Six television news channels were fined a total of NT$1.2 million (US$41,148) for contravening the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視) with their reports of a man threatening to poison people who eat shark fin soup.
The man, identified as Shih Po-han (施伯翰), who call shimself “protectsharksman” (護鯊哥), reportedly sent fake severed arms to stores selling dried shark fins.
Earlier this year, Shih made a video in which he threatened to poison all shark fin soup eaters. The video drew wide media coverage.
“I will poison rich people who like to eat shark fins. I will kill them all... I have sent 1,300 of my warriors to all restaurants selling shark fin soup and stores selling dried shark fins. They have been charged with putting fatal poison in shark fin soup,” Shih said in the video.
After receiving public complaints about the media coverage, the National Communications Commission (NCC) on Jan. 31 recorded broadcast reports about Shih’s video and asked an independent committee composed of media experts and civic group representatives to review the video.
The committee ruled that Next TV News, ERA TV News, CTi TV News, Sanlih TV News and Formosa TV News, as well as Formosa TV on the terrestrial TV service should be fined NT$200,000 each.
TVBS News received only a warning for its report on the video.
NCC spokesman Weng Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said the six news channels that have been fined have quoted words of menace from Shih’s video posted on Facebook.
Viewers could imitate him and even be motivated to commit crimes as well, Weng said.
These stations contravened the Satellite Broadcasting Act by disrupting social order, he said.
TVBS News on Feb. 4 also reported on Shih’s video, but did not include the full content of the video and filtered out some of the offensive language, Weng said.
The committee therefore deemed its infringement of the act to be minor, he said.
News channels should properly handle content involving violence, bloodshed and menace, the NCC said, adding that the TV news stations should evaluate if some of these controversial materials should be edited out in post-production.
In related news, Fox Crime channel is facing a NT$400,000 fine for violating the nation’s TV rating system regulations.
The channel aired an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Las Vegas that was classified as “Protected,” which allows viewing by children six years or older with parental guidance.
However, the episode displayed a gory scene, in which a crime victim was stabbed to death, which was incongruent with content allowed in P-rated programs.
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