The government is closely monitoring whether the nation’s broadcast media are adhering to the principle of editorial independence, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said over the weekend. It said those that allow hostile foreign entities to interfere in their operations could face criminal punishment.
The broadcast media regulator made the announcement after the US Department of State last week unveiled its 2019 Human Rights Report, which expressed concerns over Beijing’s efforts to influence the media.
As an example, the report said that a Financial Times journalist was in July last year sued by Want Want China Times Group, which has substantial operations in China, after she exposed “coordination between Want Want media outlets in Taiwan and the PRC [People’s Republic of China] Taiwan Affairs Office [TAO] regarding the content of Want Want publications.”
The report covers a wide range of issues, the commission said, adding that it would closely watch whether Taiwan’s broadcast media are preserving their professionalism and editorial independence.
The law would be enforced should evidence be found that they have failed to do so, it said.
Commission specialist Chen Shu-ming (陳書銘) said that the NCC launched an investigation into CtiTV and China Television (CTV) which both belong to Want Want China Times Group, after the Financial Times reported that the TAO had been giving direct instructions to the editorial departments of both stations on how to cover cross-strait issues.
The management of both networks have dismissed the Financial Times report, he said.
“We have yet to find clear evidence for the allegation. However, if there is evidence pointing to intervention in both stations from foreign forces that could compromise national security, we would turn the case over to prosecutors,” he said.
The commission published monthly media watch reports last year, in which it evaluated the news coverage by all TV news stations, Chen said.
CtiTV and CTV have devoted more news time to covering Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜), who was then the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential candidate, he said.
However, they have shown signs of improvement in the past few months by providing a more balanced coverage of politicians, he added.
Meanwhile, the commission said it has invited external experts to examine the financial statements of CtiTV and CTV after public information about the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong showed that they have received funding from China.
The results of the investigation would be discussed by NCC commissioners before they are made public, it said.
“The Legislative Yuan has passed the Anti-infiltration Act (反滲透法) to prevent hostile foreign forces from infiltrating and intervening in the nation’s internal affairs. If any broadcast media is thought to have contravened the act, we would turn the case over to the public prosecutors’ office and judicial officials. We would also determine whether it has contravened media regulations,” it said.
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