<strong>Let the reader beware</strong>
A Taipei Times opinion piece published on Wednesday titled “Taiwanese media help China with propaganda” by Tommy Lin (林逸民) once more shines a bright light on the ethical responsibilities of communicators on both sides of the equation journalists and publicists. The public turns to its preferred media outlets for clarification of the day’s events, and the media, rightfully so, turn to publicists for that information as well, but here is where the difference lies.
The general public, by and large, often do not have the ability to sift through reams of news releases and other documents to
On June 10, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and Chinese Minister of National Defense General Wei Fenghe (魏鳳和) met on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue security summit in Singapore. The world paid close attention to the outcome of the meeting, as did the media in Taiwan.
However, one confusing aspect of the domestic media’s coverage of the event was how Taiwan’s TV news programs, irrespective of political leaning and in some cases even on state media quoted the Chinese version of events.
The meeting between Austin and Wei was conducted in English. The English-language material covering the content
Throughout history, most infectious diseases have gradually progressed in the direction of decreasing pathogenicity and increasing infectivity as the pathogen spreads. There was no vaccine or drug to combat the Spanish flu because World War I had just ended and there was no coordinated global response, and yet the epidemic receded naturally in about two years.
It did not vanish miraculously: The virus evolved into a virulent strain with low pathogenicity that replaced the original strain. Eventually, the number of infected people developing severe symptoms or dying of the disease dwindled to the point that people stopped caring about it.
Influenza continues
When it comes to medicine, Taiwan’s performance has always been on a par with the West, with its fair share of public health achievements, including stamping out malaria and hepatitis B.
During the 2003-2004 SARS outbreak, Taiwan tamped down the virus and curtailed its spread. In the COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan has emerged as one of the world’s success stories. However, it has been denied WHO membership due to Chinese opposition.
From the government to civic groups, Taipei has tirelessly worked to join the WHO, while its diplomatic allies and other friendly countries have voiced their support.
Since 2017, Taiwan has been unable
With confirmed daily COVID-19 cases climbing to more than 30,000, the public seems to be at a loss about what to do during the outbreak. Long lines have formed outside pharmacies selling rapid antigen test kits, while hospitals are crowded with people waiting to be examined.
Unfortunately, some media outlets are having a field day with the turmoil, and causing fear among the public by focusing on minor cases with severe symptoms.
Meanwhile, many countries that have responded worse than Taiwan to the COVID-19 pandemic are lifting or easing restrictions. This is because even though it is highly contagious, the Omicron variant