Angered by certain Taiwanese politicians and the many media institutions that are biased in favor of them, a group of students from National Taiwan University and Shih Hsin University recently decided to put their education to use by making a series of satirical videos called Special Report. The students raised money from others who shared their political views -- including at least one goose meat vendor -- and they spent their summer vacation producing a series of videos that they hoped might become as popular as the award-winning lampoon programs that appear on Taiwanese television.
The primary targets at whom these young social critics took aim were legislators belonging to the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and People First Party (PFP) -- along with TV anchors and journalists who support them. They criticized a few Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) politicians as well.
The students controlled every aspect of the videos' production, from scriptwriting to camera work. When it came to casting, they used only actors and actresses who could speak Hoklo, also known as Taiwanese. And they did extensive research of newspaper, magazine and TV reports so that they could satirize the public figures described therein. The students understood very well how to make a video, but they did not understand the political environment in which the Taiwanese media operate. Only three years have passed since Taiwan underwent a major political transformation, and over 90 percent of Taiwan's media is still controlled by pan-blue forces. As a result, Taiwan Television, which had initially pledged to air the videos, changed its mind under political pressure from the KMT and the PFP. The students then sought air time at other TV stations, but they were turned away. Finally the Southern Taiwan Society, a pro-green political organization, agreed to help them sell the videos.
The students also might not have understood the reaction that their work would provoke. PFP chairman James Soong (
On Monday afternoon, the Government Information Office directed government agencies to stop confiscating the videos. In effect, they proclaimed that Special Report was perfectly legal.
In the midst of all this controversy, the people of Taiwan should take the opportunity to reflect on the reasons that the students who made these videos were so discontented to begin with.
Consider ethical standards in politics. Commonwealth magazine, a respected pro-blue business publication, recently published the results of a public opinion poll that focused on the moral integrity of politicians. The poll found that Soong -- who was the central figure in the Chung Hsing Bills Finance embezzlement scandal -- had a higher reputation for ethical behavior than did President Chen Shui-bian (
Special Report can be seen as a kind of public counter-force to the sorry state of political ethics in Taiwan. Even though the mainstream media shunned the videos as long as they could, the Taiwanese people have made their feelings clear by snapping up copies of the videos all across the island.
US President Donald Trump has gotten off to a head-spinning start in his foreign policy. He has pressured Denmark to cede Greenland to the United States, threatened to take over the Panama Canal, urged Canada to become the 51st US state, unilaterally renamed the Gulf of Mexico to “the Gulf of America” and announced plans for the United States to annex and administer Gaza. He has imposed and then suspended 25 percent tariffs on Canada and Mexico for their roles in the flow of fentanyl into the United States, while at the same time increasing tariffs on China by 10
As an American living in Taiwan, I have to confess how impressed I have been over the years by the Chinese Communist Party’s wholehearted embrace of high-speed rail and electric vehicles, and this at a time when my own democratic country has chosen a leader openly committed to doing everything in his power to put obstacles in the way of sustainable energy across the board — and democracy to boot. It really does make me wonder: “Are those of us right who hold that democracy is the right way to go?” Has Taiwan made the wrong choice? Many in China obviously
US President Donald Trump last week announced plans to impose reciprocal tariffs on eight countries. As Taiwan, a key hub for semiconductor manufacturing, is among them, the policy would significantly affect the country. In response, Minister of Economic Affairs J.W. Kuo (郭智輝) dispatched two officials to the US for negotiations, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s (TSMC) board of directors convened its first-ever meeting in the US. Those developments highlight how the US’ unstable trade policies are posing a growing threat to Taiwan. Can the US truly gain an advantage in chip manufacturing by reversing trade liberalization? Is it realistic to
Last week, 24 Republican representatives in the US Congress proposed a resolution calling for US President Donald Trump’s administration to abandon the US’ “one China” policy, calling it outdated, counterproductive and not reflective of reality, and to restore official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, enter bilateral free-trade agreement negotiations and support its entry into international organizations. That is an exciting and inspiring development. To help the US government and other nations further understand that Taiwan is not a part of China, that those “one China” policies are contrary to the fact that the two countries across the Taiwan Strait are independent and
RSS