The Media Monitor Alliance yesterday demanded that two editors-in-chief at CTI TV and ETtoday step down for their mishandling of the rumored extramarital affair between TV anchorpersons, seeking to undo the damage wrought by the scandal's report on the entire journalism profession.
Coming on the heels of the tabloid Next Magazine's report at the end of last month, CTI TV, ETtoday, and other cable TV news stations started relentlessly reporting on former TVBS sportscaster Cheng Sheng-hung (陳勝鴻) and TVBS-N news channel anchorwoman Pan Yen-fei (潘彥妃).
Last Saturday, Pan quit her job and published a remorseful confession in several newspapers, saying that she will go abroad for a long time.
Media hype
The media hype on celebrity gossip brought back to the fore the longstanding problem of Taiwan's news network, the alliance said.
"Profit-minded media usually chase news of no public interest at the expense of people's privacy," the alliance's secretary-general Connie Lin (林育卉) said at a press conference yesterday.
The alliance estimated that the frivolous reporting may help ETtoday cash in on advertising revenue estimated at NT$44,064,000.
CTI TV, which devoted between 20 to 40 percent of its prime time to coverage on the love affair, may also reap NT$26,928,000 in a single day.
Newsworthy
The alliance demanded that ETtoday's editor-in-chief Chen Kuao-jun (陳國君) and CTI TV's news chief inspector Liao Fu-shun (廖福順) openly profess how they had judged the event to be newsworthy, apologize for wrongdoing, and tender their resignations.
"It [the damage done] is a rude wake-up call for the press," Lin said.
The media watchdog group also sent letters of accusation to the Taipei City Government about the Chinese-language newspapers China Times and Apple Daily's coverage of the sex scandal.
"It is about time that Taiwan's erratic media holds a mirror to itself and does some introspection," she said.
Despite agreeing on the necessity of the media's self-restraint, media experts also voiced differing opinions on how to build a more ethical media.
"The government can push ahead with legislation to govern the media," said Lu Shih-hsiang (盧世祥), founder of the Foundation for the Advancement of Media Excellence.
"Also, the Government Information Office can fine unscrupulous TV stations under the Broadcasting and Television Law (廣電法)," Lu added.
Press freedom
"Freedom of the press does not take precedence over the public interest and personal privacy. What's more significant, the freedom of the press cannot be used as an excuse to harm people with impunity," Lu said, referring to the ferocious media pursuit of the kidnap victim Pai Hsiao-yen (白曉燕) in 1997 and Chu Mei-feng's (璩美鳳) sex VCD scandal in 2002.
While some suggested that the government take a more active role, others urged caution in negotiating the minefield of the often-opposing interests of the media and the government.
"Freedom of speech is the core value of journalism. The government should not be in the position to impose stricter regulations just because the media has performed badly," said Ku Lin-lin (谷玲玲), associate professor at National Taiwan University's Graduate School of Journalism.
Eight Chinese naval vessels and 24 military aircraft were detected crossing the median line of the Taiwan Strait between 6am yesterday and 6am today, the Ministry of National Defense said this morning. The aircraft entered Taiwan’s northern, central, southwestern and eastern air defense identification zones, the ministry said. The armed forces responded with mission aircraft, naval vessels and shore-based missile systems to closely monitor the situation, it added. Eight naval vessels, one official ship and 36 aircraft sorties were spotted in total, the ministry said.
INCREASED CAPACITY: The flights on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays would leave Singapore in the morning and Taipei in the afternoon Singapore Airlines is adding four supplementary flights to Taipei per week until May to meet increased tourist and business travel demand, the carrier said on Friday. The addition would raise the number of weekly flights it operates to Taipei to 18, Singapore Airlines Taiwan general manager Timothy Ouyang (歐陽漢源) said. The airline has recorded a steady rise in tourist and business travel to and from Taipei, and aims to provide more flexible travel arrangements for passengers, said Ouyang, who assumed the post in July last year. From now until Saturday next week, four additional flights would depart from Singapore on Monday, Wednesday, Friday
The Ministry of National Defense yesterday reported the return of large-scale Chinese air force activities after their unexplained absence for more than two weeks, which had prompted speculation regarding Beijing’s motives. China usually sends fighter jets, drones and other military aircraft around the nation on a daily basis. Interruptions to such routine are generally caused by bad weather. The Ministry of National Defense said it had detected 26 Chinese military aircraft in the Taiwan Strait over the previous 24 hours. It last reported that many aircraft on Feb. 25, when it spotted 30 aircraft, saying Beijing was carrying out another “joint combat
Taiwan successfully defended its women’s 540 kilogram title and won its first-ever men’s 640 kg title at the 2026 World Indoor Tug of War Championships in Taipei yesterday. In the women’s event, Taiwan’s eight-person squad reached the final following a round-robin preliminary round and semifinals featuring teams from Ukraine, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, the Basque Country and South Korea. In the finals, they swept the Basque team 2-0, giving the team composed mainly of National Taiwan Normal University students and graduates its second championship in a row, and its fourth in five years. Team captain
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