The Government Information Office's (GIO) rejection of license renewals to seven cable-TV channels has brought about strong criticism from politicians and media proprietors over the past week, but academics specializing in mass communication as well as legal experts have given the move a thumbs-up.
Many see it as the beginning of a reform of a domestic mass media that has been vilified by audiences for years, and the start of a weeding-out of junk TV.
"I think the time is ripe for the government to do something to reform our mass media," Lin Yuan-hui (
"Actually, Taiwan's mass media has never really changed in nature even though martial law was lifted 17 years ago. Much of the media is still manufacturing news and stories with no sources at all," Lin said.
He said that the situation had actually become worse from increased commercial pressure.
"I believe that few people in Taiwan would disagree that the current news channels have become one of the major sources of social problems," Lin said.
"The public's toleration of fast-food news and shitty programs has reached its limit and I think the government's action was an appropriate response to public demand," he said.
The government's action also called the bluff of media operators such as Eastern Multimedia Group (EMG) president Gary Wang (王令麟), who has derided the government as a paper tiger, Lin said.
"These TV channel owners may be surprised that there was such a strong public outcry against their rubbishy news quality, but the most surprising thing is that the government would act for the public," Lin said.
"I would not object to describing the GIO's rejection of license renewal as a strategy of `executing one as a warning to a hundred,' which I think might be a necessary expedient to employ," Lin said. "Things have their order of priority and I believe the government has evaluated the advantages and disadvantages in making such a decision."
Liu Ching-yi (劉靜怡), a member of the GIO's committee in charge of reviewing TV channels' license renewal applications, said yesterday that she did not think manipulating license-renewal could really end the current malaise of the local media, but agreed that some structural control was needed at this point.
Lin is a professor at the Graduate Institute of National Development at National Taiwan University specializing in information and telecommunications law.
"A democratic country would definitely avoid implementing control over contents. But if the TV channel owners, under the name of press freedom, simply ignore their social responsibilities, then this would be another matter in terms of a definition of freedom," Liu said.
Facing accusations by pan-blue legislators that the committee members were "hired academics lacking professionalism," Liu said that she had suggested the GIO make public all the records, including transcripts of verbal discussions, regarding the review process. Media proprietors' statements that they promised to improve should also be shown on the Web so that people might be able to make an informed judgment on the facts.
Liu said that those TV channels that did not obtain licenses should check how different the programs they broadcast were from the proposals they submitted to the GIO six years ago to get the licenses in the first place.
"Media outlets that did not have their licenses renewed might accuse the government of trampling press freedom. But these media proprietors -- many of them are monopolists in the TV channel market -- should examine themselves as to the degree of freedom they offer their audiences as well," Liu said.
Hsu Yung-ming (徐永明), a research fellow at the Research Center for Humanities and Social Sciences at Academia Sinica, said that it was a pity that the GIO's action was so widely interpreted from a political angle, which he described as understandable but not helpful.
"Although the course of the reviewing did not satisfy everyone and better prospects for the news environment are not yet assured, at least both the public and the TV channel bosses can see a mechanism for kicking out the rubbish" Hsu said.
FUKUOKA SITUATION: Japanese media reported that the pathogen is expected to be identified by the summer, while the CDC downplayed the idea that it was hMPV A “mysterious cold-like illness” reported in Japan’s Fukuoka Prefecture does not seem to be a new disease, but Japanese authorities have been asked about the situation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. The Fukuoka Prefectural Medical Association on Wednesday told a news conference that a “mystery cold” that has become a hot topic on social media is “highly likely to be caused by some kind of viral infection,” Japan’s KBC News reported. “Many people are experiencing symptoms starting with a sore throat, followed by a runny nose, phlegm and a severe cough,” KBC News reported, citing association officials. Health authorities are
Nvidia Corp CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) arrived in Taiwan yesterday ahead of upcoming AI and technology events, saying he plans to meet with clients and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) during his visit. After landing at Taipei Songshan Airport, Huang posed for photos with fans and handed out Yakult drinks to reporters and supporters waiting at the scene, saying he has “a lot to do” during the trip. Asked about reports that Nvidia’s planned headquarters site in Taipei’s Beitou Shilin Technology Park could break ground on May 27, Huang said that if the company holds an event, he would
The Ministry of Finance this afternoon announced the winning numbers for the March-April uniform invoice lottery. The winning number for the NT$10 million (US$318,060) special prize is 19531471, and the winning number for the NT$2 million grand prize is 85941329. Three numbers were drawn for the NT$200,000 first prize: 07225810, 20231230 and 83518781. Those with receipts matching the last seven digits of any of the first-prize numbers will win the NT$40,000 second prize, while those matching the last six digits will win the NT$10,000 third prize. Those whose receipts match the last five digits of the first-prize numbers can claim the NT$4,000 fourth prize,
Taiwan Travelogue (臺灣漫遊錄), which earlier this week became the first Taiwanese novel to win the International Booker Prize, is to be adapted into a television series through a Taiwan-Japan coproduction, producer Chang Chen-yu (張辰漁) said yesterday. Chang, a producer at World Softest Production Film Co, wrote on Facebook that the company had been searching for projects with international appeal that retain a strong Taiwanese identity after colleagues and Japanese partners strongly recommended the novel. After reading the book, Chang said he immediately decided to pursue the screen rights. “A great story has the power to transcend time and borders, and connect countless people,”
RSS