Three problems with the media that require the most urgent attention are:

-- The way TV stations are operated, in particular the four terrestrial TV stations.

-- The ignorance of people's privacy and the coexistence of gossip magazines and mainstream media.

-- Media ethics.

`Media have been over-commercialized and even monopolized by conglomerates. Regardless of whether it is cable, terrestrial or satellite television, the quality is so poor that many people shake their heads in disbelief ...'

Here we will deal only with TV station management.

The main problem with managing TV stations is twofold: the status of TTV (台視) and CTS (華視), in which the central government and the military respectively hold controlling stakes; and the operation of TV stations by political parties and legislators. In the past, the highest political power controlled three stations (TTV, CTS and China Television Company (CTV, 中視), which is controlled by the KMT) through the party, the government and the military. After political power changed hands, the status of TTV and CTV remained unclear, and President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) let Ma Yung-cheng (馬永成) direct the selection of the stations' boards of directors, the chairmen of the boards and the presidents. By Ma's own admission, it seems as if the manipulation of media is continuing.

There are two incompatible opinions regarding the fate of TTV and CTV. One demands that parties, the government and the military withdraw from the two stations. The other demands that the two stations be nationalized. There are difficulties with both.

In the 1990s it was the public that demanded the withdrawal of all party, government and military influence from the media. But the politico-economic situation and the media situation are now very different, and to shout old slogans without updating the thinking will not solve the problem. More than ten years after print and electronic media were deregulated, our media are deteriorating.

Media have been over-commercialized and even monopolized by conglomerates. Regardless of whether it is cable, terrestrial or satellite television, the quality is so poor that many people shake their heads in disbelief and sigh deeply with frustration. The full commercialization of two more stations will do nothing to help media reform and is probably not what the people of Taiwan want to see. Even though nationalization would be the ideal method, insistence on total nationalization may be unrealistic and difficult to achieve. The biggest problem with nationalization is the issue of financial resources. If nationalization is initiated without a well-arranged financial plan, it will be very difficult to achieve.

In fact, the problem for TTV and CTV is not that they must choose one of these two options. The problem is that neither of these two options can by itself fix everything. We believe that the government can play an important role in reforming the media. It can't feasibly sell its entire stakes in TV stations. So it should use its stakes to influence the restructuring of the two stations. We suggest a solution similar to Public Television Service (PTS, 公視), where the Legislative Yuan establishes a committee to select a board of directors which in turn selects a chairman. The existing privately owned shares do not have to be bought by the government, but can be left with business to give them an opportunity to participate in the management of the stations. The correct weighting between private and public ownership should only be decided after in-depth study. The main goal for the TV stations could be nationalization with some degree of private ownership.

In a democracy, media enterprises should not be run by political parties and legislators. The operation of media by political parties is a vestige of the authoritarian period. The newspapers, radio and TV stations operated by the KMT have already been humbled and now try to downplay their partisan leanings. The media has become a tool solely for making money, but when it is time for political mobilization, party interests become the most important criteria for these media, once again hurting democracy. Nationalization of TV stations will eliminate these vestiges of authoritarian rule.

Even though the DPP itself does not operate any media, Trong Chai (蔡同榮) and Chang Chun-hung (張俊宏) are both members of the DPP Central Standing Committee and chairmen of media organizations. This is very harmful to the DPP, since it is Chai and Chang that undermine the DPP's policy of having a free media. Since Chai and Chang are intent on staying in the media, they should give up their positions as legislators. Furthermore, the DPP should amend their internal regulations to forbid directors and supervisors in media companies from participating in party primaries for public representatives.

We hope that the DPP government maintains its policy of protecting media freedom and comes to a final decision on the status of TTV and CTV. We also sincerely hope that the KMT will give up its interests in the media as soon as possible and that the DPP forces its legislators to do the same. Trong Chai and Chang Chun-hung should stop mixing politics and media, thereby undermining the workings of democracy and the media.

Chiu Hei-yuan is a research fellow at the Institute of Sociology of the Academia Sinica.

Translated by Perry Svensson