Regime Transition and the Media in Taiwan

Democratization

Volumn 5, Issue 2, 1998, Pages 106-124

  Rawnsley, Gary D ^a   Rawnsley, Ming Yeh T ^a  

^a NONE

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EID: 0342560747     PISSN: 13510347     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1080/13510349808403561     Document Type: Article

References (68)

1. On this election, see Yun-han Chu, 'Taiwan's Unique Challenges', Journal of Democracy, Vol.7, No.3 (1996), pp.70-82; John Fuh-sheng Hsieh and Emerson M.S. Niou, 'Taiwan's March 1996 Elections', Electoral Studies, Vol.15, No.4 (1996), pp.545-9; Gary D. Rawnsley, 'The 1996 Presidential Election Campaign in Taiwan', Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, Vol.2, No.2 (1997), pp.47-61.
2. On this election, see Yun-han Chu, 'Taiwan's Unique Challenges', Journal of Democracy, Vol.7, No.3 (1996), pp.70-82; John Fuh-sheng Hsieh and Emerson M.S. Niou, 'Taiwan's March 1996 Elections', Electoral Studies, Vol.15, No.4 (1996), pp.545-9; Gary D. Rawnsley, 'The 1996 Presidential Election Campaign in Taiwan', Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, Vol.2, No.2 (1997), pp.47-61.
3. On this election, see Yun-han Chu, 'Taiwan's Unique Challenges', Journal of Democracy, Vol.7, No.3 (1996), pp.70-82; John Fuh-sheng Hsieh and Emerson M.S. Niou, 'Taiwan's March 1996 Elections', Electoral Studies, Vol.15, No.4 (1996), pp.545-9; Gary D. Rawnsley, 'The 1996 Presidential Election Campaign in Taiwan', Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, Vol.2, No.2 (1997), pp.47-61.
4. In his most recent book, The Taiwan Political Miracle: Essays on Political Development, Elections and Foreign Relations (Langham, MD: University Press of America, 1997), pp.9-12, John F. Copper suggests reasons why Taiwan has tended to be neglected by scholars.
5. Stevan Harrell and Huang Chun-chieh (eds.), Cultural Change in Postwar Taiwan (Taipei: SMC Publishing Inc., 1994) is an excellent study of Taiwan's culture, though it only offers a brief discussion of the media.
6. 'In fact while the transition in Taiwan has been long in coming, it has nevertheless been one of the smoothest transitions among newly democratized countries.' Steven J. Hood, The Kuomintang and the Democratization of Taiwan (Boulder: Westview Press, 1997), p. 10. This stands in marked contrast to the record of success in those states which have experienced abrupt change. See Samuel P. Huntington, The Third Wave (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991), pp. 142-51. However, Taiwan is familiar with violent confrontation, and all the best political histories of Taiwan will discuss the 1947 February 28th Incident, the Chungli riots of 1977, and the Kaohsiung incident of 1979.
7. 'In fact while the transition in Taiwan has been long in coming, it has nevertheless been one of the smoothest transitions among newly democratized countries.' Steven J. Hood, The Kuomintang and the Democratization of Taiwan (Boulder: Westview Press, 1997), p. 10. This stands in marked contrast to the record of success in those states which have experienced abrupt change. See Samuel P. Huntington, The Third Wave (Norman, OK: University of Oklahoma Press, 1991), pp. 142-51. However, Taiwan is familiar with violent confrontation, and all the best political histories of Taiwan will discuss the 1947 February 28th Incident, the Chungli riots of 1977, and the Kaohsiung incident of 1979.
8. In 1995, the national literacy rate was 94 per cent. Republic of China Yearbook, 1997 (Taipei: GIO, 1997), p.293.
9. See Lucien Pye (ed.), Communications and Political Development (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1963); D. Lerner and W. Schramm (ed.), Communications and Change in Developing Countries (Honolulu, HI: East-West Center Press, 1967); T.E. Skidmore (ed.), Television, Politics and the Transition to Democracy in Latin America (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993); E. Fox (ed.), Media and Politics in Latin America: The Struggle for Democracy (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1988); Vicky Randall, 'The Media and Democratisation in the Third World', Third World Quarterly, Vol.14, No.3 (1993), pp.625-46.
