Since TVBS anchorwoman Kelly Hsueh (
Before TVBS announced it would suspend Hsueh, there was a joke going around that now would be the perfect time for the cable TV station to do some housecleaning. Wouldn't it be great, the joke continues, if other news anchors and broadcast journalists would launch a boycott -- demanding that only ethical and virtuous people should be hired to anchor newscasts. Would there be any TV anchors in Taiwan who could stand up to an integrity test? The punchline is that the only person likely to get fired as the result of such a housecleaning movement is the one who started it.
Unfortunately, the real joke is on the people of Taiwan. The quality of Taiwan's TV stations has degenerated to the point where every crow is equally black and everyone is equally lousy.
TVBS launched the sensational-reporting style that pervades Taiwan today. Ever since its began in 1993 with capital from Hong Kong media tycoon Run Run Shaw (
The station's 9pm discussion forum (2100,
The Taiwan Advertisers' Association (
The hysteria over the Kelly Hsueh story has prompted criticism from media watchdog organizations. In a way, however, such hype is a backlash against TVBS -- which is getting a dose of its own paparazzi medicine.
However, the print media should take some responsibility for the decline in the quality of TV news. If they had not reported on TV anchors and reporters as if they were celebrities, they probably would not have caused the TV stations to ignore their professionalism and plumb new lows in muckraking.
Self-policing and a stress on balanced reporting and coverage are the only way to salvage the reputation of Taiwan's media. The fact that TVBS has come under attack should teach journalists some valuable lessons and may even open the door to a media house-cleaning movement. The next time questions about a journalist's integrity come to light, the industry as a whole should take action to determine the validity of the complaint and require action be taken if the complaint is true. This is the only way to establish a basic work ethic and discipline and provide the people of Taiwan with reporting that they can trust.
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