They Can't Handle the Truth

In a part of the world where national politicians are rarely challenged, however, Taiwanese reporters are as confrontational toward their leaders as they are toward pop stars. Information flows freely, some of it true. Soon after taking office in 2002, Douglas Paal, director of the American Institute in Taiwan, the de facto U.S. embassy, fretted about how quickly sensitive information leaked out.

Taiwanese media enjoy some of the world's strongest press freedoms, according to 2004 surveys by watchdog groups Reporters Without Borders, the International Press Institute and Freedom House.

Some continue to hope, however, that the media will adopt meaningful changes.

"From political shows to news and entertainment, local television programming as a whole is terrible in the extreme, indeed," Lin Chia-lung, an official in the government information office, wrote in an essay urging reform. "The restructuring of the media environment and institutions has become essential."

Calls for change have been growing amid concern that partisanship and excessive commercialism are undermining the media's ability to inform people. A new law requires all political parties to divest their media holdings by the end of this year. The media excellence foundation has encouraged citizens to boycott irresponsible outlets and start filing libel suits. People whose reputations have been besmirched are starting to win verdicts.

Other proposals to improve programming and accountability are also under discussion, including a public network modeled after Britain's BBC or Japan's NHK that would be funded by the government or subscriber fees.

In 2003, the government decided to scrap a program that rated Taiwan's six largest Chinese-language newspapers for accuracy and objectivity after critics charged that it was pursuing its own agenda under the guise of neutrality. In response, policymakers called for better self-policing.

How quickly reforms take hold remains to be seen, but some observers believe that the media are a reflection of broader social forces.

"We have a poor democracy and a poor media," said Chen Hao, senior vice president of CTI Television. "Taiwan is unstable and partisan, and we need to find a middle ground. There's no easy solution."

Until then, celebrities and politicians will have to contend with the media's bulldog tactics. Said Chen, the television reporter: "We give them popularity. That's the price they have to pay."

Special correspondent Tsai Ting-I in Taipei contributed to this report.