Central News Agency Chairman Chen Kuo-hsiang "Hong Chun-pei Culture and Education Foundation" Public Interest Lecture

(Taiwan Business News) Taiwan's media chaos is also one of the things citizens often criticize! The Hong Chun-pei Culture and Education Foundation and Taiwan Business News invited Central News Agency Chairman Chen Kuo-hsiang on March 8 to speak on "Media Fairness, Social Progress." As the chairman of the national news agency, with years of background in journalism, communication and media management, he offered an in-depth analysis of the current media chaos, and the audience benefited greatly.

Central News Agency Chairman Chen Kuo-hsiang said at the outset that at the "Cross-Strait Media Prospect Forum" held in Beijing last December, he had expressed to the mainland that the two sides should set up news offices reciprocally; Taiwan has already opened up to mainland establishments, but the mainland has not opened up in return, which he called unfair. He said that Taiwan and the mainland are not in step on press freedom, that there are many places Taiwan reporters cannot go deeply into, and that the mainland's tight controls make it doubly difficult to conduct interviews there.

Central News Agency Chairman Chen Kuo-hsiang Public Interest Lecture: Media Fairness, Social Progress

Chen Kuo-hsiang used this as his opening because, after the forum ended, he returned to Taiwan and immediately faced intense questioning in the Legislative Yuan. He saw that Taiwan's media focus was not on the "six joint initiatives" announced on the mainland, but instead focused on emotional angles such as "he did not protest on the spot to the mainland, and legislators angrily denounced him as a disgrace."

Central News Agency Chairman Chen Kuo-hsiang said that when questioned in the legislature, he had already made clear what the situation was at the time: the mainland adjourned the meeting as soon as it finished reading the initiatives, so there was no way to express an opinion on the spot; afterward he also publicly stated Taiwan's position to the media, and had already done his duty. A crude approach would instead damage the hard-won relationship between the two sides. "Otherwise, was I supposed to go up on stage and grab the microphone? Is that what it means to love Taiwan?"

However, the next day's media reports came out with a huge headline: "** Legislator Denounces Chen Kuo-hsiang as a Disgrace," with no account of how the matter unfolded. Central News Agency Chairman Chen Kuo-hsiang said that today's media is too strongly ideological and has completely lost its training in journalistic professionalism.

Central News Agency Chairman Chen Kuo-hsiang said that the social atmosphere is very impatient and very hurried; what audiences like is fast, burden-free news content, and no one talks about so-called professional news reporting. Whether cable or broadcast television, because of nationwide audience interest, the proportion and length of social news coverage have both increased. That kind of reporting guarantees ratings, so the media all start from a commercial orientation. Most media use similar methods to promote news, and they become more and more alike.

The media should rigorously verify and report the facts, must not distort or conceal the truth, and must not report or comment by taking things out of context, resorting to sensationalism, exaggeration or flattery. They should respect diversity, remain independent and self-governing, and resist threats and inducements from the government, owners or other forces; unless a recognized public interest is involved, they should respect privacy... What is taught in journalism classrooms is a high standard, and it cannot be fully reflected in the real news world.

Taiwan's journalism has not yet had time to cultivate its own professional confidence before being hit by a great wave that leaves everyone dizzy and disoriented, all rushing to find selling points. But the great wave will always subside, and after it subsides there will be no life ring.

Central News Agency Chairman Chen Kuo-hsiang said that the transformation of media into commentary and variety-show style has buried quality journalism and the things the public ought to know, and that news self-regulation is hard to carry out thoroughly: "It has almost reached the point of being unsolvable!"

To solve these problems, Chen Kuo-hsiang believes the starting point must be self-reflection by each individual citizen. Only by refusing to watch gossip and other titillating, sensational news, and by cultivating a desire to understand the world and society, especially in terms of humanistic cultivation, can the possibility of "media dumbing down the people" be reduced. Having one's own judgment and thinking, and no longer dancing to the media's tune and drifting with the tide, is the fundamental solution.

It is very important for the public to initiate a refusal to watch and a spirit of awakening, but if media self-regulation has a mechanism, or even deeper reflection, it is not impossible for the media to initiate it too; it all depends on determination and the power of implementation. Otherwise, standing by and watching, a healthy social atmosphere cannot be cultivated. It is hoped that more concrete implementation measures will emerge. The public is already exhausted by media chaos; the media should take a stand and position of "public virtue," otherwise it is merely one kind of commercial activity.

Central News Agency Chairman Chen Kuo-hsiang Profile

Central News Agency Chairman Chen Kuo-hsiang holds a bachelor's degree from the Department of Journalism at National Chengchi University and a master's degree from its Graduate Institute of Journalism, and undertook short-term research at Columbia University in the United States; he has served as editor-in-chief of the Independence Evening Post, editor-in-chief, chief editorial writer of the Independence Morning Post, deputy editor-in-chief and deputy chief editorial writer of the China Times, deputy publisher of China Times Weekly, editor-in-chief of the China Times Evening News, editor-in-chief of the China Times, publisher of the China Times Evening News, member of the Taipei City Hakka Affairs Commission, chairman of Times Talent Cultivation Company, and standing supervisor of the Central News Agency; he currently serves as chairman of the Central News Agency and a member of the Central Election Commission; he is the author of books including "The Voice of Youth," "New Youth and Modern China," "Profiles of Figures in the Storm," "Forty Years of Evolution in Taiwan's Newspaper Industry," and "Upright Leadership: The Integrity and Merits and Faults of Hakka Political Leaders," and he planned and produced "Governing the Nation: Taiwan's New Winning Strategy" and edited "Crying Taiwan—Looking at Eight Years of Democratic Progressive Party Rule."

Hong Chun-pei Culture and Education Foundation 103rd Year Public Interest Lecture