Politics

Government seeks to discourage media sensationalism

• Publication Date：05/18/2010
• Source： China Times

Sensationalist reporting of raunchy sex, lurid violence and moral depravity may soon be verboten in Taiwan if a government plan to water down the local media’s coverage of such events is passed into law.

Under a proposed amendment by adding a new Article 37 of the Children and Youth Welfare Act by the Ministry of the Interior, the island’s media must refrain from graphic reporting when it comes to sex, violence, criminal and obscene acts, suicides and drug use. Failure to do so will result in fines ranging from NT$100,000 (US$3,137) to NT$500,000.

MOI Minister Jiang Yi-hua believes the proposal is the best way to protect vulnerable members of society from titillating tales that could trigger copycat crimes. “There is no law enabling this kind of reporting to be kept in check,” he said May 17. “This amendment allows the government to correct this situation.”

Tabloid-style news reporting has long been criticized by Taiwan’s nongovernmental organizations. They claim such coverage causes serious harm to the mental health of children and teenagers.

But a number of local journalists have slammed the amendment, accusing the government of attempting to impinge upon press freedom. “It is impossible for reporters to satisfy the public’s right to know while living in fear of being punished,” they said.

Huang Sue-ying, a Democratic Progressive Party lawmaker, welcomed the proposal but cautioned that the government must respect the public’s right to know.

“For many people, publishing details in the media that only the police have access to is crossing the line,” she said, citing the case of actor Ni Min-ran who hung himself in 2005.

According to Huang, just one month after Ni ended his life, the number of people making similar attempts on their lives skyrocketed. “This proves that graphic reporting on the details of his death led to a spate of copycat suicide attempts,” she said. (PCT-JSM)