A decision not to renew CTi News’ broadcasting license was in accordance with the law, a lawyer who has previously represented the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said on Friday, the last day of the channel’s TV broadcast.
It is not a press freedom issue and the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) should not spin it that way, lawyer Huang Di-ying (黃帝穎) said in a statement.
Citing “repeated violations of regulations and the failure of its internal discipline and control mechanisms,” the National Communications Commission (NCC) on Nov. 18 said that it would not renew CTi News’ broadcast license, which expired at 12am yesterday.
Photo: CNA
CTi has said that the decision was politically motivated, as the channel is known for being critical of the DPP government.
Huang said that the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法) stipulates clear requirements to be fulfilled by media outlets before broadcast licenses can be granted or renewed.
The NCC review board found that CTi News repeatedly contravened the act and failed to establish internal control mechanisms.
“Therefore the decision had nothing to do with freedom of the press,” Huang said.
Certain politicians are decrying press freedom infringements on the part of the government, but this only shows that they lack understanding of democracy and the rule of law, he said.
The NCC acted in accordance with the law, Huang said, referring to appeals against the decision filed by CTi that were turned down by the Taipei High Administrative Court on Monday and the Supreme Administrative Court on Friday.
In the the final hours of CTi News’ television broadcast, Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明), founder of Want Want China Times Media Group, the channel’s largest shareholder, joined CTi News’ more than 400 employees for a live broadcast.
“CTi News got shut down because all of our anchors have done their duties as part of the fourth estate,” Tsai said during the broadcast. “I am proud of CTi.”
“I am not just a righteous Chinese, but also a righteous Taiwanese,” Tsai said, adding that the channel would be “reborn” as an online media outlet and continue broadcasting.
He called on supporters to follow the channel on YouTube, where it has 1.83 million subscribers, adding that CTi News aims to reach 2 million subscribers by the end of the year.
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