Academics and representatives of various non-governmental organizations (NGOs) yesterday voiced their worries about the buyout of Next Media Group’s (壹傳媒集團) Taiwanese operations, urging the Fair Trade Commission (FTC) to consider the importance of having diverse voices in the media when reviewing the deal.
At a public hearing organized by the commission yesterday, former FTC commissioner Shih Jun-ji (施俊吉) said the review of the Next Media buyout is the most important case in the commission’s history.
Shih said the commission should spare no effort to prevent buyers from circumventing the law, adding that the Fair Trade Act (公平交易法) stipulates that the commission should not only take into consideration the benefit to the economy as a whole, but also the public interest.
Photo: Chu Pei-hsiung, Taipei Times
In terms of the public interest, the government should create an environment that allows newspapers to produce materials from as many perspectives as possible, while the accuracy of news is also of vital importance, he said.
There is no economic benefit for society from the deal, while the disadvantages that will result from it are that the public will only be given limited perspectives on events in the future, Shih said, adding that there is no reason for the commission to approve the deal.
Association of Taiwan Journalists (ATJ) president Chen Hsiao-yi (陳曉宜) emphasized the unique nature of the media as a means for the public to obtain information. She demanded that the FTC’s commissioners review the case differently from other cases.
Chen said the print media have agenda-setting power for the entire media industry and have often dictated what news is broadcast on local TV stations the following day.
Therefore, because of the influence print media have, it is not sufficient for the commission to make a decision based on market share alone, she said.
Citing a survey conducted by AC Nielsen, Jang Show-ling (鄭秀玲), a professor of economics at National Taiwan University, said Want Want China Times Group’s (旺旺中時集團) share of Taiwan’s media market would exceed 50 percent after the buyout deal goes through.
As Want Want Group has a record of using its media outlets to attack its critics or those who stand in its way, Jang said the disadvantages resulting from the Next Media deal are too significant to be ignored.
Jang became emotional when she said that she had to stay alert on the street because of her involvement in the case.
FTC spokesman Sun Lih-chyun (孫立群) said that the commission would try to incorporate the importance of diverse voices on the media into their review process.
Sun said the information the commission has now suggests that there are two groups of buyers and two contracts. One is related to Next Media’s print media and the other to its electronic media.
The commission has yet to receive a formal submission of the deal, he said.
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
The Philippines is working behind the scenes to enhance its defensive cooperation with Taiwan, the Washington Post said in a report published on Monday. “It would be hiding from the obvious to say that Taiwan’s security will not affect us,” Philippine Secretary of National Defense Gilbert Teodoro Jr told the paper in an interview on Thursday last week. Although there has been no formal change to the Philippines’ diplomatic stance on recognizing Taiwan, Manila is increasingly concerned about Chinese encroachment in the South China Sea, the report said. The number of Chinese vessels in the seas around the Philippines, as well as Chinese
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
RSS