10. See Lucien Pye (ed.), Communications and Political Development (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1963); D. Lerner and W. Schramm (ed.), Communications and Change in Developing Countries (Honolulu, HI: East-West Center Press, 1967); T.E. Skidmore (ed.), Television, Politics and the Transition to Democracy in Latin America (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993); E. Fox (ed.), Media and Politics in Latin America: The Struggle for Democracy (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1988); Vicky Randall, 'The Media and Democratisation in the Third World', Third World Quarterly, Vol.14, No.3 (1993), pp.625-46.
11. See Lucien Pye (ed.), Communications and Political Development (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1963); D. Lerner and W. Schramm (ed.), Communications and Change in Developing Countries (Honolulu, HI: East-West Center Press, 1967); T.E. Skidmore (ed.), Television, Politics and the Transition to Democracy in Latin America (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993); E. Fox (ed.), Media and Politics in Latin America: The Struggle for Democracy (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1988); Vicky Randall, 'The Media and Democratisation in the Third World', Third World Quarterly, Vol.14, No.3 (1993), pp.625-46.
12. See Lucien Pye (ed.), Communications and Political Development (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1963); D. Lerner and W. Schramm (ed.), Communications and Change in Developing Countries (Honolulu, HI: East-West Center Press, 1967); T.E. Skidmore (ed.), Television, Politics and the Transition to Democracy in Latin America (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993); E. Fox (ed.), Media and Politics in Latin America: The Struggle for Democracy (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1988); Vicky Randall, 'The Media and Democratisation in the Third World', Third World Quarterly, Vol.14, No.3 (1993), pp.625-46.
13. See Lucien Pye (ed.), Communications and Political Development (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 1963); D. Lerner and W. Schramm (ed.), Communications and Change in Developing Countries (Honolulu, HI: East-West Center Press, 1967); T.E. Skidmore (ed.), Television, Politics and the Transition to Democracy in Latin America (Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993); E. Fox (ed.), Media and Politics in Latin America: The Struggle for Democracy (Beverly Hills, CA: Sage, 1988); Vicky Randall, 'The Media and Democratisation in the Third World', Third World Quarterly, Vol.14, No.3 (1993), pp.625-46.
14. Jason C. Hu, 'Freedom of Expression and Development of the Media', in Jason C. Hu (ed.), Quiet Revolutions on Taiwan, Republic of China (Taipei: Kwang Hwa Publishing, 1994), p.500.
15. Hood, p.31.
16. Hung-mao Tien, The Great Transition: Political and Social Change in the Republic of China (Taipei: SMC Publishing Inc., 1989), p.72.
17. Ibid., pp.71-2. Steven J. Hood's volume, The Kuomintang and the Democratization of Taiwan is an excellent history of the KMT.
18. Ibid., pp.71-2. Steven J. Hood's volume, The Kuomintang and the Democratization of Taiwan is an excellent history of the KMT.
19. Broadcasting and Television Law 1976.
20. Tien, p.197.
21. 'Taiwanese' refers to the Chinese who have lived in Taiwan since the sixteenth century; the 'mainland' Chinese are nationalists who only arrived in Taiwan in large numbers after their defeat by the Communists.
22. J. Bruce Jacobs, 'Taiwan's Press: Political Communications Link and Research Resource', China Quarterly, Vol.68, No.4 (1976), pp.778-88.
23. Hood, p.37.
24. Jacobs, p.785. See also Edwin A. Winckler, 'Cultural Policy on Postwar Taiwan', in Stevan Harrell and Huang Chun-chieh (eds.), p.38.
25. In 1988, the number was increased from 12 pages to 20.
26. See Jacobs, pp.778-9.
