＂Serving the Party＂﹐ National Media Self－Degenerating？
The Storm Media Editorial, November 13, 2024
The international video streaming platform Taiwan Plus (Taiwan+), established by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration, was transferred to the Public Television Service (PTS), the state media funded by taxpayers’ money, due to poor management after burning through NT$5.8 billion (about US$178 million) over four years. Former President Tsai Ing-wen once likened it to the United Kingdom's BBC and Japan's NHK, aiming to showcase Taiwan to the world. However, on its official website, a feature on "Taiwan's Anti-Corruption Efforts" used an image of Chairman Ko Wen-je of the Taiwan People's Party (TPP) Chairman wearing handcuffs, and it claimed to the world that the new U.S. President Donald Trump was "a convicted felon." As a national media outlet, it should maintain neutrality and serve as an exemplary for all media, yet it has degraded itself into being a tool for partisan agendas.
With majority control by the DPP, the Legislative Yuan passed amendments to the Public Television Act in May 2023. These amendments removed the cap on government donations outlined in Article 2, lifting the previous annual limit of NT$900 million (about US$27.7 million) for government funding. Additionally, the threshold for approval of board member appointments was lowered to two-thirds. The Ministry of Culture described this as “removing the shackles,” while opposition parties argued that the amendments compromised public television's independence, turning it into a propaganda tool for those in power. They warned that the increased funding could lead to "false reform, real cronyism," a prediction that unfortunately came true.
Following the conclusion of the American presidential election, which saw Republican candidate Trump return triumphantly to the White House, Taiwan Plus, a public television platform, released a video during the election that was heavily politicized and lacking in professionalism. The video was quietly taken down after the election, but not before a freelance reporter for Public Television stated: "This election will be a historic moment. Will Americans choose a female president or a convicted felon? It seems they chose the felon (convicted felon)..." This statement, astonishingly, came from a national media report. Even the Minister of Culture Li Yuan, admitted that "this is a serious matter." Embarrassingly, Taiwan Plus brought shame to Taiwan on an international scale, failing to add positive value and instead diminishing Taiwan's reputation.
While claiming to “tell Taiwan’s story well,” Taiwan’s public broadcaster Taiwan Plus has put on “green-colored glasses.” The main image used in their “Taiwan Corruption Crackdown” series surprisingly shows Chairman Ko wearing a prison uniform and handcuffs, with much of the content focused on Ko’s involvement in the scandal surrounding the redevelopment of the Jinghua City land. From the reports compiled in the series, a striking 70 percent heavily “supervise” Ko’s cases; yet, there is not a single mention of former Taiwan Salt Company Chairman Chen Chi-yu, accused of embezzling NT$1.1 billion (about US$34 million) and possibly having fled abroad. Likewise, allegations against former Executive Yuan spokesperson Chen Tsung-yen involving sexual favors are completely “skipped,” and the bribery case involving former Taoyuan Mayor Cheng Wen-tsan is only mentioned in “a mere two articles.” Such disproportionate and biased reports reveal the lack of neutrality expected of a national media outlet.
A slightly earlier example is the PTS’s reporting on the “Remove Liang Movement” (a recall campaign against Keelung Mayor Hsieh Kuo-liang). The report heavily favored the perspective of the recall initiators and related groups, presenting their views in detail, while Hsieh Kuo-liang and the Keelung City Government’s response was hurriedly covered in just 7 seconds. Such biased, disproportionate reporting blatantly violates the principles of journalistic neutrality, exposing the decline of the public media group. The PTS, funded by taxpayers’ money, has degenerated into a party media outlet, serving as the ruling party’s tool for targeting political opponents.
Taiwan Plus's poor performance and waste of public funds is known to all, yet the government allocates at least NT$900 million annually to subsidize PTS, and Taiwan Plus has an additional budget of NT$5.8 billion over four years. Is Taiwan Plus so overflowing with money that it doesn’t know how to spend it? Opposition Kuomintang (KMT) Legislator Ko Chih-en revealed that PTS and Chinese Television System (CTS) plan to jointly invest NT$30 million (about US$925,000) in a new AI (artificial intelligence) and event management startup. Despite struggling to manage their core operations, they are still investing in startups. Is this AI investment just another political favor like the previous "Lai Yu-yu" (allegedly a group of nepotist appointments in charge of some state-owned enterprises) incident? It would be more efficient to integrate Taiwan Plus with the existing PTS World Taiwan international media channel.
Upon closer examination, the channel’s performance is dismal. Each video receives only a few hundred views at most, the APP downloads aimed for a target of 1 million but have only reached 150,000, and nearly 60 percent of website visits are from Taiwan itself. According to an audit report, Taiwan Plus's annual budget reaches NT$1 billion (about US$30.8 million), yet its goal achievement rate is only 10 percent, failing to meet its intended mission of marketing Taiwan. This reveals that the supposed “Push to go International” is nothing more than a front for internal consumption.
Before the major revision of the PTS Act, former PTS board member Hsu Jui-hsi bluntly warned that such actions risk turning the Public Television Group into the "DPP's version of CCTV" and Taiwan Plus into the "DPP's version of the Global Television Network." Now, external propaganda has failed while internal political battles have taken the center stage. The Public Television Group's attempt to establish "big external propaganda" has turned into "big internal propaganda," constantly targeting opposition TPP Chairman Ko and supporting the recall of opposition Keelung City Mayor Liang, resembling an out-of-control political-media juggernaut.
"The power of the media is the power of the ruling class," as British communication scholar Denis McQuail pointed out in his research. He emphasized that the regime's control over information dissemination is a carefully guarded effort, with media control treated as a forbidden zone. He noted that the power of the media is often used to achieve predetermined objectives, such as persuasion, mobilization, or providing information, asserting that "the relationship between information, communication, and political power is inseparable."
As expected, under the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), PTS, which is supposed to maintain political neutrality, has shown a clear ideological and political bias. The same group of board members is rotated, revealing an "affinity" to the ruling party. Even government-subsidized national media, such as Central News Agency (can), Radio Taiwan International, and Chinese Television System (CTS), have become "politicized." Furthermore, recently the appointment of former deputy manager of Formosa TV, as president of the CNA led to writer Chu You-hsün's resignation from the board, and sparked social criticism.
Public television is considered a public asset, and its neutrality is highly valued by the public. However, it seems that the state-funded PTS is comfortable becoming "partisan-like" media and does not mind being "degenerated" as a tool of the ruling party. PTS, which should prioritize all people’s interests, is now instead following party directives over public sentiment. It has become a propaganda tool for those in power, transforming public media into a "ruling media team." This marks a decay and a lamentable chapter in Taiwan’s democratic development.