CtiTV News (中天新聞) dedicated 70 percent of its airtime in May to Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.
The commission conducted an audit of news reporting by 11 media companies in May, finding that nine of them reported most frequently on Han, it said yesterday.
Taiwan Television (台視), China Television (中視), Chinese Television System (華視), Next TV (壹電視), Era News (年代新聞), EBC News (東森), CtiTV, Formosa Television (民視), Sanlih Entertainment Television (三立), TVBS and Global News (寰宇新聞) were all audited, it said.
The NCC conducted the audit between May 21 and 27, from 12pm to 1pm and 7pm to 8pm daily, NCC Department of Broadcasting and Content specialist Chen Shu-ming (陳書銘) said.
CtiTV dedicated the most airtime to Han, and it gave 60 percent more airtime to Han than to its next most-broadcast politicians, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) and President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), the NCC said, adding that Ko and Tsai each received about 9 percent of CtiTV’s airtime.
Taiwan Television allocated most of its airtime to Ko and Chinese Television System focused mostly on former premier William Lai (賴清德), while the other stations focused predominantly on Han, he said.
TVBS also gave the second-greatest amount of airtime to Ko, allocating him about 20 percent, the NCC said.
In March, the NCC gave CtiTV a deadline to effect improvements, included providing more balanced reporting of politicians, it said.
Meanwhile, a report yesterday in Britain’s Financial Times said that reporting by CtiTV was one-sided in favor of the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT), and that it did not report on national news related to President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), such as her visit to diplomatic allies in the Caribbean.
CtiTV and other media outlets under the Want Want China Times Media Group (旺旺中時集團) received instructions directly from China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, the Times quoted a CtiTV reporter as saying, on condition of anonymity.
“They call every day. They don’t meddle in everything, mainly topics related to cross-strait relations and to China. They have a say in the angle of the story and whether it goes on the front page,” the reporter said.
The Times said China plans to have Han Kuo-yu elected and has enlisted Taiwanese media to help.
Han has rejected the allegations, but there is evidence that Want Want is behind his campaign, such as when it sent reporters and editorial managers to Kaohsiung before the mayoral election in November last year, the paper said.
The Republic of China (ROC) is celebrating its 114th Double Ten National Day today, featuring military parades and a variety of performances and speeches in front of the Presidential Office in Taipei. The Taiwan Taiko Association opened the celebrations with a 100-drummer performance, including young percussionists. As per tradition, an air force Mirage 2000 fighter jet flew over the Presidential Office as a part of the performance. The Honor Guards of the ROC and its marching band also heralded in a military parade. Students from Taichung's Shin Min High School then followed with a colorful performance using floral imagery to represent Taiwan's alternate name
COGNITIVE WARFARE: Chinese fishing boats transmitting fake identification signals are meant to test Taiwan’s responses to different kinds of perceived incursions, a report said Chinese vessels are transmitting fake signals in Taiwan’s waters as a form of cognitive warfare, testing Taipei’s responses to various types of incursions, a report by the Institute for the Study of War said on Friday. Several Chinese fishing vessels transmitted fake automatic identification system (AIS) signals in Taiwan’s waters last month, with one mimicking a Russian warship and another impersonating a Chinese law enforcement vessel, the report said. Citing data from Starboard Maritime Intelligence, the report said that throughout August and last month, the Chinese fishing boat Minshiyu 06718 (閩獅漁06718) sailed through the Taiwan Strait while intermittently transmitting its own AIS
CHINESE INFILTRATION: Medical logistics is a lifeline during wartime and the reported CCP links of a major logistics company present a national security threat, an expert said The government would bolster its security check system to prevent China from infiltrating the nation’s medical cold chain, a national security official said yesterday. The official, who wished to stay anonymous, made the remarks after the Chinese-language magazine Mirror Media (鏡周刊) reported that Pharma Logistics (嘉里醫藥物流) is in charge of the medical logistics of about half of the nation’s major hospitals, including National Taiwan University Hospital and Taipei Veterans General Hospital. The company’s parent, Kerry TJ Logistics Co (嘉里大榮物流), is associated with the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) and the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA), the
COVETED PRIZE: The US president would be a peace prize laureate should he persuade Xi Jinping to abandon military aggression against Taiwan, William Lai said US President Donald Trump should get the Nobel Peace Prize should he be able to convince Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) to abandon the use of force against Taiwan, President William Lai (賴清德) told a conservative US radio show and podcast in an interview. The US is Taiwan’s most important international backer, despite the absence of formal ties, but since Trump took office earlier this year he has not announced any new arms sales to the nation. Trump could meet Xi at the APEC summit in South Korea on Oct. 31 and Nov. 1. Lai, speaking on The Clay Travis and Buck Sexton