A report published by a legislative agency recommended a statutory ban on government agencies promoting policies and government performance under the guise of news coverage, saying the practice had a negative influence on the role and objectivity of the media in a democracy.
In its report, the legislature's Organic Laws and Statutes Bureau said the practice, known as “product placement,” risked undermining public belief in the independence of the media, hampers the public's ability to deliberate and runs counter to democratic principles.
The report suggested including rules in the Government Procurement Act (政府採購法) that prohibit product placement and content that emphasizes the contributions and achievements of civil servants in the form of propaganda.
The report said the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) administration hadn't refrained from using product placements since it took office in 2008.
It said the government started to use product placements in 2003 when the Government Information Office (GIO) under the Democratic Progressive Party government required that media operators who intended to bid for public relations projects include product placement among their techniques.
The report also suggested that an article that would bar central and local governments from organizing activities related to presidential and vice presidential elections during campaign periods be included in the President and Vice President Election and Recall Act (總統副總統選舉罷免法).
When the government uses product placements, it distorts media values of objectivity in news coverage and editorial independence, the report said.
Under the practice, the media allow governmental agencies that sponsor product placement programs to revise and sensor news coverage. As a result, the media lose their function of advancing and maintaining the public interest, the report said.
In response, Executive Yuan Spokesman Johnny Chiang (江啟臣), who is also GIO minister, said that he respected the report.
He added that the government operates in accordance with rules and regulations and in line with the announcement previously made by President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) that the government does not engage in product placement for political purposes.
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY SHIH HSIU-CHUAN
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