CTiTV on Thursday lost a defamation lawsuit against former Democratic Progressive Party secretary-general Luo Wen-chia (羅文嘉), who had called the channel “red media,” implying that it had ties to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
The Taipei District Court ruled that Luo’s remarks did not break any laws and that he does not have to pay compensation to the channel, saying the remarks were part of a legitimate public discourse.
The court said that Luo gave reasons for believing that the channel had CCP ties, which showed that he did not have malicious intent.
Photo: Screenshot from YouTube
CTiTV belongs to Want Want China Times Media Group, which is owned by Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明).
Prosecutors said that the conglomerate’s financial reports showed that it prior to 2018 received NT$15.2 billion (US$483.9 million at the current exchange rate) over 11 years from Chinese sources.
The channel filed the lawsuit after Luo on a radio show on July 15, 2019, said that “CTiTV has received funds from Beijing... It is a media outlet taking financial support from China, so we can basically consider it red media.”
Announcing the lawsuit, the channel said it had not received funding from Beijing.
CTiTV said the conglomerate also owns Shanghai-based Want Want China Holdings, but added that the Chinese subsidiary is separate from the group’s Taiwanese operations.
Luo at the time said he would not retract his comments.
“We have looked into the shareholding structure and the executives and governing board,” he said. “CTiTV and Want Want China Holdings belong to the same parent company.”
“Want Want China Holdings’ financial reports show that it received funding from the Chinese government, and CTiTV received funding from the Shanghai-based subsidiary through advertising and indirect transfers,” he said.
The term “red media” has no value judgement, and whether it is understood as a positive or negative term depends on people’s point of view, he said.
The conglomerate’s origin is in the food business. Originally called Want Want Group, it became the Want China Times Media Group after taking over China Times Media Group.
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