27. CTS was previously the Educational Television Station (ETV). The ownership percentages have altered slightly over the years, although the basic pattern has remained the same: according to material published in 1993, 48.95 per cent of TTV belonged to the Taiwan Provincial Government, 26.94 per cent to domestic trading companies, 19.98 per cent to Japanese business (Fuji, Hitachi, NEC, Toshiba), and 4.13 per cent to a number of individuals. 60.27 per cent of CTV's stock belonged to cultural enterprises established by the KMT, and 39.73 per cent of its stock belonged to domestic business. For CTS, 40.15 per cent of its stock was owned by the government (29.76 per cent by the Ministry of National Defence, and 10.39 per cent by the Ministry of Education), 13.55 per cent was owned by domestic industry, and the remaining 46.3 per cent was owned by a number of quangos (30.66 per cent by a KMT cultural enterprise, 10.26 per cent by a foundation related to the Ministry of National Defence, and 5.38 per cent by the CTS Foundation). See Chen-huan Wang, 'The Control of Broadcasting and Television Media', in Jui-cheng Cheng et al. (ed.), Deconstructing Broadcasting Media: Establishing the New Order of Broadcasting Media (Taipei: Cheng Society, 1993), pp.88-109.
28. The Three Principles of the People (San Min Chu I), credited to Dr Sun Yat-sen, were included in the ROC's Constitution. These principles are Nationalism, Democracy, and Livelihood - in other words government of the people, for the people, and by the people. See Sun Yat-sen, San Min Chu I: The Three Principles of the People (Taipei: China Cultural Service, undated), and The Teachings of Sun Yat-Sen: Selections from His Writings (London: The Sylvan Press, 1945).
29. The Three Principles of the People (San Min Chu I), credited to Dr Sun Yat-sen, were included in the ROC's Constitution. These principles are Nationalism, Democracy, and Livelihood - in other words government of the people, for the people, and by the people. See Sun Yat-sen, San Min Chu I: The Three Principles of the People (Taipei: China Cultural Service, undated), and The Teachings of Sun Yat-Sen: Selections from His Writings (London: The Sylvan Press, 1945).
30. Chen-huan Wang, p.77.
31. A Brief Introduction to the Republic of China (Taipei: GIO, 1990), p.82; and A Brief Introduction to the Republic of China (Taipei: GIO, 1995), p.151.
32. A Brief Introduction to the Republic of China (Taipei: GIO, 1990), p.82; and A Brief Introduction to the Republic of China (Taipei: GIO, 1995), p.151.
33. Li-hsin Kuo, Criticism of Television and Observation of the Media (Taipei: China Times Culture Publication Ltd., 1990), p.8.
34. According to an interview with the GIO's Mrs. Ching-Wen Lu (Leeds, December 1991), the three national television stations provided an average of 55 per cent of entertainment programmes per week. This figure coincided with Ming-yeh Rawnsley's calculation based on TTV, CTV, and CTS's timetable in February 1996.
35. The KMT prohibited the formation of political parties.
36. C.L. Chiou, Democratizing Oriental Despotism: China from 4 May 1919 to 4 June 1989, and Taiwan from 28 February 1947 to 28 June 1990 (Basingstoke: Macmillan, 1995), p.81.
37. Ibid., p.75. A similar pattern was followed in Brazil. See Guillermo O'Donnell and Philippe C. Schmitter, Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions about Uncertain Democracies (Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993), pp.22-3.
38. Ibid., p.75. A similar pattern was followed in Brazil. See Guillermo O'Donnell and Philippe C. Schmitter, Transitions from Authoritarian Rule: Tentative Conclusions about Uncertain Democracies (Baltimore, MD: The Johns Hopkins University Press, 1993), pp.22-3.
39. Chien-san Fang, The Political Economy of the Broadcasting Media's Capital Movement: The Analysis of the Changes in Taiwan s Broadcasting Media During the 1990s (Taipei: Taiwan Radical Quarterly in Social Studies, 1995), pp.123-75. Also Hood, p.66.
40. Chien-san Fang, The Political Economy of the Broadcasting Media's Capital Movement: The Analysis of the Changes in Taiwan s Broadcasting Media During the 1990s (Taipei: Taiwan Radical Quarterly in Social Studies, 1995), pp.123-75. Also Hood, p.66.
41. For example, the DPP was legalized in 1989, which was also the first year when genuine multi-party elections began. Since 1991, elections have been held for the entire Legislative Yuan and National Assembly, thus terminating their domination by members elected in 1947.
