Tue, Oct 15, 2002 page8

• The role of the media in Twu/Tu foolishness

  • By Liu Kuan-teh 劉冠德
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  The recent scandal involving wrongful accusations against the acting head opf the Department of Health Twu Shiing-jer (涂醒哲) illustrated the need to re-examine the role of Taiwan's media in the political arena. Most media organizations issued their verdict before any trial had been held and labeled Twu a sexual harasser. The relationship between politicians and the media deserves more attention, having become overly political and devoid of morality.

  The lifting of the ban on the freedom of the press in the late 1980s was the beginning of a new era for Taiwan's media. The media have served as watchdogs over government and individual conduct and they deserve credit for playing this role.

  In the way that things often become politicized here, however, the media have gradually lost their focus. As a result, we have on several occasions seen the media work with a lack of professionalism and an overemphasis on trivial inside stories.

  What lessons have we learned from the most recent farce? First of all, the media and politicians believed that newspapers and TV news were all-powerful. But they were wrong. Both believed that politicians could be very effective in manipulating what the media say. Wrong again. They were deeply convinced that the media could easily sway voters. Still wrong.

  Because of this biased media culture, everybody with a stake in the matter automatically fell into the typical cycle of political maneuvering. As a result, the credibility of both politicians and the media was undermined and the people have finally learned how to get at the truth.

  The media overstates its power to shape public opinion, while politicians and their spin doctors overstate their ability to influence the media.

  The fact is that the public, with all their hopes, fears, dreams and anxieties, live in the real world. But the media and politicians are not very good at figuring out how to behave toward them. Sometimes the media play a key role in bringing the private pains and needs of real people to public attention. But the media aren't good at prioritizing the public's concerns or figuring out how best to serve them.

  So it is up to politicians to spin the news. Once a politician has floated his or her issues, the media convey them to the public. But, out of sheer hubris, the media overestimate their influence on the public. News editors, reporters and call-in show hosts think they can drive issues to the top of the list of the public's priorities. But the evidence shows that it is often the public who decides on its priorities independently. People make up their own minds about to what they care to pay attention, disregarding what the media put on the top of their newslists. The public knows best.

  After a series of attempts by politicians to spin the news, people have become greatly suspicious of the media and increasingly sophisticated in spotting its attempts at manipulation. The public now sees the media as a kind of special-interest group, no more objective than nor independent than any other groups in society. This is not a constructive development for an open and democratic society like Taiwan. Let's hope we can learn from it.

  Liu Kuan-teh is a Taipei-based political commentator.
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