Executive Yuan Spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) yesterday continued to protest against the nation’s poor press freedom ranking by Reporters Without Borders (RSF), saying that the review was “unacceptable.”
“We cannot accept [the organization’s] criticism that the government interfered with freedom of the press,” Su told reporters at the Executive Yuan.
“Members of the [Taiwanese media] can tell that none of the media outlets have been pressured for criticizing or questioning the government,” Su said.
PHOTO: CHIEN JUNG-FONG, TAIPEI TIMES
The spokesman said the government’s determination to protect press freedom in the nation remained unchanged.
The comments came after RSF’s latest press freedom ranking released on Tuesday.
Taiwan’s press freedom ranking slipped 23 spots to 59th place in the RSF’s report this year from 36th place last year.
Developing countries such as Mali and Haiti ranked higher than Taiwan.
This is the second drop in Taiwan’s press freedom rank since the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) regained power in May last year.
“The new ruling party in Taiwan tried to interfere in state and privately-owned media, while violence by certain activists further undermined press freedom,” RSF said on its Web site.
In May, the US-based Freedom House ranked Taiwan 43rd in its global survey, a drop of 11 spots from a year earlier, saying “media in Taiwan faced assault and growing government pressure.”
When asked for comment, KMT caucus secretary-general Lu Hsueh-chang (呂學樟) dismissed the significance of RSF’s evaluation, saying that it could only serve as a reference to the government at best. Lu said freedom of the press in Taiwan had been abused, adding that he hoped representatives from the RSF could visit Taiwan to gain a better understanding of Taiwan’s press freedom.
KMT Legislator Wu Yu-sheng (吳育昇) questioned whether RSF was politically biased.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) caucus, meanwhile, yesterday accused the KMT administration of ruining the country’s journalistic credibility and said the government’s control over the media must stop immediately before Taiwan’s hard-won democracy is sabotaged.
Speaking at a press conference, DPP Lawmaker Yeh Yi-jin (葉宜津) lambasted the Government Information Office (GIO), saying sources show the GIO is planning to augment its control over the media by amending three laws on radio, cable television and satellite broadcasting.
The amendments would require all radio and television stations to re-apply for a broadcasting license every six years while the current law only requires the license to be renewed every six years, she said.
“We ask the GIO not to use Taiwan’s democracy as an excuse to influence the media. Changing the policy from renewal to reapplication is just a disguise for the government to extend its control over the media,” said Yeh, adding that such an amendment sends a message that only “obedient” media outlets would have a chance to survive.
Yeh also called GIO Chief Su Jun-pin a “liar” for his strong denial of the allegation.
“Don’t try to smart mouth us. Which media company hasn’t received a so-called ‘call of concern’ from the government?” she said.
Another DPP lawmaker, Kuan Bi-ling (管碧玲), also joined in the criticism, saying she was a victim of censorship when appearing on a political talk show. Kuan said she was asked by the station’s upper management to halt the discussion when she mentioned that the father-in-law of Vice Premier Eric Chu (朱立倫) had made a windfall in the stock market.
Also See: US free press rank jumps under Obama
‘HIDDEN GEM’: The city earned plaudits for its low crime rate, world-class healthcare system, cheap cost of living and easy public transportation Taipei has been named the 10th best city in the world for quality of living in an annual survey by the editors of Monocle, a UK-based global affairs and lifestyle magazine. The survey, which is to be published in the magazine’s July/August issue, selected the world’s top 25 cities based on factors including cost of living, retail, hospitality, culture and access to green spaces, as well as feedback from Monocle correspondents. Taipei’s 10th place finish was one place down from a year earlier. The survey ranked Copenhagen as the world’s best city, with Zurich, Lisbon, Helsinki and Stockholm rounding out the top five.
GLOBAL STRATEGY: Indo-Pacific alliances need reinforcement to prevent Chinese occupation of Taiwan, which would threaten Japan, Hawaii and Australia, Pompeo said The US should officially recognize Taiwan as a free, independent nation and establish official diplomatic ties, former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo told an event at the Hudson Institute in Washington on Friday. Every US president since Harry Truman has considered Taiwan’s existence to be of utmost importance to US national security, Pompeo said. Taiwan is a principal US partner in technology and economic matters, and if China were to capture Taiwan’s semiconductor supply chain, it would severely hamper the US economy, Pompeo said. Should China occupy Taiwan, it would severely weaken US influence in the Indo-Pacific region and its surrounding areas,
NO COMORBIDITIES: The girl died of encephalitis, the sixth COVID-19-related death of the disease this year and 19th death of a child from the virus, the center said The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) yesterday reported 52,213 new domestically transmitted COVID-19 cases and 171 deaths from the virus, including a four-year-old girl, who had been diagnosed with encephalitis, and a 19-year-old man, who had underlying health conditions. “The caseloads are usually higher on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but they [yesterday] fell 7.3 percent from the day before,” Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥) said. Chuang, who is the CECC’s spokesman, said that most cities and counties reported a drop in new cases, and the CECC expects fewer than 50,000 new cases today. The center said that 150 of
LIMIT: The CECC has capped the number of weekly arrivals to 25,000, which critics said has limited the number of available flights and caused ticket prices to soar The government is not likely to raise the cap on the number of inbound travelers before the end of this month, despite the apparent effect on the number of inbound flights, Minister of Transportation and Communications Wang Kwo-tsai (王國材) said yesterday. The Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) on Wednesday last week eased quarantine rules for inbound travelers, who must undergo three days of home quarantine upon arrival and spend another four days in self-initiated disease prevention. It also capped the number of inbound travelers to 25,000 per week. The weekly limit has drawn criticism that it has limited the number of flights