[Life] PTS, TaiwanPlus Funding Cut, RSF, PMA Urge Reversal
RtiTalk 小編1d ago
The Legislative Yuan significantly cut and froze the budgets of PTS and TaiwanPlus. Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Public Media Alliance (PMA) issued a joint statement urging the withdrawal of the relevant proposals. The two international organizations emphasized that TaiwanPlus has become an important platform for conveying Taiwan's stories, culture, and democratic values to the international community. If it is forced to cease operations due to insufficient funding, it will be a significant loss for Taiwan's public media and international communication.
Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which has an Asia-Pacific office in Taiwan, has long been concerned with the development of news ecosystems in various countries. RSF stated in its announcement that public media is an important channel for citizens to obtain accurate information from independent sources. Cutting or freezing the budgets of TaiwanPlus and PTS "will further weaken the ability of public media to provide reliable news to the public."
The Public Media Alliance (PMA), headquartered in London, pointed out that stable, long-term, and sufficient funding is the fundamental condition for public media to fulfill its mission. Financial support for public media should fully reflect the value it creates for domestic audiences and in promoting international understanding.
The statement specifically emphasized the importance of TaiwanPlus, noting that it has become a crucial platform for transmitting Taiwan's stories, culture, and democratic values to the international community through independent news reporting and high-quality public media content. Amidst the increasing prevalence of global disinformation, if it is forced to cease operations due to insufficient funding, "it will be a significant loss for Taiwan's public media and international communication."
Regarding the delay in the selection of new directors and supervisors for PTS, which has affected the budgets of PTS and TaiwanPlus, the statement pointed out that the responsibility for the board selection process lies with the cross-party review committee formed by the Executive Yuan and the Legislative Yuan, not with PTS itself. Therefore, funding should not be used as a means to punish delays that are beyond PTS's control.
PMA members include public media organizations from Europe, the Americas, Australia, Asia, and Africa, such as the UK's BBC, Canada's CBC, Australia's ABC, Germany's ZDF, and Thailand's Thai PBS. It is the world's largest organization of public media, supporting and advocating for the role and importance of public media in society and democracy. (Editor: Chung Chin-lung)
Source Link: https://www.rti.org.tw/news?uid=3&pid=225300
How does this article make you feel?
0 people reacted