The National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday approved an application by Next TV for an operational license for a news channel on the condition that it establish a cross-media ethics committee within six months after the network acquires the license.
The network filed the application in 2009 and it had been rejected twice by the NCC.
NCC spokesperson Chen Jeng-chang (陳正倉) said the commission had given four reasons when it first rejected the network’s application.
“None of the doubts that we had about the application exist any longer and the network has made improvements,” Chen said. “The commission therefore decided to grant the license.”
The commission rejected the network’s first application on the grounds that the news content presented trampled human dignity by simulating crimes which in turn caused additional harm to the victims. The commission also regarded the news content as “docudrama,” which it said contradicted the professionalism expected of news media.
In addition, the guidelines governing the network’s animated news violated the nation’s regulations on general rating programs. The content shown in the samples submitted further contradicted the guidelines the network set for itself.
Chen said the commission had reviewed sample clips submitted by the network, as well as those recorded by commission staff after the network resubmitted its application. The time used to broadcast animated news accounted for less than 3 percent of the time for all the reviewed materials.
Chen said the commission found that animation was used in different types of news, including health, crime, finance and international news, which differs from the general public’s perception that animation is used in crime news only.
Nor did the commission find that the network was trying to tell stories in the manner of “docudramas,” he said.
Chen said the commission had invited both Next Media Group chairman Jimmy Lai (黎智英) and Next TV chairman Chu Wai-hui (朱華煦) to visit the commission yesterday, adding that Lai had made seven promises.
Lai said the group would create a cross-media ethics committee within six months after it was granted the license for a news channel.
Chen said the commission had made this specific condition as the only incidental provision that came with the approval of the license. According to Article 123 of the Administrative Procedure Act (行政程序法), the commission is entitled to revoke the approval if Next TV fails to perform the provision imposed on it.
“The network said it is planning to invite some well-known media researchers to serve on the committee,” Chen said. “This would greatly reduce the concerns that people may have about the contents presented on Next TV.”
Lai also said that whatever content aired on Next TV in future would be consistent with that -reviewed by the commission, which will be used as a minimum standard of quality.
Meanwhile, Lai promised that animation would not be used to portray stories involving sex, violence or nudity. He also said that animation would be applied to represent the truth and would be used with discretion, adding there would be no voiceovers for characters in the animation. The plots of the animation will be arranged based on factual details, he said.
Lai said the group would submit the guidelines governing the use of online sources to the commission by Aug. 1, adding that all the supplementary information submitted during application process could be regarded as promises to the commission.
The group said in a written response to questions from the commission that animated news would not exceed 15 percent of the content of a one-hour news program.
Those promises not listed as incidental provisions will be viewed as part of the channel’s operational plan, which will be reviewed by the commission as part of its biennial evaluation.
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