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.
The gutting of Voice of America (VOA) and Radio Free Asia (RFA) by US President Donald Trump’s administration poses a serious threat to the global voice of freedom, particularly for those living under authoritarian regimes such as China. The US — hailed as the model of liberal democracy — has the moral responsibility to uphold the values it champions. In undermining these institutions, the US risks diminishing its “soft power,” a pivotal pillar of its global influence. VOA Tibetan and RFA Tibetan played an enormous role in promoting the strong image of the US in and outside Tibet. On VOA Tibetan,
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By now, most of Taiwan has heard Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an’s (蔣萬安) threats to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Cabinet. His rationale is that the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP)-led government’s investigation into alleged signature forgery in the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) recall campaign constitutes “political persecution.” I sincerely hope he goes through with it. The opposition currently holds a majority in the Legislative Yuan, so the initiation of a no-confidence motion and its passage should be entirely within reach. If Chiang truly believes that the government is overreaching, abusing its power and targeting political opponents — then
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