Public Television Service Chairman Shao Yuming "Hung Chun-pei Culture and Education Foundation" public-interest lecture

(Taiwan Business News) Turn on the TV: on cable, channels 50 to 58 are 24-hour news channels that never stop broadcasting. In theory, with so many news channels, one should be able to see plenty of news information, but almost every channel broadcasts roughly the same news content, and with nonstop reruns, the news information one can actually absorb is not really that much. The content is also full of re-filmed internet material, and all kinds of media chaos keep emerging one after another.

On the afternoon of January 11, the Hung Chun-pei Culture and Education Foundation and Taiwan Business News invited Public Television Service Chairman Shao Yuming to speak on "The Media as a Public Instrument and Social Progress." Chairman Shao discussed the media as a public instrument based on his years of background in journalism and communication teaching and research as well as practical media management. The audience benefited greatly and gained much food for thought.

Public Television Service Chairman Shao Yuming's public-interest lecture: Media chaos - actually, you have the right to choose

The "fatigue bombing" of the news media has long been a focal point of enthusiastic response from audiences in recent years. Its extreme homogenization has also indirectly caused media chaos such as unverified reporting, celebrity-making phenomena, loss of focus in media angles, and rumor controversies. Jiang Xun once mentioned in a "United Daily News" column, "Taste is ultimately a choice": "There is a kind of anxiety on this island, a kind of manic depression; it is almost a sick condition." "At present, news channels engage in massive fatigue bombing, repeatedly broadcasting the same news."

In response to this problem, Public Television Service Chairman Shao Yuming said that audiences also have a responsibility to choose their media. "Taiwan has now entered a democratic society. Using consensus among all people to influence the media and choose the media is the best path." "If everyone stops watching this kind of program, then this kind of program will decrease a lot."

Actually, changing media chaos is very simple. The key point lies in ratings. As long as no one watches news full of chaos, news channels will begin to change, or media people themselves will begin to change. In fact, from quality programs such as those on PTS, one can see that it is not impossible for television media to do a good job.

After the February 28 Incident, freedom of speech in Taiwan was highly restricted. Before the lifting of martial law, Taiwan's press freedom situation was very poor. After martial law was lifted in 1987, the government lifted the newspaper ban in 1988, and in 1993 successively fully opened broadcast frequencies and cable television, and Taiwan's media industry developed rapidly along with this. Although Taiwan now has a free media environment, the vicious competition caused by the large number of media outlets, as well as the fact that political forces have never completely withdrawn from the media world, have led to rampant media chaos, triggered social unease, and also prompted many demands for reflection and purification.

Public Television Service Chairman Shao Yuming believes that the responsibility of the media is to expose and report truthfully. Before the lifting of martial law, "many things were carried out behind the scenes" and "the surface peace and contentment were not Taiwan's real society at the time." Because of numerous prohibitions, every National Day was sure to bring news of praise and flattery; even earthquakes could not happen. Reports on the head of state or government-related news absolutely could not contain sensitive wording, and with the slightest carelessness one could be framed and convicted, or falsely accused of being a bandit spy. The media in the martial law era was like a caged bird.

After the lifting of martial law, freedom of speech in Taiwan opened up greatly. Articles and remarks by the media criticizing the government and the president appear every day, but twenty years ago, such a scene was absolutely impossible.

The news media plays the role of intermediary. Its main task is to transmit and convey "information" to audiences, and it has four major functions: "watchfulness," "informing," "education," and "entertainment." Therefore, the positioning of the news media should be "fair and objective," possessing the Fourth Estate's role of supervising the government and following gatekeeper theory. Journalists should uphold the spirit of civic ethics and morality, presenting truthful, un-fabricated news to audiences.

Public Television Service Chairman Shao Yuming believes that after the lifting of martial law in Taiwan, "many trivial little matters came out, and many unlit corners of Taiwan also came out." Only then did we discover that Taiwan has such "rich, bright, and chaotic" multiple faces.

A member of the public asked: the media should have its educational social responsibility. "Taiwan's media not only lacks international news, but also pays too little attention to local issues," a member of the public who had lived in Germany for many years told Shao Yuming after the event.

In this global village era, global connections are tighter, and the international situation is such that one move affects the whole body. Taiwan cannot stand aside from major events happening on the other side of the world. However, the quality and quantity of international news reporting by domestic media are still insufficient. Many people believe that in the news competition, the media enjoys press freedom yet chaos is frequently reported, emphasizing quantity over quality and filled with surface appeal while lacking deep thinking. The media has failed to fully fulfill its social responsibility, and they believe it should report more on the bright side of society, giving Taiwan more news that moves people. She believes that media trapped in commercial and political forces has gradually lost the ability to show ultimate concern for society and the public. Shao Yuming also agreed with this point, but at the same time called out, "Every ordinary person bears responsibility," and "the power of the public is still very important."

He pointed out that many media outlets over-package news, commercializing the media. Many reporters hype news with sensational reporting, and negative reporting encourages social trends. She believes that media workers must always uphold journalistic truth and professionalism, and that reporters must discipline themselves so that the media can exert a positive influence.

"News is not just chasing; it is digging." Deconstructing news to write history means raising the quality of journalists, establishing journalistic professionalism, and strengthening journalism's self-regulatory ethical norms, seeking a balance between satisfying the public's right to know and fulfilling social responsibility. Journalists have the responsibility to construct an enduring model of values for Taiwan society.

Finally, Public Television Service Chairman Shao Yuming offered expectations for the media: Taiwan's internal political strife in recent years has consumed much that should have been devoted to development, soft power, the economy, people's livelihood, and so on. If the Constitution and the entire broader environment all say "Republic of China," then there is nothing to argue about.

Hung Chun-pei Culture and Education Foundation 2014 public-interest lecture