Chinese Television System (CTS) faces a fine of up to NT$2 million (US$68,353) for this week running news tickers that mistakenly indicated a Chinese invasion was under way, the National Communications Commission (NCC) said yesterday.
An ongoing NCC investigation into the incident has found that CTS can be held liable for contravening Article 21 of the Radio and Television Act (廣播電視法), which says that “The contents of radio/television programs shall not ... disrupt public order or adversely affect good social customs,” a report that the NCC presented to the legislature said.
Such a breach can result in a fine of NT$200,000 to NT$2 million, said the report, which the Central News Agency saw.
The report was forwarded to the Culture and Education Committee, which is to meet tomorrow to discuss the incident.
CTS ran news tickers that said “New Taipei City hit by Chinese People’s Liberation Army missiles” and “Vessel explodes in Taipei Harbor, facilities and ships destroyed” during its 7am news show on Wednesday.
More false tickers were screened at 9:34am and 9:36am that said: “Oil field discovered in the Bashi Channel,” “Fist-sized hailstones fell on Taipei at midnight, downtown traffic a mess” and “Datunshan eruption,” referring to Datunshan (大屯山) near Taipei.
CTS told the NCC that the messages about a Chinese attack were in a non-news program recorded on Tuesday and its staff failed to adjust settings, resulting in the tickers, the report said.
CTS staff failed to double check the content of the tickers before the Wednesday morning news program began, the report said.
The second time the tickers were run was a result of staff failing to follow standard operating procedures, the report said.
Hong Kong-based American singer-songwriter Khalil Fong (方大同) has passed away at the age of 41, Fong’s record label confirmed yesterday. “With unwavering optimism in the face of a relentless illness for five years, Khalil Fong gently and gracefully bid farewell to this world on the morning of February 21, 2025, stepping into the next realm of existence to carry forward his purpose and dreams,” Fu Music wrote on the company’s official Facebook page. “The music and graphic novels he gifted to the world remain an eternal testament to his luminous spirit, a timeless treasure for generations to come,” it said. Although Fong’s
China’s military buildup in the southern portion of the first island chain poses a serious threat to Taiwan’s liquefied natural gas (LNG) supply, a defense analyst warned. Writing in a bulletin on the National Defense and Security Research’s Web site on Thursday, Huang Tsung-ting (黃宗鼎) said that China might choke off Taiwan’s energy supply without it. Beginning last year, China entrenched its position in the southern region of the first island chain, often with Russia’s active support, he said. In May of the same year, a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) force consisting of a Type 054A destroyer, Type 055 destroyer,
Actor Darren Wang (王大陸) was questioned by prosecutors for allegedly orchestrating an attack on a taxi driver after he was allegedly driven on a longer than necessary route in a car he disliked. The questioning at the New Taipei City District Prosecutors’ Office was ongoing as of press time last night. Police have recommended charges of attempted murder. The legally embattled actor — known for his role in the coming-of-age film Our Times (我的少女時代) — is under a separate investigation for allegedly using fake medical documents to evade mandatory military service. According to local media reports, police said Wang earlier last year ordered a
Taiwan is planning to expand the use of artificial intelligence (AI)-based X-ray imaging to customs clearance points over the next four years to curb the smuggling of contraband, a Customs Administration official said. The official on condition of anonymity said the plan would cover meat products, e-cigarettes and heated tobacco products, large bundles of banknotes and certain agricultural produce. Taiwan began using AI image recognition systems in July 2021. This year, generative AI — a subset of AI which uses generative models to produce data — would be used to train AI models to produce realistic X-ray images of contraband, the official
RSS