A Healthy and Diverse Media

A Healthy and Diverse Media
China Times editorial (Taipei, Taiwan, ROC)
A Translation
July 22, 2011

Following a two year delay, the National Communications Commission (NCC) has approved NEXT TV News Channel's application for an operating license. Jimmy Lai, President of Next Media, established the Media Ethics Commission, and offered it seven major assurances. Sex, violence, and nudity would not be part of its programming. NEXT TV will be available only to Chunghwa Telecom MOD users for the time being. The impact on the existing electronic media marketplace will be limited. But Next Media has made its Taiwan debut. Given its substantial resources and its approach to news coverage, it is certain to have an impact on Taiwan's media market. This is merely the beginning.

Next Media made its world debut ten years ago. It took the standard road for tabloids: sex, violence, and crime. Its pages were crammed with paparazzi photos. It totally subverted Taiwan's traditional media. Its also recorded amazing sales figures in short order. Its revenues were extraordinary, In the process however, it generated considerable controversy. For example, Next Magazine covers showed nude photos of sexual intercourse. Womens groups and parents groups protested, The Taipei City Government demanded that copies be removed from news racks. The Apple Daily showed detailed images of a mother abusing and murdering her four year old daughter on the Internet. The public reacted violently, This however, did not affect advertising revenues. Nor did it reduce readership.

The NCC approved NEXT TV's application for a license a few days ago, in mid-July. Only then did the Media Watch Foundation criticize the Apple Daily's news coverage. A story entitled "Mental Patient Crashes Airport," reported on weak spots in the security at Taoyuan Airport. The report contained no nudity or gore. Yet it was charged with violating reporting requirements for the Mental Health Act. On the same day that NEXT TV received approval, the Apple Daily website ran articles entitled "Night Club Beauty Cheats, Sugar Daddy Bites Nipple, Asserts Ownership" and "Kinky Womanizer Deceives Wife." The stench of scandal and Jimmy Lai's assurances regarding NEXT TV were not entirely consistent with each other.

Next Media's reporting style has had an impact on Taiwan's media that cannot be ignored. Its reporting relies not on text, but on images. Its pages are filled with candid photos. Recently, it has gone even further. In the absence of photos, it has resorted to diagrams. These diagrams show everything, relevant and irrelevant. They satisfy the reader's need for visual titillation. They also make some readers uncomfortable. The Ministry of the Interior wants to amend the "Children and Youth Act." It hopes to tighten standards for the print media. Next Media has forced High Court Judges to convene Constitutional Court sessions to deal with paparazzi photographs. This has increased pressure on the media as a whole.

Two years ago, the NCC refused to approve NEXT TV's application for a broadcasting license. One reason was the launch of its online platform, which mapped out a criminal offender's behavior. For victims, this was insult added to injury. It was an assault on their dignity. Its "dramatized" news coverage techniques simulated news events. But this is not how real news should be covered by professional journalists. The content was also in breach of the program ratings system. Two years later, the NCC eased off. Jimmy Lai made clear assurances to NCC commissioners. NEXT TV would put a three percent cap on sensationalistic news coverage. Commissioners decided that NEXT TV was genuine in its effort to impose internal controls.

The media must attempt to satisfy its readers. But it must not transgress moral and social boundaries. A balance must be struck between self-interest and the public interest. The media must retain some sense of proportion in its news coverage. The watchword for the media must always be "self-discipline." The mass media being what it is, this may be difficult to define. But the rule must apply to the print media, the electronic media, and the Internet alike.

To persuade NCC commissioners, Jimmy Lai established the Media Ethics Committee. This enabled his application, which had been delayed for two years, to finally be approved wtihout objection. Among the Media Ethics Committee members hired by Next Media, are independent scholars and experts deeply concerned about media content and media format. This suggests that NEXT Media is demonstrating sincerity and self-discipline. This is the nation's first such ethics committee. In the aftermath of the News of the World wiretapping scandal, the British Government has been thinking about how to rebuild media ethics and oversight mechanisms. The Media Ethics Committe could offer a self-regulation guideline for all media. Media organizations other than NEXT Media may have closely adhered to moral and social standards. But they too must make the necessary preparations.

Jimmy Lai personally attended the NCC review session. He told commissioners that the News of the World wiretapping scandal "hit home, and taught him a lesson." When Media tycoon Rupert Murdoch appeared before the British Parliament, he was choked with emotion, "This is the most humble day of my career." A day later, Jimmy Lai appeared before the NCC. His demeanor came across as sincere. Apparently it was the most humble day for him as well since becaming a media mogul. In any case, we hope the future will unfold as Lai assured us: AS he put it, "Having made my position clear, I must do what I said. I have no reason not to comply." We too are part of the media industry. We are pleased to see NEXT Media become a part of Taiwan's media market. We look forward to healthy competition, Together we hope to establish a healthier and more diverse media market.

