TAIWAN: MOJ reiterates respect for freedom of speech

An NCC spokesperson also says the Cable TV Broadcast Law will not be revised to punish commentators for discussing unverified scandals

The China Post
Friday, July 10, 2009

Taipei, Taiwan --- The Ministry of Justice (MOJ) has never asserted amending the Cable Television Broadcast Law to restrict commentators from recklessly exposing scandals in the absence of official probes or checks, MOJ officials clarified yesterday.

The officials made the clarification in response to press reports that commentators in the TV talk shows, who are commonly called by local people as "ming zui" or literally "famous mouths," had repeatedly made public exposure of various scandals without offering solid evidence, making prosecutors suffer a lot as they should be forced to make clarifications on the exposures.

Accordingly, Justice Minister Wang Ching-feng allegedly recognized a need to revise the Cable TV Broadcast Law to restrict the commentators from exposing unjustifiable scandals in her ministry's review reports to the Cabinet on some major cases of irregularities still under prosecution.

What the ministry mentions in the reports to the Cabinet just tell what the National Communications Commission (NCC) will do to revise the Cable TV Broadcast Law for TV stations to produce TV news and commentary programs in accordance with the facts in a fair manner.

"We're just telling about what will be done by the NCC toward the revision of the Cable TV Broadcast Law, instead of offering our assertion on the matter," an official said.

Also yesterday, Lee Ta-song, spokesman of the NCC, said that under the prerequisite of "respecting the freedom of speech," the revised Cable TV Broadcast Law won't install any regulation governing the punishment on commentators for making reckless exposures of unverified scandals.

Su Chun-bin, minister of the Government Information Office, said that Justice Minister Wang Ching-feng fully respects "freedom of speech," and stresses there is no need to restrict the speech of commentators and newsmen.

Date Posted: 7/10/2009