Taiwan Foreign Correspondents’ Club (TFCC) president Thompson Chau (周浩霖) on Tuesday urged the government to turn the nation into a media “hub” by being “more open” and easing restrictions on foreign journalists.
Chau, who covers Taiwanese politics and defense issues for Nikkei Asia, made the appeal at a forum featuring local and foreign journalists who shared their observations of the political scene following the presidential and legislative elections in January.
At the event, cohosted by the TFCC and National Taiwan University’s Graduate Institute of Journalism, Chau suggested that the government “ease the red tape” for foreign media workers who want to be based in Taiwan or want to continue living in Taiwan to work.
Photo: CNA
He was thinking particularly of “freelancers who may not have a newsroom to officially support them in letters,” he said, referring to the documents required of media workers to obtain credentials often needed for access to government news conferences or events.
“Easing [the rules] and allowing them to work with less hassle and trouble will go a long way in retaining and attracting media talents in Taiwan,” he said.
Chau said that many foreign correspondents have relocated to Taiwan after being driven out of China or Hong Kong and they are “basically in exile in Taipei.”
He added that the government should think about how it could “transform Taipei from a shelter for journalist refugees into a hub that really attracts correspondents and media practitioners.”
He was likely alluding to the expulsion of US and other Western journalists from China in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the exodus of media outlets from Hong Kong following Beijing’s growing encroachment on the territory’s autonomy and civil liberties.
Many of those journalists have since relocated to South Korea, Singapore and Taiwan.
Meanwhile, Baroness D’Souza told the event via videoconference that president-elect William Lai (賴清德), who takes office next month, would have greater difficulty in getting “divisive issues, such as defense spending and strategy” through the legislature, given his party losing its majority.
D’Souza, who served as speaker of the UK’s House of Lords from 2011 to 2016, also expressed concern over Beijing’s acts of intimidation against Taiwan, urging the British government to “make it abundantly clear that we will take action” against “gray zone” attacks.
The TFCC has about 100 members, about half of whom are correspondents for foreign news organizations, along with local associate members, its Web site says.
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