Media distracted by gossip
With the presidential and legislative elections over, it is a busy time for top government leaders to discuss new Cabinet members, and the handover of legislative affairs and national policies. Nevertheless, some news coverage has been out of touch, continuing to report on insignificant trivia.
For example, some media have focused on a female security guard of vice president-elect Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴), discussing how attractive she is, while praising the woman who used to be a host of the famous military education show Twilight Garden (莒光園地) as a highlight of the nation’s armed services.
The public might be used to this kind of gossip news, but what is the point of reporting such things? Irrespective of whether a presidential or vice presidential security guard is a military or police officer and regardless of their gender, whether the person is “good-looking” has nothing to do with their job as a guard. It seems only natural that a female president or vice president would have female personnel in their security detail.
What we should really care about is the person’s professionalism and skill in protecting a president or vice president, and whether they can serve as a buffer between the president or vice president and the public.
In the past, a male security guard of President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) was dubbed “special agent Andy Lau” (劉德華) for his similarity to the Hong Kong superstar, and two female guards were nicknamed “Little Black” (小黑) and “Little White” (小白) respectively because of their skin tones. Maybe they are adored by the public because they look dashing and spirited.
However, when they are on duty, they need to be fully focused, keep an eye on the whole scene and respond to any emergencies at any time. They are not here for a personal fan meeting, and the media should respect their professionalism and allow them to do their job. No one can afford to let the security work go wrong.
Hopefully, before Tsai leaves office on May 20, the media and public can understand this, which should be continued in the era of president-elect William Lai (賴清德) and Hsiao.
Hung Yu-jui
Taichung
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