Enraged by cable news channels insensitivity in reporting events, a group of professors and graduate students will lead a protest tomorrow in front of the TVBS building to show their unhappiness with the country's six news cable stations.
"We can't stand it any longer. The treatment of [New York Yankees pitcher] Wang Chien-ming (
Lin was referring to the open letter issued by Wang last Thursday, announcing that he will no longer accept interview requests from the Taiwanese media.
Wang said that he was disappointed by the way that the furor created by the local press had affected his family's privacy.
Lin said that in order to boost viewing figures cable news reporters often interview people against their will and their insensitivity has been damaging for some interviewees.
"We will continue with the campaign until we receive a suitable response from each and every cable news channel," Lin said.
Deputy manager of the TVBS Pan Tsu-yin (
Ma Yung-jui (馬詠睿), deputy manager of ETTV, said: " I believe that the cut-throat battle for ratings is wrong and that everyone should strive for `cleaner' news reporting."
"As for Wang Chien-ming, he is the pride of Taiwan and I don't think any domestic press meant to present him in a bad light. The Taiwanese press has been friendly toward him," Ma said.
He added, "I don't think the decision to write the [open letter] statement was Wang's own."
SETN's news department manager Yu Chao-wei (余朝為) said that its reporters always adopt high moral standards and that SETN has demanded their reporters respect the wishes of interviewees when seeking approval for interviews.
FAST TRACK? Chinese spouses must renounce their Chinese citizenship and pledge allegiance to Taiwan to gain citizenship, some demonstrators said Opponents and supporters of a bill that would allow Chinese spouses to obtain Taiwanese citizenship in four years instead of six staged protests near the Legislative Yuan in Taipei yesterday morning. Those who oppose the bill proposed by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) demanded that Chinese spouses be granted citizenship only after renouncing their Chinese citizenship, passing a citizenship test and pledging allegiance to Taiwan. The demonstrators, who were protesting at a side entrance to the Legislative Yuan on Jinan Road, were mostly members of the Taiwan Association of University Professors and other organizations advocating Taiwanese independence. Supporters of the bill, led
SILENT MAJORITY: Only 1 percent of Chinese rejected all options but war to annex Taiwan, while one-third viewed war as unacceptable, a university study showed Many Chinese are more concerned with developments inside their country than with seeking unification with Taiwan, al-Jazeera reported on Friday. Although China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to annex it, by force if necessary, 23-year-old Chinese Shao Hongtian was quoted by al-Jazeera as saying that “hostilities are not the way to bring China and Taiwan together.” “I want unification to happen peacefully,” Shao said. Al-Jazeera said it changed Shao’s name to respect his wish for anonymity. If peaceful unification is not possible, Shao said he would prefer “things to remain as they are,” adding that many of his friends feel
Taiwan has “absolute air superiority” over China in its own airspace, Deputy Minister of National Defense Po Horng-huei (柏鴻輝) told a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee on Monday, amid concern over whether Taipei could defend itself against a military incursion by Beijing. Po made the remarks in response to a question from Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) on whether Taiwan would have partial or complete air superiority if Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) warplanes were to enter Taiwan’s airspace. Po, a retired pilot, said that the Taiwanese military has “absolute air superiority” over PLA
A shipment of basil pesto imported by Costco Wholesale Taiwan from the US in the middle of last month was intercepted at the border after testing positive for excessive pesticide residue, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. Samples taken from a shipment of the Kirkland Signature brand of basil pesto imported by Costco contained 0.1 milligrams per kilogram of ethylene oxide, exceeding the non-detectable limit. Ethylene oxide is a carcinogenic substance that can be used as a pesticide. The 674kg shipment of basil pesto would either be destroyed or returned to its country of origin, as is the procedure for all