How the Blue Media Works

A friend of mine flipped me this photo above of a Little Blue Truck taking on gas at a gas station. Except that the gas isn't going into a truck, but into this gigantic plastic tank. No safety issues here with our gigantic Molotov cocktail!

Speaking of gasoline, Maddog at Taiwan Matters! picked up this fantastic post from Social Force on how Chinese-owned TVBS station here in Taiwan shamelessly roots for the KMT. It's so revealing, I thought I'd put it here. The key excerpt, translations by Maddog:

A post on the SocialForce.tw forum brings us the links, quotes, and commentary. I've [maddog] merely provided the translations:

(->) 政院擬降稅　汽油可能只漲4.5元 2008年5月27日 [TVBS article, via Yahoo News]

Executive Yuan to incrementally raise gas prices, price might only go up NT$4.5 -- May 27, 2008

來看一下舊新聞:

Let's look at some older news:

(->) 超貴！油價漲2元　最快今公佈 2006年4月18日 [TVBS article]

Super expensive! Gas prices to go up NT$2, today at the earliest -- April 18, 2006

..................
[Excerpt:] 一大早加油站就湧進大批人潮，因為油價這回不但要漲，
可能還一次漲2元，創下歷史新高。

The large early-morning crowd at gas stations was not only because of the price increases, but possibly also because this is a record high.
..................
[Excerpt:] 假設以每公升調漲2元來計算，民眾平均每次加油40到50公升，
油費就會多出將近100元，累積開銷相當可觀。

Assuming a NT$2 price increase times 40 to 50 liters per tank will add close to NT$100 to the average person's fill-up, adding up to a considerable amount over time.
..................

(->) 油價狂漲！　馬痛批：扁政府做太差 2007年10月30日 [TVBS article]

Insane gasoline price hike! Ma complains: Chen government is doing a terrible job -- October 30, 2007

[Commentary:] 漲了4.5元叫"只漲",漲了2元叫"超貴,歷史新高",
2>4.5...?
記者的邏輯,令人費解.....
奇怪,今天記者們怎麼不幫民眾算加一次油要多花多少錢?
3.9*50=195 快200元耶
民眾活不下去了啦~~~~~

An increase of NT$4.5 is called "only," whereas an increase of NT$2 is "super expensive, a historic high."
Is 2 greater than 4.5?
The reporter's logic is puzzling.
Isn't it strange that today's reporters can't help people calculate what the additional costs of filling up will be?
NT$3.9 times 50 [liters per tank] equals 195 -- almost NT$200!
Regular people can't survive, la~!

[Sarcastic commentary:] 扁政府真是做太差了,沒能力讓大家看到這種排隊加油沒有盡頭的奇蹟,
馬先生好棒啊!

The Chen Shui-bian government did such a poor job, not being able to let everyone experience the wonder of neverending gas lines. Mr. Ma is great!

Taiwam