The Taiwan Broadcasting System (TBS) yesterday expressed regret and promised greater discipline after a Hakka TV reporter was allegedly hired by former Hualien county commissioner Fu Kun-chi to produce reports promoting his administration’s achievements.
The reporter, surnamed Chang (張), was never assigned to take part in any government tenders and his supervisor was unaware of his involvement in the case, TBS said in a statement.
Fu had organized a closed tender to create a “media database to promote county government policies,” the Chinese-language Mirror Media magazine reported on Wednesday, adding that reporters from at least 14 media outlets — including Taiwan Indigenous TV and Hakka TV — were awarded the bid.
The company said it had spoken with Chang last week as soon as it received information about the tender, and he resigned that Friday.
TBS said it deeply regrets its reporter’s involvement and would require its employees to be more disciplined to better meet public expectations.
Taiwan Indigenous TV belongs to the Indigenous Peoples Cultural Foundation and is unrelated to TBS, it added.
To maintain credibility, employees of Hakka TV, the Public Television Service and the Chinese Television System — which belong to TBS — must avoid conflicts of interest and are required to report to supervisors if they suspect any conflict, it said.
Media outlets should have internal mechanisms for investigating and handling journalists who breach ethics, National Communications Commission spokesman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) said.
When an internal disciplinary committee finds unethical conduct, it should launch an investigation and submit its meeting records and reports to the commission, he added.
Reporters hired by Fu contravened the journalistic code of ethics by accepting bribes from their subjects and failing to avoid conflicts of interest, the Association of Taiwan Journalists said in a statement.
Their behavior has severely undermined the efforts of journalists who are devoted to establishing media credibility and hope to reverse the negative public image of the industry, it added.
Media supervisors must clarify what behaviors are unacceptable and investigate whether there are more journalists involved in similar activities, it added.
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