Online news outlet Storm Media (風傳媒) yesterday said it has acquired 100 percent stakes in the Chinese-language weekly magazine The Journalist (新新聞) and Taiwan Indicator Survey Research (台灣指標民調), adding that the merger would create synergy and expand the influence of its news reportage.
It is the first time in Taiwan that a traditional news outlet was acquired by an online news site.
Storm Media said in a press release that the acquisition was made through a technology company owned by its founder, David Chang (張果軍).
Following the merger, Storm Media said it will increase the capital of The Journalist and TISR by NT$48.5 million (US$1.58 million) and NT$4 million respectively.
Although the Internet has completely changed the media industry, the media still need to respond to social trends and create a rational space for public discussion, Chang said.
The news team jointly formed by Storm Media and The Journalist will continue to adhere to the ideals of being a forerunner in free press and laying the foundations for a democratic society, Chang said.
Chang said in an interview with Storm Media that the nation still has room for a magazine dedicated to the coverage of Taiwan’s political scene.
There will not be any change in management following the merger, Storm Media said, adding that all three units will continue to operate independently.
However, there will be more opportunities for the three entities’ teams to work together and exchange ideas, it said.
The online news outlet said that surveys published by TISR have been closely monitored by the governments in Taiwan, China, Hong Kong and Macau, such as its Taiwan Mood Barometer Survey.
The Journalist published its first edition on March 12, 1987 — six months after the Democratic Progressive Party was established, Storm Media said.
The magazine, which labels itself as a free and independent news agency, was a source of objective information that people accessed when the nation’s authoritarian regime was on the brink of collapse, Storm Media said.
The Journalist deputy managing editor Marshall Chen (陳東豪) said that Taiwanese online media outlets lacked in-depth and critical analysis of events.
A weekly news magazine would gradually lose its competitiveness if it continues to stand alone without an online outlet, Chen said.
Online news media can transmit information instantly, incorporate audiovisual content in the presentation of news and interact with readers through social media, Chen said, adding that a news magazine, in contrast, offers in-depth news reportage.
The partnership between Storm Media and The Journalist would be beneficial for both news outlets, he said.
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
A magnitude 5.3 earthquake struck Kaohsiung at 1pm today, the Central Weather Administration said. The epicenter was in Jiasian District (甲仙), 72.1km north-northeast of Kaohsiung City Hall, at a depth of 7.8km, agency data showed. There were no immediate reports of damage. The earthquake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in Kaohsiung and Tainan, where it measured a 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale. It also measured a 3 in parts of Chiayi City, as well as Pingtung, Yunlin and Hualien counties, data showed.
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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