Media responsibility
CtiTV is seeking to have its license renewed. The pan-blue camp has accused the National Communications Commission (NCC) of planning to refuse it, sacrificing freedom of the press.
Even former Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) has come out of hiding, saying: “The lack of an adversarial media is the mark of a totalitarian state. If CtiTV is shut down, then so is Taiwan’s democracy.”
One can hardly argue with the first part of Han’s statement.
However, a refusal to renew CtiTV’s license rests more on whether it engaged in misleading reports or excessive support of certain politicians. These are not the same as holding the government to account or defending democratic values.
CtiTV has run afoul of the NCC after two broadcasts last year, one about how Han’s wife, Lee Chia-fen (李佳芬), intervened to help Prime Supermarket and another about the magnitude of revenue losses among pomelo growers and sellers.
The commission accused the station of contravening the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法) by failing to verify information in the two reports, fining CtiTV NT$1.6 million (US$55,302). The company launched legal action against the NCC, but the Taipei High Administrative Court threw the case out.
What has any of this to do with holding the government to account?
The media are responsible for guiding public opinion and broadcasting facts, while maintaining balanced, fair reporting.
If a news firm is excessively biased toward a party or politician, and issues false reports to stir up trouble against a party, then it is seriously damaging the public interest and cannot hide behind protestations of “freedom of the press.”
The “adversarial” position of the media needs to be constructive, provide a reference point, be rational and be subject to public evaluation while remaining within the law.
Chen Han-wen
Taipei
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