CtiTV was yesterday again fined NT$1 million (US$32,420) by the National Communications Commission, this time for failing to verify the information a pomelo farmer gave during a political talk show before airing it.
The news story was seen as the reason the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the legislative by-election in Tainan, a traditional DPP stronghold, by only a narrow margin.
The penalty came after it was fined NT$1 million at the end of last month for failing to adhere to fact-verification guidelines stipulated in the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法).
According to the commission, the host of CtiTV’s Political Gossip (大政治大爆卦) interviewed a pomelo farmer in a program that aired on March 8.
The farmer said that the price of pomelo was so low last year that 2 million tonnes of the fruit had to be dumped into the Zengwen Reservoir (曾文水庫).
Other farmers standing near the interviewee said that they had not received the subsidies that they had applied for.
The host turned the statements from the interviewee into a “news report” without first verifying the authenticity of the information with another source, the commission said.
The station also wrote the headline for the story without verifying what the farmer had said, which showed that the station’s news editing desk was not functioning as it should, it said.
Although the Council of Agriculture and other farmers have filed complaints about the story, CtiTV had only issued a correction about the subsidies and did not correct the dumping statement, the commission said, adding that this has severely disrupted the agricultural market.
Meanwhile, CtiTV News broadcast a story on March 12 about the proposal to raise pandas in Kaohsiung’s Shoushan Zoo, in which the reporter compared pandas with Formosan black bears and concluded that the former were cuter than the latter, the commission said.
“The news report could mislead the public about the right way to preserve and protect wildlife. We have asked the CtiTV to strictly enforce its self-disciplinary mechanism and demonstrate professionalism in reporting this type of topic. The station is also asked to use this particular story as a case for its internal training,” the commission said.
CtiTV said it found the ruling unacceptable and filed an administrative lawsuit, adding that it has sued commission officials for malfeasance.
In other news, Asia Pacific Telecom and Taiwan Mobile were yesterday fined NT$1.8 million each, because Asia Pacific has been using Taiwan Mobile’s networks without first securing the commission’s approval.
Asia Pacific Telecom had been using the 3G and 4G networks built by Taiwan Mobile, which the commission deemed illegal.
Before yesterday’s penalty, each had accumulated fines of NT$14.7 million.
Since Oct. 31, Asia Pacific Telecom had stopped using the Taiwan Mobile’s 4G network, the commission said.
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
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
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
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