MANY PEOPLE ARE disturbed to see how former president Chen Shui-bian’s (陳水扁) daughter Chen Hsing-yu (陳幸妤) gets harassed by reporters and photographers each time she goes in or out of her dental practice. Political reporter and commentator Chen Li-hung (陳立宏) has suggested that she take a break and avoid going to work so the media won’t have as many opportunities to make news out of her. She clearly does not agree with this idea, insisting on her right to work. She believes she cannot and should not avoid the media by hiding at home.
The reporters who keep chasing Chen Hsing-yu should be rebuked for their behavior. Many Taiwanese reporters harass the people they are reporting on with paparazzo methods like following and secretly filming them. Sometimes dozens of them encircle their victims, shouting questions and groundless accusations.
These contemptible tactics have been described as “bestial,” and the Los Angeles Times once referred to Taiwanese reporters as “mad dogs.” Bureau chiefs are largely to blame for this situation, as they tell their reporters to use these tactics because of cutthroat competition and for political motives.
Reporters have shown that they will go to any length to scrape up dirt on their targets, even if their actions infringe on personal privacy.
Chen Hsing-yu is determined to claim her basic human rights, and is not willing to cave in to what she calls “a bunch of crazy reporters with no regard for truth who do nothing but make up false stories.”
Her courage is admirable and the public should support her. Our out-of-control media have become one of the main ills affecting our society. Few people in Taiwan have the courage to stand up to the media as she has done.
The downside is that she often loses her temper, and her emotional outbursts are just what the scandal-hungry media are looking for. Her predicament arises from her poor public relations and damage control skills. She would be better advised to stay calm and simply say she cannot comment on matters concerning her father as she is married, no longer lives with her parents and her father is no longer president. When she does want to make a statement, she should do so through a spokesperson and make it clear that she will not give interviews.
Chen Hsing-yu is not the only one with poor media skills. Her father also makes grave errors when speaking with the media.
A few days ago he said that he had donated approximately NT$2 million (US$61,600) to one or more veteran independence activists for the cause of diplomacy and public relations. This is a prime example of how careless he can be when talking with the media and shows that he does not consider the possible ramifications of his words.
Chen Shui-bian’s remark was useless in helping him clear his name anyway, as he did not explain whom he had given the money to, which in turn allowed the media to make allegations against a number of senior political figures. He likes to give impromptu speeches and seldom follows a script even when he has one.
This habit caused him quite a lot of trouble during his eight years in office. He even said: “Newspapers can show you how to run the country” and “I would rather put national security at risk than sacrifice media freedom.”
Such comments made many in the media believe they are above the law. The media play a major role in a democracy, so it is disturbing to see how this country’s media has become so unreliable and warped, to the extent that people no longer know what or who to believe.
Lu Shih-hsiang is an adviser to the Taipei Times.
TRANSLATED BY DREW CAMERON
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