涉 己 新聞

In 2008, Yen-Ming Tsai of Want-Want Corporate personally acquired China Times Group. In 2014, Want-Want Broadband intended to acquire China Network Systems Corporation. In less than 4 years, there had been too much controversial cases while Want-Want Corporate handled self-related news inappropriately and violated the media professional ethics which forced the authorities and the trade association set up regulations regarding self-related news. Many media had also set up related guidelines which shows that whether the commercial / political benefits can be practiced under the news ethnics is no longer the inly core crucial point.

This study glanced general news ethnics and NCC’s definition and regulation of self-related news and examined controversial cases regarding the declining of news ethnics and realized they are based in Europe, America and Hong Kong and there hasn’t been any study about Taiwanese media. Secondly, the local televisions do not have a clear idea about the definition of self-related news and do not regulate them on the common ground thus inappropriate treatments occur. Therefore, this study would like to look deeply into the general idea while looking into with the case of “Alleged Get-paid Protestor” and analyze the difference among different media to provide a reference for future coverage and possibly help to avoid controversy.

In this study, “self-related news guidelines” are suggested according to the definition and regulation established by NCC, iSET, FTV, CtiTV, NextTV, EraTV, ETTV. When establishing regulations regarding self-related news, media should first define what “self-related news” is and define “related party”. While covering self-related news, initiatively explain the related business bodies and related parties of the piece and its content. At the same time follow the principles of being objective, multiple source balance, public beneficial, proportional, and evasive of profits and conflicts and self-discipline.

The study suggests that the definition of “related party” ought to be clearer since it’s been vague even for the relatively strict media such as CtiTV and NextTV. Secondly, since 2008, more and more self-related news coverage occur and only six of all electronic media have related yet not thorough guidelines that some TV stations violate them while printed media have none. NCC has requested all TV stations start setting up their guideline and those violated them to adjust and also urged a cross-media guideline to be established to avoid future conflicts.

In the case-study of “Alleged Get-paid Protestors”, China Times and Apple Daily, being the two self-related media violated news ethnic and effected the journalists and audience due to the incident’s impact on the corporate’s image and benefit, the news were biased, especially for China Times. As for Liberty Times and United Daily News, although they were not the self-related media, the practice of news ethnics still has room for break-through.

Besides, some of the conflicts were beyond news coverage guidelines. For example, the authority of China Times re-wrote the pieces written by their journalist, made up facts and stirred up the public to blame the journalist and caused him mental and physical trauma and resigned. This issue not only affected the diversity of the organization and the professionalism of the staff but also the possible objectiveness and balance of future news coverage and the damage of labor rights. We suggest that in future studies different cases can be discussed and the professionalism and labor rights are to be deeply analyzed to ensure the right to work and provide the government guidelines to make righteous judgment regarding self-related news and create a healthier media environment.