With the Russian invasion of Ukraine highlighting concerns that Taiwan might be next to be attacked, the erroneous airing of news tickers announcing that Chinese missiles had struck New Taipei City on the Chinese Television System (CTS) aroused the interest of international media.
CTS is part of the Taiwan Broadcasting System (TBS), along with Public Television Service (PTS), which last month revealed that a contractor in February had mistakenly deleted news clips from its digital archive. The mistakes at these stations must be attributed to systemic problems within TBS.
Squabbling between the pan-blue and pan-green camps has left the Taiwan Public Television Service Foundation without its quota of members for a management team or board of directors, which should have been filled in 2019. For the past two years, they have had to fare with term extensions and acting members.
The management team’s hands are tied, and unable to make changes, they are obliged to follow precedent. The Ministry of Culture, as the overseeing authority, must resolve the structural problems in the organization.
The National Communications Commission (NCC) needs to determine whether the news ticker errors contravened the Radio and Television Act (廣播電視法), which states: “The contents of radio/television programs shall not … disrupt public order or adversely affect good social customs.”
Taiwan has 18 television news channels serving 9 million households, making it one of the highest-density markets in the world. Fierce competition for advertising and viewers has led to a deterioration in quality and diversity of content. This has been a disservice to viewers for many years.
News media are intended to provide public oversight, but the current crop of TV programs and daily political talk shows have been hijacked by the pan-blue and pan-green political parties, exacerbating social divisions.
Hosts unbeholden to term limits exploit their influence to maximize their interests, some promoting the “blue fighters” and blurring the boundaries between media and politics. Others defend the policies of the government of the day, irrespective of the party in power.
The NCC should establish a transparent year-by-year evaluation system and a six-year license renewal review to remove poorly performing news channels from the market and attract better ones.
Second, it should limit the evening chat-style political opinion programs to 30 minutes and introduce more international news reports to expand awareness of global issues.
Third, it should implement a regular license renewal system to encourage talking head shows to introduce more diverse content that explores major issues such as education, housing, the aging population, international politics and finance, or by featuring guests from diverse backgrounds. The hosts should also be regularly changed to better address audience’s needs.
The NCC should not approve more news channels until these reforms are implemented.
The commission has reluctantly granted a license to Mirror TV’s news station, with a number of provisions attached along with a probationary period, during which it has changed directors on several occasions. There is reason to believe it has contravened other conditions.
Additionally, one of its major shareholders has ties with banks and was involved in a financial scandal, going against the principle of separating news media from the financial entities they cover.
The NCC has an opportunity to address these issues, and it should take it.
Jang Show-ling is an adjunct professor in National Taiwan University’s economics department.
Translated by Paul Cooper
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