42. Randall, p.639.
43. For a more comprehensive discussion of recent election campaigns in Taiwan, see Gary Rawnsley, 'The 1996 Presidential Campaign in Taiwan: Packaging Politics in a Democratizing State', The Harvard International Journal of Press/Politics, Vol.2, No.2 (1996), pp.47-61.
44. Shieu-chi Weng and Hsiu-hui Sun, 'How Media Use Influences Voters Political Knowledge, Party Preferences and their Voting Behaviour in Taiwan's 1993 General Voting', Journal of Electoral Studies, Vol.1, No.1 (1994), pp.1-25.
45. Yet the China Times and the United Daily News are still unable to prevent their readership from falling in a period of greater media diversity and competition, and especially a greater dependence on television as a source of news and information. In contrast, the readership of the Liberty Times is rising. This can be explained by the fact that its owners have corporate interests in a number of other profitable ventures, thus allowing the Liberty Times to develop and withstand the shock to Taiwan's press industry. It can also be explained with reference to the remarkable number of activities which are used to promote the newspaper, many of which are familiar to readers of the British tabloid press (television advertisements, the giving away of 'scratch' cards, offers tied to subscription and, of course, a low cover price).
46. The only exception in Taiwan is the weekly magazine, Journalist. This is a wholly independent and therefore objective publication which engages in investigative journalism. We freely admit to our inability to reconcile complete freedom from state control over the press and the dangers inherent in commercialization and market competition. More research is required.
47. The farmers' grievances have deep roots. The main explanation for this particular protest, organised by the Yunlin Farmers Rights Promotion Union, was the government's effort to acquire Most Favoured Nation Status from the United States (US), which prompted the Legislative Yuan to loosen the restrictions on the importation of fruit and vegetables. The farmers worried about the effects this would have on their livelihood.
48. Tsung-Chi Lin, 'Both Cable and Non-Cable Media Have Limits, but People's Protests Have No Limits', The Journalist, 3 May 1990, pp.84-6.
49. Central Daily News (International Edition), 22 May 1995.
50. More examples are available in Ming-Yeh Rawnsley, 'Public Service Television in Taiwan' (University of Leeds doctoral thesis, 1997), pp.28-37.
51. John Keane, 'Democracy and the Media - Without Foundations', in David Held (ed.), Prospects for Democracy (London: Polity, 1993), p.238.
52. Sheila Chin, 'Broadcasting and New Media Policies in Taiwan', Anabelle Sreberny-Mohammadi et al. (eds.), Media in Global Context: A Reader (London: Arnold, 1997), p.82.
53. Ibid.
54. Free China Review , Feb. 1996 (Vol.46, No.2), pp.1-5.
55. J.A. Robinson, 'Taiwan's 1995 Legislative Yuan Elections: Appraising in Democratization', The American Asian Review, Vol.14, No.3 (1996), p.112.
56. Jim Hwang, 'Cable Cat's Cradle', Free China Review, Feb. 1996 (Vol.46, No.2), p.7.
57. Fang, p.44.
58. John B. Thompson, The Media and Modernity: A Social Theory of the Media (London: Polity Press, 1993), p.246.
59. Edwin Diamond and Robert A. Silverman, White House to Your House: Media and Politics in Virtual America (Cambridge, MA: MIT Press, 1995), p.141.
60. Republic of China Yearbook, 1996 (Taipei: Kwang Hua Publishing, 1996).
61. Free China Review, Vol. 45, No.2, (1995).
62. Randall, p.644.
63. See the Free China Journal, 20 June 1997, p.4.
64. John Keane, The Media and Democracy (Oxford: Polity, 1991), p.126.
65. Much more information and discussion of Taiwan's Public Service Television system is provided in Ming-Yeh T. Rawnsley, 'Public Service Television in Taiwan' (University of Leeds doctoral thesis, 1997).
66. The law to establish a Public Television Station was passed in 1997.
67. Ming-Yeh T. Rawnsley, p.642. Also see Huntington, op. cit., Ch.5.
68. See Ming-Yeh T. Rawnsley, op. cit., pp.50-54.