A worker shortage and a lack of trained staff to operate digital broadcasting equipment were the primary reasons that the Chinese Television System (CTS) committed several errors in its news programs over the past month, National Communications Commission (NCC) Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) said yesterday.
Chen made the remarks at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee, as several lawmakers were concerned about what the commission would do to reprimand CTS management.
The network had broadcast factual errors seven times since April 20. Significantly, it ran erroneous news tickers that day about New Taipei City being attacked by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army. The tickers were created for disaster drills conducted by the New Taipei City Fire Department.
Photo: sceenshot from Chinese Television System
The latest error committed by CTS occurred on May 13, when the network misidentified former vice president Chen Chien-jen (陳建仁) as the US vice president.
“It is our understanding the network has been having a worker shortage in the news department, and some employees are not adept in operating digital equipment,” Chen Yaw-shyang said.
“We are gathering all the documents related to CTS’ problems and preparing to send them to an independent broadcast content committee,” he said. “Members on the committee will discuss which errors are punishable and which aspect of the network’s operation needs to be improved.”
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yi-hua (林奕華) said the NCC has yet to administer reprimands to CTS management despite the the number of errors committed in a short period.
However, the commission was able to quickly determine that errors committed by CTi News were punishable, she said, adding that the NCC appeared to have double standards when evaluating the performance of television stations.
“Because of the gravity of the April 20 error, we dispatched personnel to the network that day to inspect its operation,” Chen Yaw-shyang said. “They continued to make mistakes. This has shown a larger problem with the government-funded Taiwan Broadcasting System, to which the CTS belongs.”
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