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.
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,
In 1976, the Gang of Four was ousted. The Gang of Four was a leftist political group comprising Chinese Communist Party (CCP) members: Jiang Qing (江青), its leading figure and Mao Zedong’s (毛澤東) last wife; Zhang Chunqiao (張春橋); Yao Wenyuan (姚文元); and Wang Hongwen (王洪文). The four wielded supreme power during the Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), but when Mao died, they were overthrown and charged with crimes against China in what was in essence a political coup of the right against the left. The same type of thing might be happening again as the CCP has expelled nine top generals. Rather than a
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
A Reuters report published this week highlighted the struggles of migrant mothers in Taiwan through the story of Marian Duhapa, a Filipina forced to leave her infant behind to work in Taiwan and support her family. After becoming pregnant in Taiwan last year, Duhapa lost her job and lived in a shelter before giving birth and taking her daughter back to the Philippines. She then returned to Taiwan for a second time on her own to find work. Duhapa’s sacrifice is one of countless examples among the hundreds of thousands of migrant workers who sustain many of Taiwan’s households and factories,
RSS