other words, the end product of the international media watchdog’s annual press freedom index is a direct result of the opinions of those who work in and are familiar with the news business and know the skeletons in the closet within the industry.
“The new ruling party in Taiwan tried to interfere in state and privately-owned media while violence by certain activists further undermined press freedom,” the RSF press freedom report said in its assessment of Taiwan.
Executive Yuan Spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) yesterday called the review “unacceptable.” This rebuttal carries no credibility unless Su and the Government Information Office can come up with substantial evidence to counter the less-than-appealing impressions garnered by RSF.
Among these were the KMT caucus-initiated motion that amended the Public Television Act (公共電視法) in June this year to increase the number of Public Television Station (PTS) board members and supervisors.
The KMT caucus also suggested the budget for Taiwan Broadcasting System-associated TV stations such as PTS, Hakka TV and Taiwan Indigenous Television be used as a mechanism to vet programming.
These tactics were largely seen by critics as government attempts to reinforce control over the foundation’s operations. The practice of “placement marketing” by the government and stories of media outlets and reporters receiving calls from government officials expressing “certain views” are also common in media circles.
It was partly with the aim of safeguarding media independence that the National Communications Commission (NCC) was established in 2006. However, the way the NCC handles complaints — such as forwarding negative feedback about a PTS news talk show containing “too much Hoklo” and accusing the show of being too critical of China — suggest the NCC is itself a having hard time maintaining its status as an independent body.
Press freedom is one of Taiwan’s most precious assets. Warnings, big or small, must be taken seriously to prevent the nation’s press freedom from being eroded any further.
Is a new foreign partner for Taiwan emerging in the Middle East? Last week, Taiwanese media reported that Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois Wu (吳志中) secretly visited Israel, a country with whom Taiwan has long shared unofficial relations but which has approached those relations cautiously. In the wake of China’s implicit but clear support for Hamas and Iran in the wake of the October 2023 assault on Israel, Jerusalem’s calculus may be changing. Both small countries facing literal existential threats, Israel and Taiwan have much to gain from closer ties. In his recent op-ed for the Washington Post, President William
Taiwan-India relations appear to have been put on the back burner this year, including on Taiwan’s side. Geopolitical pressures have compelled both countries to recalibrate their priorities, even as their core security challenges remain unchanged. However, what is striking is the visible decline in the attention India once received from Taiwan. The absence of the annual Diwali celebrations for the Indian community and the lack of a commemoration marking the 30-year anniversary of the representative offices, the India Taipei Association and the Taipei Economic and Cultural Center, speak volumes and raise serious questions about whether Taiwan still has a coherent India
A stabbing attack inside and near two busy Taipei MRT stations on Friday evening shocked the nation and made headlines in many foreign and local news media, as such indiscriminate attacks are rare in Taiwan. Four people died, including the 27-year-old suspect, and 11 people sustained injuries. At Taipei Main Station, the suspect threw smoke grenades near two exits and fatally stabbed one person who tried to stop him. He later made his way to Eslite Spectrum Nanxi department store near Zhongshan MRT Station, where he threw more smoke grenades and fatally stabbed a person on a scooter by the roadside.
Recent media reports have again warned that traditional Chinese medicine pharmacies are disappearing and might vanish altogether within the next 15 years. Yet viewed through the broader lens of social and economic change, the rise and fall — or transformation — of industries is rarely the result of a single factor, nor is it inherently negative. Taiwan itself offers a clear parallel. Once renowned globally for manufacturing, it is now best known for its high-tech industries. Along the way, some businesses successfully transformed, while others disappeared. These shifts, painful as they might be for those directly affected, have not necessarily harmed society
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