The National Communications Commission (NCC) could adopt the criteria used for the approval of Mirror News (鏡電視) to evaluate the performance of cable news channels, NCC Chairman Chen Yaw-shyang (陳耀祥) said yesterday.
Mirror Media was last month granted approval to establish the news channel after it was reviewed by the commission for two years.
However, NCC commissioners Lin Li-yun (林麗雲) and Wang Wei-ching (王維菁) wrote a letter of dissent regarding the ruling, saying that the commission should not review applications for the establishment of news channels as if they are judging an essay competition.
The commission should review its policies governing the establishment and evaluation of news channels, they said.
Chen told reporters at a luncheon that he respects the diverse opinions of NCC commissioners, adding that it is normal for commissioners to write letters of dissent.
However, Mirror News’ business plan was probably the best one he has seen so far, he said.
“Taiwan has neither the legislation nor the policy to cap the number of news channels on cable. We want competition in the market, but if we had rejected Mirror Media’s application even though it had presented a well-composed business plan, we would in reality be limiting the number of news channels. I simply cannot accept this logic,” Chen said.
“We are dissatisfied with existing channels, but if new ones have no way to [launch] either, one has to question if this is really good for the country. Whether a news channel can survive after it secures a license is its own business, but we should not limit the entry of newcomers into the market,” he said.
Chen also questioned the fairness of blaming Mirror News for causing the chaos that has existed in broadcast news media for years.
Communications experts disagreed with the NCC ruling, because they have severe doubts about Mirror Group chairman Pei Wei (裴偉), who was widely credited with bringing sensational, paparazzi-style journalism into the country, Chen said.
“I approved the case because the channel has pledged to retain communications expert Weng Shieu-chi (翁秀琪) as a full-time ombudsman to control quality,” he said.
The case highlights the importance of having an accountability mechanism, Chen said.
“Such mechanisms include whether the new channel has an internal quality control system and can produce and review independently. We will deliberate whether it is necessary to require all news channels to have an ombudsman. [These] could become criteria we use to evaluate their performance and license renewal application,” he said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
RSS