The National Communications Commission (NCC) confirmed yesterday that it has received more than 500 complaints over CtiTV’s talk show News Tornado (新聞龍捲風) after one of its invited guests used allegedly contemptuous terms to describe a female participant in the Sunflower movement in an episode aired on Friday.
Huang Chin-yi (黃金益), director of the commission’s communication content department, said the content from the episode will be delivered to an independent content review committee for review.
The program upset many netizens after one of the guests, Peng Hua-gan (彭華幹), commented on the appearance of a female participant named Johanne Liou (劉喬安) in the March 30 demonstration against the government’s handling of the agreement.
Many filed online complaints to the commission over the weekend, which at one point made it difficult to refresh the Web page.
In his description, Peng specifically mentioned that Liou wore a “provocative” low-cut shirt, hot pants and thigh-high boots, which he said made her look “super hot.”
He moved his hands over the photograph as if to suggest he was going to unbutton her shirt.
“I know democracy is a non-negotiable asset, but who cares about the service trade pact after we see you?” Peng said.
A netizen named Kuo Huai-chin (郭懷今) said she could not bear to watch the program because the commentator was “super gross and shameless,” adding that the media outlet was garbage and a national disgrace.
Another netizen identifying himself as Hong Jr. Chen said that the “smear campaign” was a strategy of the Want Want China Times Group, to which CtiTV belongs, and was intended to denigrate the student movement.
In response to Peng’s remarks, Liou posted on Facebook that she did not intend to draw people’s attention to her or to her attire.
“I was wearing short suit trousers, not hot pants. The shirt was designed that way. I had buttoned up my shirt completely and wore a vest inside. I didn’t want to expose too much of my thighs so I wore thigh-high boots,” she wrote.
“I just turned 29 yesterday [Saturday]. If I wanted to become famous, I would have done it 10 years ago. I was there purely to support the students. I was touched that they are standing up for what they believe in and refusing to make compromises,” she added.
CtiTV issued a statement saying the program used only “normal” and “positive” terms to describe the woman.
“What the commentator said was all factually correct and he did not use any derogatory terms... It was then followed with terms used by men to express their admirations for the woman online,” the statement said.
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
RSS