The government yesterday announced that it would not renew the operating licenses of TV news channel ETTV-S and six movie and variety channels, and said the stations must go off the air as of tomorrow.
The move by the Government Information Office (GIO) drew an immediate and sharp backlash from the stations and pan-blue legislators, who charged that it was a heavy-handed attempt to reign in media outlets that are critical of the government.
"I'm worried that the `white terror' era will return to the media industry," People First Party (PFP) Legislator Li Yong-ping (
PHOTO: TAI TA-SHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
Pan-blue legislators, joined by some from the pan-green camp, vowed to continue pushing the establishment of a National Communications Commission (NCC) to reform how the nation's media is supervised. Li called on GIO Minister Pasuya Yao (姚文智) to convince the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus to stop blocking the establishment of the commission.
"The DPP caucus is inconsistent in its words and actions," she said. "While it claims to support media reform, it is derailing the establishment of the NCC."
Li vowed that her caucus will team up with its political ally, the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), to push for setting up the NCC during the upcoming legislative session, and may request that the matter be put to a vote.
Li criticized the lack of transparency in the GIO's review process for media outlets' license renewals, calling it a "black-box operation."
Yao defended the government's decision, denying that the GIO review process is too secretive, and made public the names of some of the review committee members. The committee suggested not renewing the seven stations' licenses late Sunday night.
He also stood firm on the committee's suggestion, which is awaiting his final approval before being implemented.
"What the media outlets reap today is what they have sown," Yao said. "Since we enforced the law too leniently in the past, media outlets almost forgot that the law exists."
He added that the GIO cannot guarantee that each applicant will pass the review.
Yao dismissed speculation that the GIO's rejection of the ETTV-S' renewal application is to make room for a pro-independence broadcaster which plans to launch a TV station by next year. But he said that he had met up with the chairman of the group in question.
Yao said that in addition to an indignant response from Eastern Broadcasting Company, which runs ETTV-S, a death threat was faxed to his office before the GIO had even made its decision public. Yao has asked the police to conduct an investigation into the threat.
In a statement on its Web site, ETTV-S said it would appeal the GIO decision. It termed it "an international laughing stock and a black spot for Taiwan's democracy," adding that the station had won a government award for one of its programs.
PFP caucus whip Sun Ta-chen (
"We'd really hate to see the government use the renewal of media operating licenses as an excuse to kidnap the media and curb press freedom," he said. "I'm calling on the public to open their eyes and see clearly exactly who is the stumbling block to media reform."
Once the NCC is established, its mission will be to integrate the management of telecommunications, cable television, satellite and wireless broadcasting in this country. Under the plan, incentives would be offered to develop new media technology, while helping to protect the interests of audiences by monitoring the service of media industries.
MORE VISITORS: The Tourism Administration said that it is seeing positive prospects in its efforts to expand the tourism market in North America and Europe Taiwan has been ranked as the cheapest place in the world to travel to this year, based on a list recommended by NerdWallet. The San Francisco-based personal finance company said that Taiwan topped the list of 16 nations it chose for budget travelers because US tourists do not need visas and travelers can easily have a good meal for less than US$10. A bus ride in Taipei costs just under US$0.50, while subway rides start at US$0.60, the firm said, adding that public transportation in Taiwan is easy to navigate. The firm also called Taiwan a “food lover’s paradise,” citing inexpensive breakfast stalls
US PUBLICATION: The results indicated a change in attitude after a 2023 survey showed 55 percent supported full-scale war to achieve unification, the report said More than half of Chinese were against the use of force to unify with Taiwan under any circumstances, a survey conducted by the Atlanta, Georgia-based Carter Center and Emory University found. The survey results, which were released on Wednesday in a report titled “Sovereignty, Security, & US-China Relations: Chinese Public Opinion,” showed that 55.1 percent of respondents agreed or somewhat agreed that “the Taiwan problem should not be resolved using force under any circumstances,” while 24.5 percent “strongly” or “somewhat” disagreed with the statement. The results indicated a change in attitude after a survey published in “Assessing Public Support for (Non)Peaceful Unification
PLUGGING HOLES: The amendments would bring the legislation in line with systems found in other countries such as Japan and the US, Legislator Chen Kuan-ting said Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Chen Kuan-ting (陳冠廷) has proposed amending national security legislation amid a spate of espionage cases. Potential gaps in security vetting procedures for personnel with access to sensitive information prompted him to propose the amendments, which would introduce changes to Article 14 of the Classified National Security Information Protection Act (國家機密保護法), Chen said yesterday. The proposal, which aims to enhance interagency vetting procedures and reduce the risk of classified information leaks, would establish a comprehensive security clearance system in Taiwan, he said. The amendment would require character and loyalty checks for civil servants and intelligence personnel prior to
The China Coast Guard has seized control of a disputed reef near a major Philippine military outpost in the South China Sea, Beijing’s state media said, adding to longstanding territorial tensions with Manila. Beijing claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea and has waved away competing assertions from other countries as well as an international ruling that its position has no legal basis. China and the Philippines have engaged in months of confrontations in the contested waters, and Manila is taking part in sweeping joint military drills with the US which Beijing has slammed as destabilizing. The Chinese coast guard