As Broadcasting Corp of China chairman and TVBS talk show host, Jaw Shaw-kong (趙少康) should abide by Article 1 of the National Communications Commission Organization Act (國家通訊傳播委員會組織法), which says that media professionals should “uphold the philosophy of separating the political parties, government, and military from the mass media.”
Media personalities such as Jaw should play the role of the fourth estate by making fair and objective commentary on public policies.
However, Jaw on Wednesday last week traveled to Nantou County in his capacity as a media personality to support a Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) legislative by-election candidate, former Nantou County commissioner Lin Ming-chen (林明溱). It was not the first time that Jaw has straddled the spheres of politics and media to unlawfully support KMT candidates.
Ahead of the local elections last year, Jaw used the radio and TV programs that he hosts as a platform for KMT candidates belonging to its “blue fighters” faction, which he set up in September 2021. He also traveled throughout the country to help campaign for those candidates and brazenly uploaded videos of those activities onto his Web site.
After the elections, he invited more than 70 newly elected officials for whom he had campaigned to a celebratory Christmas dinner.
The Central Election Commission (CEC), the National Communications Commission (NCC) and prosecutors have so far failed to investigate and punish Jaw for his unlawful behavior before and after the elections. This apparently encouraged him to get up to his old tricks again by overtly intervening in political activities connected with the legislative by-election in Nantou on Saturday last week, and it seems likely that when it comes to next year’s presidential and legislative elections, he will once again do as he pleases in defiance of laws and regulations.
If the government fails to tackle and punish such unlawful activities, it might have serious consequences. Other TV presenters, such as Arthur Hsieh (謝震武), Ines Chen (陳凝觀) and Eric Cheng (鄭弘儀), might feel emboldened to follow suit and use their clout as a bargaining chip for electoral politics or commercial interests.
If that happens, how can Taiwanese expect elections to be fair so that honest and capable candidates can win?
As Jaw is so keen on politics, he should quit his media jobs and concentrate on politics instead.
When the NCC reviews TV broadcasting licenses, which are usually valid for six years, it should include legal infringements committed by the TV stations in its assessment.
There should also be a limited-tenure system for TV show hosts so that new generations can step up and reflect real public opinion. After all, Jaw is in his 70s, so how can he know what younger people are thinking?
The public should firmly and angrily tell senior executives at TV stations that give Jaw a platform to ask him not to get involved in politics and create social strife for his own selfish purposes.
The NCC and the CEC should work together to amend the law to prohibit TV stations from unfairly supporting or undermining candidates in the run-up to elections, and set penalties for those that do so. The authorities should also investigate improper behind-the-scenes involvement of any domestic and foreign political or economic forces.
Jang Show-ling is an adjunct professor in National Taiwan University’s Department of Economics.
Translated by Julian Clegg
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