Media studies experts yesterday criticized the National Communications Commission’s (NCC) proposed amendment to the Satellite Radio and Television Act (衛星廣播電視法), saying that although it contained good intentions, it would be difficult for the commission to execute.
Hu Yu-wei (胡幼偉), a professor at National Taiwan Normal University’s Communication Graduate Institute, questioned the viability of new regulations asking TV news channels to establish ethics committees to regulate news quality. He also mentioned problems with the proposed “fact-checking” mechanism and its rules on embedded marketing in TV news.
“What most news channels will be asking now is: How am I going to use these stories paid for by my advertisers and not get caught?” Hu said, adding that the commission would have a hard time determining embedded marketing in journalism as standard evaluations are in dispute.
Hu said all news channels knew the government was the biggest sponsor of TV stations. However, the Satellite Radio and Television Act did not prevent the government from tampering with the content of TV news.
He said that proper use of the government budget should be listed in the Budget Act (預算法), including banning the practice of embedded marketing.
Former Government Information Office deputy director-general Hong Chong-jan (洪瓊娟) said the amendment was too detailed in describing violations, leaving the government no wiggle room to produce TV or radio materials that serve the public interest, such as programs about disease prevention and control and the government’s assistance for foreign spouses.
Hong said the minimum penalty for violations was NT$300,000 and that there was no stipulation that a warning must be issued to a TV station before it was fined.
Hu and Hung made their views known at a hearing hosted by the National Press Council.
Representatives from cable TV news channels, including ERA News, Public Television Service, TVBS, GTV, Formosa News, SET-TV, Unique Satellite TV and China Television, as well as National Communications Commission member Weng Hsiao-ling (翁曉玲), attended the hearing.
Representatives from the channels all said that their stations have their own self-disciplinary mechanism and guidelines for controlling the quality of news. They said that further regulation by the NCC was unnecessary and impeded freedom of the press.
Weng said the NCC had suggested that the regulations on embedded marketing be listed in the Budget Act, but the idea was rejected in a cross-departmental meeting.
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