Print

Mail

wiki links

Presidential election: GIO denies it is trying to steer foreign coverage

"The Government Information Office has never demanded that foreign journalists ask certain types of questions ... How is it possible that they would obey our orders?"

Manfred Peng, director, GIO's International Information Office

The Government Information Office (GIO) denied allegations yesterday that it had provided foreign reporters observing next month's presidential election with tough questions to ask Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) candidate Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九).

"The Government Information Office has never demanded that foreign journalists ask certain types of questions," said Manfred Peng (彭滂沱), director of the GIO's International Information Office.

"How is it possible that they would obey our orders?" he said.

Yesterday's Chinese-language China Times said the GIO and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had provided financial support to some foreign news agencies and election observers for visits to Taiwan ahead of the election and had helped some draw up "tough interview questions" for Ma.

The newspaper said the GIO had provided a pan-European TV news channel, Euro News, with questions for correspondent Sergio Cantone to ask Ma.

Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) arranged for Stephane Corcuff, a French political scientist from the University of Lyon, to conduct a written interview with Ma and his Democratic Progressive Party rival Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) for a French publication, the report said.

The paper quoted anonymous sources in Ma's camp as saying the government had violated administrative neutrality.

Peng, however, said that it was established practice to invite foreign news agencies to cover election campaigns.

Such invitations were "not inappropriate" as they can improve the country's international visibility and help Taiwan's image abroad, he said.

Many major news outlets pay for their own trips, but for those that do not have a major interest in Taiwan, the government will cover the cost of their trips, Peng said.

He said Euro News had come up with its own questions for the candidates, and the GIO, through one of its overseas offices, had only helped translate the questions into Mandarin.

Approached for comment outside the Legislative Yuan, Cabinet Spokesman Shieh Jhy-wey (謝志偉) defended the GIO, urging the Ma camp to present evidence to back its claims.

"How could you allege that the GIO provided the questions ... [Ma] is like a little flower growing up inside a greenhouse that cannot stand more than a little sunlight," Shieh said.

"Not every question you dislike should be called an `anti-Ma' question," Shieh said, adding that the foreign media had prepared "equally harsh" questions for Hsieh.

The foreign ministry also denied the allegations yesterday. Spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh (葉非比) said the ministry's role in the matter was solely that of a "messenger," relaying questions that Corcuff had proposed to the candidates.

"The ministry would never dictate the moves of foreign press," she said.

Yeh, holding up copies of the correspondence between Corcuff and the two camps, said it was clear Corcuff was in charge of the interview.

However, Luo Chih-chiang (羅智強), a spokesman for Ma, condemned the GIO.

"The GIO has been playing the vanguard role in the anti-Ma troop. We are not surprised," Luo said yesterday.

Corcuff used to live in Taiwan, first as a Chinese-language student and then as a press officer for the French Institute in Taipei.

Additional reporting by Flora Wang, Jenny W. Hsu, Mo Yan-chih and staff writer
This story has been viewed 1478 times.