中時電子報 新聞
中國時報 　2011.07.22
社論－樂見傳媒打造健康多樣文化
本報訊

　延宕兩年，國家通訊傳播委員會（ＮＣＣ）通過壹電視新聞台申請經營案，壹傳媒總裁黎智英並做出成立跨媒體倫理委員會，性、暴力、裸露情節不做動新聞等七大承諾，儘管壹電視初期只能在用戶有限的中華電信ＭＯＤ上架，對現有電子媒體生態影響有限，但以壹傳媒登台的手筆和報導新聞的手法，可預期其對台灣媒體生態的衝擊才開始而已。

　壹傳媒登台十年，走的是典型的性、暴力、犯罪的小報風格，狗仔新聞橫行，完全顛覆過去台灣對媒體報導的認知，也在極短的時間內創造驚人的銷量，營收一枝獨秀，但過程中也曾造成不少爭議。例如《壹週刊》曾因封面圖片刊登全裸露的性交畫面，遭到婦女和家長團體抗議，並遭台北市政府要求下架；《蘋果日報》也因為在網路上播出母親虐殺四歲女童細節的動新聞，遭到社會嚴厲撻伐，儘管如此卻無礙廣告主的青睬，亦無損於讀者的偏好。

　甚至就在ＮＣＣ通過其申請案前幾天的七月中旬，台灣媒體觀察教育基金會才批判《蘋果日報》的動新聞，以「精神病患闖機場」為主題，報導桃園機場安檢漏洞。這則報導沒有任何裸露血腥的畫面，卻違反《精神衛生法》所規範的報導原則。同樣的，就在壹電視新聞台過關的同一天，《蘋果日報》網站的動新聞還有〈酒國名花劈腿，金主咬奶示威〉及〈淫狼誆妻〉等動新聞，其羶色程度與黎智英對壹電視開播所做的附帶承諾顯然未盡相符。

　壹傳媒旗下媒體的報導風格，對台灣傳媒確實造成不可忽視的影響。不以文字報導而以圖像呈現為優先的表現方式，使得偷拍照片充斥其版面，晚近更進一步，沒有照片就改用圖示，圖示則鉅細靡遺，滿足了讀者的視覺需求，但也造成部分讀者不舒適的感受。不論是內政部擬修正《兒少法》，企圖對平面媒體加重規範；或者大法官為狗仔跟拍召開憲法法庭，均因壹傳媒而來，也對所有媒體都造成壓力。

　兩年前，ＮＣＣ不讓壹電視過關的原因就是因為其網路平台開播時，揣摩犯罪者的犯罪行為，讓被害人二度傷害，造成人性尊嚴遭到踐踏；同時，動新聞以戲劇演繹手法，擬真方式呈現新聞，不符新聞內容應真實呈現的專業，且相關內容已違反節目分級制。兩年後，ＮＣＣ放行，因為黎智英明確回答ＮＣＣ委員，動新聞在壹電視新聞比例不到百分之三，委員們認為壹電視己經用心做到內控。

　畢竟，媒體報導如何既滿足讀者偏好，又不逾越道德或社會觀感的界限，又如何在私利與公益間求取平衡，端賴媒體對報導分寸的拿捏，「自律」應是媒體心目中永遠不可或缺的一把尺。既為大眾傳播媒體，只要無法做到分級，這把尺就同樣適用於平面、電子或網路的平台。

　或許，黎智英承諾率先組成「跨媒體倫理委員會」說服了ＮＣＣ的委員們，讓拖延兩年的申請案，最終能在無異議的情況下通過。從形式看來，已曝光的若干壹傳媒聘請的「跨媒體倫理委員會」成員，包括對媒體報導內容和形式相當關切的外聘學者專家，展現其自律誠意，這個國內首創的倫理委員會，尤其在《世界新聞報》竊聽風暴發生後，英國政府也積極思考如何重建媒體倫理與監督機制，可能也會成為所有媒體的自律準則之一，對壹傳媒之外其他原本就謹守社會道德界限的媒體而言，同樣也要做好積極面對的準備。

　黎智英親赴ＮＣＣ審查會，對委員詢及最近英國《世界新聞報》的竊聽風暴表示「很有感觸，將引以為戒。」傳媒大亨梅鐸赴英國國會聽證時感慨，「這是我有生以來最感卑微的一天。」相隔一天，親赴ＮＣＣ審查會的黎智英姿態之誠懇，似乎也是他成為媒體鉅子以來最謙卑的一天。不論如何，希望未來的發展能如他所言，對他所有的承諾，「現在講清楚，就要做出來，沒有必要不遵守。」。無論如何，站在同業的立場，我們樂見壹電視加入台灣媒體市場，也期盼能在未來的良性競爭中，共同打造一個更健康、更多樣的台灣傳媒文化。