Journalism in Taiwan is more interesting than in France, say a group of aspiring French reporters who have just completed a two-week internship program in Taiwan.
The interns said in an interview that the warmth of the Taiwanese had disarmed them and completely changed their views about the country.
“It's very interesting to do interviews with local people because they are very kind and nice and they let us ask questions for hours, while people in France would just stop you after 10 minutes,” said Maud Noyon, one of the interns.
The program, the first of its kind organized by the Government Information Office (GIO), brought 17 aspiring reporters from the renowned Journalism Training Center (CFPJ) in Paris to Taiwan for a two-week internship.
The students, who are in their second year at the institute, were required to report on Taiwanese subjects. Their articles will be published in the school magazine as well as submitted to other French media.
Nyon said that on her travels to Chiayi, Kaohsiung and other places in southern Taiwan, the people she interviewed were much nicer and warmer than the French, whom she described as aloof.
“Sometimes it was quite overwhelming because we are not used to it. The French are not very kind, especially to journalists,” she said.
Another intern, Baptiste Touverey, said his view of Taiwanese had changed after several interesting conversations with local residents.
“It's a big surprise. They are not just kind, but also funny and witty,” Touverey said. “I never imagined that Taiwanese had such a good sense of humor.”
He said there was a stereotype of Taiwanese as being very serious.
Noyon agreed, saying that despite the language barrier, many of the people they interviewed tried to make jokes, which made her feel welcome.
Asked about the difficulties they encountered during their work, Marion Cocquet, who wrote feature stories on Taiwan's education system and cram schools, said that the language barrier was the biggest problem.
“It can be really frustrating because I felt that they had things to say to me, but they could only explain in simple words,” Cocquet said, adding that this made it difficult for her to determine the interviewees' feelings on certain issues.
The French students all said they had fallen for the kindness of the people in Taiwan and would love to return.
Founded in 1946 by two journalists, Philippe Viannet and Jacques Richet, the CFPJ has become one of the most prestigious journalism institutions in Europe.
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS