The spate of recent scandals involving the reporting of fake news stories in Taiwan continues to concern media observers. The constant need to pull in readers and viewers has many media outlets fabricating news stories and infringing on the privacy of citizens.
Concerned that Taiwan's media environment is deteriorating, the Lung Ying-tai Cultural Foundation (龍應台文化基金會) has invited three media experts to discuss their thoughts on the meaning of a responsible media in democratic societies.
"Our purpose is to emphasize the importance of creating appropriate journalism ethics," said Katherine Lee (李應平), CEO of the Lung Ying-tai Cultural Foundation.
That may be a tall order. Citing a US study analyzing the effectiveness of teaching news media rules and ethics, Taiwan National University journalism professor Flora Chang (張錦華) said short-term exposure to ethics may not build a solid foundation for ethical behavior, though it may improve reasoning and decision making.
She added that ethical standards could often conflict. "An over-emphasis on media ethics may limit freedom of the press, while [an emphasis on] freedom of the press may endanger national security," she said.
It is a dichotomy that Doreen Weisenhaus is fully aware off. The director of the University of Hong Kong's Journalism and Media Studies Center (JMSC) has written extensively on that Special Administrative Region's Basic Law, especially Article 23 - an anti-subversion clause that many observers feel has the potential to limit the freedom of Hong Kong's notoriously raucous media. Before arriving in Hong Kong, Weisenhaus was legal editor for The New York Times.
The Salon also features Hsu Lu (徐璐), a veteran Taiwanese reporter and current CEO of Chunghwa Telecom Foundation (中華電信基金會). In 1987, Hsu was one of the first reporters in Taiwan (sent by the pro-independence Independence Evening Post (自立晚報) to report in Beijing. Upon her return, the then-Chinese Nationalist government banned her from leaving Taiwan for a year.
The American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) spokesman, Thomas Hodges, will moderate the Salon and help field questions from the audience.
June 9 to June 15 A photo of two men riding trendy high-wheel Penny-Farthing bicycles past a Qing Dynasty gate aptly captures the essence of Taipei in 1897 — a newly colonized city on the cusp of great change. The Japanese began making significant modifications to the cityscape in 1899, tearing down Qing-era structures, widening boulevards and installing Western-style infrastructure and buildings. The photographer, Minosuke Imamura, only spent a year in Taiwan as a cartographer for the governor-general’s office, but he left behind a treasure trove of 130 images showing life at the onset of Japanese rule, spanning July 1897 to
In an interview posted online by United Daily News (UDN) on May 26, current Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) was asked about Taichung Mayor Lu Shiow-yen (盧秀燕) replacing him as party chair. Though not yet officially running, by the customs of Taiwan politics, Lu has been signalling she is both running for party chair and to be the party’s 2028 presidential candidate. She told an international media outlet that she was considering a run. She also gave a speech in Keelung on national priorities and foreign affairs. For details, see the May 23 edition of this column,
At Computex 2025, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) urged the government to subsidize AI. “All schools in Taiwan must integrate AI into their curricula,” he declared. A few months earlier, he said, “If I were a student today, I’d immediately start using tools like ChatGPT, Gemini Pro and Grok to learn, write and accelerate my thinking.” Huang sees the AI-bullet train leaving the station. And as one of its drivers, he’s worried about youth not getting on board — bad for their careers, and bad for his workforce. As a semiconductor supply-chain powerhouse and AI hub wannabe, Taiwan is seeing
Jade Mountain (玉山) — Taiwan’s highest peak — is the ultimate goal for those attempting a through-hike of the Mountains to Sea National Greenway (山海圳國家綠道), and that’s precisely where we’re headed in this final installment of a quartet of articles covering the Greenway. Picking up the trail at the Tsou tribal villages of Dabang and Tefuye, it’s worth stocking up on provisions before setting off, since — aside from the scant offerings available on the mountain’s Dongpu Lodge (東埔山莊) and Paiyun Lodge’s (排雲山莊) meal service — there’s nowhere to get food from here on out. TEFUYE HISTORIC TRAIL The journey recommences with
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