Taiwan’s efforts to cement ties with China could undermine its vibrant media environment by skirting topics deemed sensitive to Beijing, observers say.
Concern has grown after Taiwan’s ranking fell 23 places to 59th place in this year’s press freedom index released by Paris-based Reporters Without Borders (RSF) last week.
The sharp drop has left Taiwan trailing behind Hong Kong, which came in at 48, as well as African nations such as Ghana, Mali and Burkina Faso.
In one example of the problems Taiwan’s journalists say they are facing, one reporter complained about pressure from the authorities when covering an exiled Chinese dissident’s visit.
“They told me he’s a ‘bad guy’ who likes to brag so why bother writing about him,” the reporter, who asked not to be named, said. “They believe they are doing the right thing for the big picture, for the greater good in history.”
While RSF said Taiwan’s press freedom was not in danger, it attributed the downgrading partly to the ruling party’s attempts to interfere in the media.
“The state must take action to improve records and prevent restrictions, violence or any sort of obstacle to the media freedom,” said Vincent Brossel, head of RSF’s Asia desk.
The index, based on questionnaires completed by hundreds of journalists and media experts, reflects press freedom violations that took place between September last year and August this year.
The government has denied interfering.
“We did not see any media being pressured for criticizing the government when it was not doing enough. The government humbly accepted the criticism,” Cabinet Spokesman Su Jun-pin (蘇俊賓) said.
Some observers and journalists say the RSF index is a warning of how far Taiwan is prepared to go to appease its giant neighbor.
“More media outlets are self-censoring on sensitive issues such as the Dalai Lama or Rebiya Kadeer by downplaying their coverage or focusing on negative angles,” said Leon Chuang (莊豐嘉), head of the Association of Taiwan Journalists.
Beijing accuses the Dalai Lama of trying to separate Tibet from China and blames Kadeer for bloody ethnic unrest in her home region Xinjiang in July.
It all comes down to business, as public and private sectors aim to cash in on China’s economic clout, Chuang said, adding: “It is a threat to Taiwan’s press freedom and diversity. If this persists, we will only be getting select coverage and one-sided stories.”
Ties with China have improved since President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) became president but were strained by the Dalai Lama’s recent visit. Beijing was also angered by screening of a Kadeer biopic but reportedly is planning to reward Taipei by signing a key financial pact after she was barred from visiting.
“We see political considerations weighing on the handling of news as the government makes the development of cross-strait ties its priority,” said Lo Shih-hung (羅世宏), a media expert at National Chung Cheng University.
CHANGING LANDSCAPE: Many of the part-time programs for educators were no longer needed, as many teachers obtain a graduate degree before joining the workforce, experts said Taiwanese universities this year canceled 86 programs, Ministry of Education data showed, with educators attributing the closures to the nation’s low birthrate as well as shifting trends. Fifty-three of the shuttered programs were part-time postgraduate degree programs, about 62 percent of the total, the most in the past five years, the data showed. National Taiwan Normal University (NTNU) discontinued the most part-time master’s programs, at 16: chemistry, life science, earth science, physics, fine arts, music, special education, health promotion and health education, educational psychology and counseling, education, design, Chinese as a second language, library and information sciences, mechatronics engineering, history, physical education
The Chinese military has boosted its capability to fight at a high tempo using the element of surprise and new technology, the Ministry of National Defense said in the Quadrennial Defense Review (QDR) published on Monday last week. The ministry highlighted Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) developments showing significant changes in Beijing’s strategy for war on Taiwan. The PLA has made significant headway in building capabilities for all-weather, multi-domain intelligence, surveillance, operational control and a joint air-sea blockade against Taiwan’s lines of communication, it said. The PLA has also improved its capabilities in direct amphibious assault operations aimed at seizing strategically important beaches,
‘MALIGN PURPOSE’: Governments around the world conduct espionage operations, but China’s is different, as its ultimate goal is annexation, a think tank head said Taiwan is facing a growing existential threat from its own people spying for China, experts said, as the government seeks to toughen measures to stop Beijing’s infiltration efforts and deter Taiwanese turncoats. While Beijing and Taipei have been spying on each other for years, experts said that espionage posed a bigger threat to Taiwan due to the risk of a Chinese attack. Taiwan’s intelligence agency said China used “diverse channels and tactics” to infiltrate the nation’s military, government agencies and pro-China organizations. The main targets were retired and active members of the military, persuaded by money, blackmail or pro-China ideology to steal
The High Prosecutors’ Office yesterday withdrew an appeal against the acquittal of a former bank manager 22 years after his death, marking Taiwan’s first instance of prosecutors rendering posthumous justice to a wrongfully convicted defendant. Chu Ching-en (諸慶恩) — formerly a manager at the Taipei branch of BNP Paribas — was in 1999 accused by Weng Mao-chung (翁茂鍾), then-president of Chia Her Industrial Co, of forging a request for a fixed deposit of US$10 million by I-Hwa Industrial Co, a subsidiary of Chia Her, which was used as collateral. Chu was ruled not guilty in the first trial, but was found guilty