The National Communications Commission (NCC) would continue to be an independent agency within the government, and would insist on maintaining its independence in regulating broadcast media content, even after it becomes part of a new ministry of digital development, commission Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) said yesterday.
Chen, NCC Vice Chairman Wong Po-tsung (翁柏宗) and three other commissioners — Wang Wei-ching (王維菁), Lin Lih-yun (林麗雲) and Hsiao Chi-hung (蕭祈宏) — took office on Monday. As per tradition, the chairman and six commissioners were required to attend the first weekly news conference after new commissioners have assumed office to answer reporters’ questions.
Chen was asked if the commission could maintain its independence with him at the helm, as his predecessor, former NCC chairwoman Nicole Chan (詹婷怡), was reported to have resigned after being accused by the Executive Yuan of failing to curb the spread of disinformation ahead of the 2018 nine-in-one elections, particularly from the broadcast media.
Photo: CNA
“NCC commissioners can withstand any political pressure and operate independently, because they are guaranteed by the political system to serve a full term regardless of a transition in political power. Even if the nation would soon have a ministry of digital development, which might include the NCC as one of its agencies, we would insist the commission operate independently in the regulation of media content,” Chen said.
Taiwan is a democratic nation, and it is normal that the commission’s handling of cases would receive criticism, he said, adding that Taiwan, like other democratic nations, is also learning to cope with problems caused by misinformation.
The commission cannot handle every instance of misinformation, from stories about swine flu and COVID-19 to transportation issues, Chen said, adding that all government agencies should work together to tackle the problem.
Wang and Lin were asked about their involvement in CtiTV News’ license renewal application, as well as a document leaked from the Presidential Office in May that said they were pan-green camp media experts who were handpicked by Chen to coordinate with the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration to deal with problems caused by the news channel, which is widely perceived as pro-Beijing.
Wang dismissed the content of the document as false information, saying that Chen mentioned nothing about the CtiTV News’ case when he invited her to serve on the commission.
“I am a media expert and have no obligation to serve any political party or any politician. I want to contribute my expertise in mass communication to this country, and that is what I am going to do as an NCC commissioner,” she said.
Lin, who was a leading figure in the movement against media monopolization in 2012 and 2013, said that she has never intended to target any specific media group.
“My position was that the government should not approve the Want Want China Times Group’s merger with China Network System — which was Asia’s largest media merger at the time — if there was no law to ensure that such a merger would facilitate content diversity and prevent a media monopoly,” Lin said.
Lin added that she would focus on professionalism and follow legal procedures when reviewing CtiTV News’ license renewal application.
The commission yesterday approved a local cable TV system operator’s proposal to change its channel lineup by moving SET-TV’s iNews channel from channel No. 88 to No. 48.
It also said that it is considering lifting the cap on the number of cable news channels.
“We are exchanging views with channel operators before deciding the direction of the new policy,” Chen said.
Wang said she believes lifting the cap on the number of news channels would help maintain competitiveness in the market, which could lead to the production of more innovative content.
However, the government should avoid creating an excessively competitive market, which would cause the quality of content to deteriorate, she said.
The standards whereby the commission evaluates news channels and new news channels should be consistent, Wang added.
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