China has begun issuing a new wave of verbal threats against Taiwan, even before stirrings about a "secret envoy" to China have died down. China issued two attacks on officials in Taiwan last week, taking aim at people ranging from Vice President-elect Annette Lu (呂秀蓮), Academia Sinica President Lee Yuan-tseh (李遠哲) to MAC Vice Chairman Lin Chong-pin (林中斌).
All responded to the charges, fearful that China's accusations that they are "splittists" or "involved with the CIA" might tarnish their reputations.
The attack was based on the transcript of an internal meeting with Wang Daohan (
The information was first leaked to one media outlet as an exclusive story. Other print and electronic media later ran the story, amplifying the effect of the news.
For people working in the media, the scariest part of the reports was the last part of Wang' s speech: "We must utilize all the people we can, and also the media and the Internet. Promote those [sympathetic to our cause], and divide all others."
He clearly spelled out that he was interested in manipulating the media, but Taiwan's media took his bait anyway. Either media professionals in Taiwan need brain transplants, or they willingly served as lackeys to China. Otherwise, why would they use this "exclusive story" to scare and divide their own people -- it defies logic.
The media in Taiwan lacks vigilance against a belligerent and irresponsible China, a communist nation that has proved itself time and again to be untrustworthy.
The media in Taiwan must use its judgement in reporting on this conflict between a transparent and pluralistic Taiwan and a closed and opaque China.
Under current conditions, Taiwan has to silently suffer verbal attacks, military threats and war propaganda emanating from the other side of the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan is not in a position to retaliate and accurate reports on the benefits that Taiwan's political system brings to its people are unable to reach China's population.
The Chinese public is kept in the dark by the government -- it is an unfair struggle, and a situation that we must remain wary of.
We can expect increasingly severe attacks from China up until May 20. Could Taiwan's media somehow develop an immunity to these attacks and stop itself being manipulated? Perhaps this will only happen when the media raises its standards of judgement to prevent itself from becoming a sounding board for mainland propaganda assaults.
It is reported that Taiwan's government officials are among the best educated in the world, but they lack self-confidence and are as guilty as the media in dancing to China's tune.
But it is the Taiwanese people themselves who must also learn to ignore China's lies. They cannot rely on the media to screen out malicious information from the Communist propaganda machine designed to destabilize their own country.
Maybe it is time that Taiwan's intellectuals step forward and launch another newspaper boycott -- as was the case 10 years ago when the United Daily News injudiciously printed stories that appeared to be designed to stir up fear in Taiwan. Irresponsible media that serve China's interests should be swept into the garbage can and forgotten.
Rick Chu is the associate editor in chief of the Taipei Times.
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