The Presidential Office is interfering with press freedom by asking the media not to cite information from files after a suspected cyberattack on the office, Institute of Revolutionary Practice director Lo Chih-chiang (羅智強) said yesterday.
At a news conference at the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) headquarters in Taipei, Lo, who served as deputy secretary-general of the Presidential Office during former president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) administration, and other KMT members accused the office of trying to suppress the media.
“When did the Presidential Office become the media’s superior agency, with the ability to order the media to use or not to use [a document]?” Lo asked.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
On Friday last week, some journalists reportedly began receiving files purportedly related to meetings between President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌), Cabinet appointments and an assessment of vice president-elect William Lai (賴清德) made during the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) presidential primary last year.
That night, the Presidential Office said the documents had been doctored, and asked the media not to quote their contents.
If the claims that the documents had been altered are true, that would imply such documents exist, Lo said.
KMT Culture and Communications Committee chair Alicia Wang (王育敏) said the office needs to explain which parts of the files are true, and if national security had been affected.
Ma Ying-jeou Foundation chief executive Hsiao Hsu-tsen (蕭旭岑) said the incident exposed the DPP’s power struggles, and outgoing Presidential Office secretary-general Chen Chu (陳菊) should not be allowed to step down before a full report is released.
Additional reporting by CNA
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