The Legislative Yuan is absurdly the only public institution that restricts press freedom with arbitrary regulations that deny the entry of journalists that it deems unqualified, a group of independent journalists and reporters from non-profit organizations said yesterday.
Led by Citizen’s Congress Watch (CCW), several groups and independent journalists held a press conference at the legislature in Taipei, calling on Legislative Speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) to take on the transparency problem.
The “Legislative Yuan Directions on Issuing Press Passes,” revised and announced on April 10 last year, states that only reporters from institutions registered as commercial companies and where national news constitutes at least 60 percent of their coverage are to be granted press passes.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
“Those reporting on local news and individuals issuing subjective news articles on the Internet are excluded from the issuance [of press passes],” it says.
“The Council of Grand Justices’ Interpretation No. 689 states that newsgathering rights, which are protected by the freedom of the press, should be enjoyed by not only reporters belonging to certain news agencies, but also general individuals who gather news to provide newsworthy information to the public or to strengthen supervision of the government by way of promoting public debate,” CCW chief executive Chang Hung-lin (張宏林) said.
The legislative directives on issuing press passes, “which are not even executive orders,” are unconstitutional, he said.
Chu Shu-chuan (朱淑娟), a freelance journalist who used to work for the mainstream media, said she has visited many public offices for her work on environmental reporting, but the legislature is the only place that has restricted her rights of entry, “making it, ironically, the most undemocratic place” among all public institutions.
“What is ridiculous is that even publications such as CommonWealth Magazine and Next Magazine are not able to secure passes for their reporters, so they have to go to the front desk every time they need to get into the legislative building to secure temporary passes. Moreover, freelance journalists and those from non-commercial organizations are, according to the rules, denied even temporary passes,” she said.
Journalists from online media outlets that focus on particular subjects, such as the environment, labor rights or social issues, complained about the arbitrary process of issuing passes.
They said that whether they receive a temporary pass is often dependent on the person they are dealing with that day.
Wang Hao-chung (王顥中), a reporter for Coolloud Collective (苦勞網), an online platform dedicated to social activism, said the process is very “subjective.”
“You have a higher chance of getting a temporary pass if you carry a professional camera or wear formal attire,” Wang said. “However, a temporary pass cannot get you into the main legislative chamber. While it is possible for those who do not have a regular press pass to get into the chamber using a general visitor’s pass that is issued to members of the public to sit in on meetings, this type of pass allows the visitor to stay for only 30 minutes.”
A journalist from an environmental organization said that she had been told that the more significant or controversial the bills on the agenda, the stricter the enforcement of rules on visitors.
The groups demanded the removal of the “unconstitutional” provisions in the legislative directives before the end of this plenary session and the immediate suspension of the practice which blocks independent journalists from entering the Legislative Yuan.
LONG FLIGHT: The jets would be flown by US pilots, with Taiwanese copilots in the two-seat F-16D variant to help familiarize them with the aircraft, the source said The US is expected to fly 10 Lockheed Martin F-16C/D Block 70/72 jets to Taiwan over the coming months to fulfill a long-awaited order of 66 aircraft, a defense official said yesterday. Word that the first batch of the jets would be delivered soon was welcome news to Taiwan, which has become concerned about delays in the delivery of US arms amid rising military tensions with China. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said the initial tranche of the nation’s F-16s are rolling off assembly lines in the US and would be flown under their own power to Taiwan by way
OBJECTS AT SEA: Satellites with synthetic-aperture radar could aid in the detection of small Chinese boats attempting to illegally enter Taiwan, the space agency head said Taiwan aims to send the nation’s first low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite into space in 2027, while the first Formosat-8 and Formosat-9 spacecraft are to be launched in October and 2028 respectively, the National Science and Technology Council said yesterday. The council laid out its space development plan in a report reviewed by members of the legislature’s Education and Culture Committee. Six LEO satellites would be produced in the initial phase, with the first one, the B5G-1A, scheduled to be launched in 2027, the council said in the report. Regarding the second satellite, the B5G-1B, the government plans to work with private contractors
MISSION: The Indo-Pacific region is ‘the priority theater,’ where the task of deterrence extends across the entire region, including Taiwan, the US Pacific Fleet commander said The US Navy’s “mission of deterrence” in the Indo-Pacific theater applies to Taiwan, Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler told the South China Sea Conference on Tuesday. The conference, organized by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), is an international platform for senior officials and experts from countries with security interests in the region. “The Pacific Fleet’s mission is to deter aggression across the Western Pacific, together with our allies and partners, and to prevail in combat if necessary, Koehler said in the event’s keynote speech. “That mission of deterrence applies regionwide — including the South China Sea and Taiwan,” he
‘NARWHAL’: The indigenous submarine completed its harbor acceptance test recently and is now under heavy guard as it undergoes tests in open waters, a source said The Hai Kun (海鯤), the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, yesterday began sea trials, sailing out of the Port of Kaohsiung, a military source said. Also known as the “Narwhal,” the vessel departed from CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard at about 8am, where it had been docked. More than 10 technicians and military personnel were on deck, with several others standing atop the sail. After recently completing its harbor acceptance test, the vessel has started a series of sea-based trials, including tests of its propulsion and navigational systems, while partially surfaced, the source said. The Hai Kun underwent tests in the port from
RSS