National Communications Commission (NCC) yesterday asked TVBS Media to offer a formal explanation as to why it removed an interview with American Institute in Taiwan Chairman James Moriarty from its Web site after broadcasting it just once on cable television before the local elections in November last year.
The commission made the request after a preliminary review of a proposed change of management at the broadcaster.
Following the retirement of former chairman Harvey Chang (張孝威) in September, the company’s board has named VIA Technologies chairman Chen Wen-chi (陳文琦) as chairman and Arthur Ting (丁廣鋐) as vice chairman.
However, the change must be approved by the NCC.
NCC commissioners invited Chen and Ting to answer questions about the proposed changes, NCC chief secretary and acting spokesperson Hsiao Chi-hung (蕭祈宏) said.
Chen on Tuesday told the commissioners that he does not know how the network’s news channel reached the decision to remove the interview from its Web site, as he was not the chairman at the time, Hsiao said, adding that the network did not provide further information about the matter.
The commission raised other questions about the proposal, including why Ting is not involved in the operations of the network, given that he owns a 35 percent stake in it, Hsiao said.
Commissioners also asked Chen whether he tried to interfere with news production, following multiple media reports that he frequently visited the newsroom, Hsiao said.
Chen said that he stopped by the newsroom to understand how its broadcast equipment worked, the commission said.
Commissioners also asked why the network had left the position of company president vacant and why Chen needs to assume the positions of chairman and president at the same time, Hsiao added.
The commission said the president should have experience in news media and oversee daily operations of the news channel, Hsiao added.
In the exclusive interview, Moriarty said that “there obviously are attempts by external powers here in Taiwan to try and alter the debate and to spread false information, and those are dangerous.”
Local Chinese-language media have reported that footage of the interview was nowhere to be found after it was broadcast.
In related news, the commission yesterday revealed how major news channels covered politicians in August.
While Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), who is the Chinese National Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, still dominated the air waves in terms of the number of news stories, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) ranked first in terms of news time allocated to him, the NCC said.
The coverage of Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) and former KMT chairwoman Hung Hsiu-chu (洪秀柱) surged during the period, as they are to compete for the legislative seat in Tainan’s sixth electoral district, it said.
In terms of air time dedicated to the coverage of politicians, the commission found that CtiTV has reduced the time spent on Han from 88.31 percent of the news time in March to 45.16 percent in August, and spent 25.77 percent of the time on Ko.
This indicated that the channel still focused on covering Han, the commission said.
An increase in Taiwanese boats using China-made automatic identification systems (AIS) could confuse coast guards patrolling waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast and become a loophole in the national security system, sources familiar with the matter said yesterday. Taiwan ADIZ, a Facebook page created by enthusiasts who monitor Chinese military activities in airspace and waters off Taiwan’s southwest coast, on Saturday identified what seemed to be a Chinese cargo container ship near Penghu County. The Coast Guard Administration went to the location after receiving the tip and found that it was a Taiwanese yacht, which had a Chinese AIS installed. Similar instances had also
GOOD DIPLOMACY: The KMT has maintained close contact with representative offices in Taiwan and had extended an invitation to Russia as well, the KMT said The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) would “appropriately handle” the fallout from an invitation it had extended to Russia’s representative to Taipei to attend its international banquet last month, KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday. US and EU representatives in Taiwan boycotted the event, and only later agreed to attend after the KMT rescinded its invitation to the Russian representative. The KMT has maintained long-term close contact with all representative offices and embassies in Taiwan, and had extended the invitation as a practice of good diplomacy, Chu said. “Some EU countries have expressed their opinions of Russia, and the KMT respects that,” he
VIGILANCE: The military is paying close attention to actions that might damage peace and stability in the region, the deputy minister of national defense said The People’s Republic of China (PRC) might consider initiating a hack on Taiwanese networks on May 20, the day of the inauguration ceremony of president-elect William Lai (賴清德), sources familiar with cross-strait issues said. While US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken’s statement of the US expectation “that all sides will conduct themselves with restraint and prudence in the period ahead” would prevent military actions by China, Beijing could still try to sabotage Taiwan’s inauguration ceremony, the source said. China might gain access to the video screens outside of the Presidential Office Building and display embarrassing messages from Beijing, such as congratulating Lai
Four China Coast Guard ships briefly sailed through prohibited waters near Kinmen County, Taipei said, urging Beijing to stop actions that endanger navigation safety. The Chinese ships entered waters south of Kinmen, 5km from the Chinese city of Xiamen, at about 3:30pm on Monday, the Coast Guard Administration said in a statement later the same day. The ships “sailed out of our prohibited and restricted waters” about an hour later, the agency said, urging Beijing to immediately stop “behavior that endangers navigation safety.” Ministry of National Defense spokesman Sun Li-fang (孫立方) yesterday told reporters that Taiwan would boost support to the Coast Guard