The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday fined three TV news channels for their “graphic” coverage of schoolyard bullying.
ETTV News, TVBS News and TVBS were punished for serious offenses and fined a total of NT$1.2 million (US$40,816) for violating the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法).
Jason Ho (何吉森), director of the commission’s communications content department, said the commission received complaints last year regarding TV news coverage of a female junior high school student in Taoyuan who was being bullied by other students. The commission turned the case over to an independent content review committee formed by media experts and professors not affiliated with the commission.
Although 12 cable news channels covered the incident, only the three stations were fined because of the seriousness of their offenses, Ho said.
ETTV News was fined NT$300,000, while the TVBS Network was fined a total of NT$900,000, because the same coverage appeared in three programs including the evening news on TVBS News as well as the evening news and 2100 Talk Show (2100全民開講) on TVBS.
“In the case of ETTV News, while the channel pixelated the face and body parts of the student, one could still see clearly how she was being bullied. The footage also showed what the bullies were saying as they collectively tortured the victim,” adding that similar problems were found in the TVBS footage.
The 14-member committee held a meeting on Feb. 11 in which they voted on whether to penalize the stations for violating Article 17 of the act, which states that “the content of the programs transmitted by domestic and foreign satellite broadcasting shall not impair the physical or mental health of children or juveniles.”
In related news, the commission again turned down a proposal allowing Chunghwa Telecom to incorporate the outlying islands of Matsu, Kinmen, Penghu and Wuciou (烏坵) into the call service areas of Taipei, Greater Kaohsiung, Greater Tainan and Greater Taichung respectively.
Earlier this year, the legislature’s Transportation Committee passed a resolution requiring the measure to take effect on April 1. The resolution also said the entire nation would be incorporated into one large service area starting next year.
“What it [the company] proposed was simply a special offer to residents of the outlying islands,” NCC spokesperson Chen Jeng-chang (陳正倉) said.
“While residents of outlying islands would be charged NT$1.6 every three minutes for calls to Taiwan proper, those calling from Taiwan would be charged long-distance call rates, or NT$5.7 every three minutes,” Chen said, adding that such a proposal was unfair to residents of Taiwan proper.
The commission asked that the plan be resubmitted.
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