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.
INFRASTRUCTURE: Work on the second segment, from Kaohsiung to Pingtung, is expected to begin in 2028 and be completed by 2039, the railway bureau said Planned high-speed rail (HSR) extensions would blanket Taiwan proper in four 90-minute commute blocs to facilitate regional economic and livelihood integration, Railway Bureau Deputy Director-General Yang Cheng-chun (楊正君) said in an interview published yesterday. A project to extend the high-speed rail from Zuoying Station in Kaohsiung to Pingtung County’s Lioukuaicuo Township (六塊厝) is the first part of the bureau’s greater plan to expand rail coverage, he told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times). The bureau’s long-term plan is to build a loop to circle Taiwan proper that would consist of four sections running from Taipei to Hualien, Hualien to
The Civil Aviation Administration yesterday said that it is considering punishments for China Airlines (CAL) and Starlux Airlines for making hard landings and overworking their cabin crew when the nation was hit by Typhoon Kong-rey in October last year. The civil aviation authority launched an investigation after media reported that many airlines were forced to divert their flights to different airports or go around after failing to land when the typhoon affected the nation on Oct. 30 and 31 last year. The agency reviewed 503 flights dispatched by Taiwanese airlines during those two days, as well as weather data, flight hours
A relatively large earthquake may strike within the next two weeks, following a magnitude 5.2 temblor that shook Taitung County this morning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. An earthquake struck at 8:18am today 10.2km west of Taitung County Hall in Taitung City at a relatively shallow depth of 6.5km, CWA data showed. The largest intensity of 4 was felt in Taitung and Pingtung counties, which received an alert notice, while areas north of Taichung did not feel any shaking, the CWA said. The earthquake was the result of the collision between the Philippine Plate and the Eurasian Plate, the agency said, adding
Three people have had their citizenship revoked after authorities confirmed that they hold Chinese ID cards, Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said yesterday. Two of the three people were featured in a recent video about Beijing’s “united front” tactics by YouTuber Pa Chiung (八炯) and Taiwanese rapper Chen Po-yuan (陳柏源), including Su Shi-en (蘇士恩), who displayed a Chinese ID card in the video, and taekwondo athlete Lee Tung-hsien (李東憲), who mentioned he had obtained a Chinese ID card in a telephone call with Chen, Liang told the council’s weekly news conference. Lee, who reportedly worked in