WantWant Group Already Hard at Work

Animal Hospital in Taichung on Yingtsai Rd north of Taichunggang Rd.

The WantWant Group's ability to slant and control the news was once again on display this week. CTI cut criticism of the WantWant purchase of Next Media from a concert:

China Television Co’s (CTV) controversial removal of remarks against media monopolization made by Wu Ching-feng (吳青峰), the lead singer of the popular band Sodagreen (蘇打綠), during his New Year’s Eve performance in Greater Kaohsiung from its rerun of the festivities continues to brew, with scores of netizens calling the TV station “shameless and despicable.”

Prior to his performance of Days Without Cigarettes (沒有菸抽的日子), whose lyrics were written by exiled Chinese democracy activist Wang Dan (王丹), at Kaohsiung’s E-da World theme park on Monday night, Wu expressed his opposition to media monopolization on stage in front of tens of thousands of fans.

“From my perspective, the media should be an open platform through which the truth is conveyed, rather than something that attempts to monopolize [the market] or seeks to manipulate you and me,” Wu said.

However, Wu’s rhetoric was cut from the rerun aired by CTV, which was in charge of broadcasting the New Year’s Eve celebration.

CTV is one of the many media outlets owned by the pro-China Want Want China Times Group, which also owns CtiTV and the Chinese-language newspapers Want Daily, China Times and China Times Weekly.

Remember that previously WantWant papers had gone after students who criticized them. I wish more people in their thirties and forties were out protesting this. The WantWant media deal is an unmitigated disaster for Taiwan's democracy, not merely because it increases China's influence over the local media, but also because WantWant's owner has already signaled he is going to curb Next Media's environmental and political investigative reporting.
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Daily Links:

• Two of my greatest fears in one article: stats on deaths and injuries from people who open car doors into traffic without looking, one of my biggest fears as a cyclist, and the fact that if you cause an accident, you can go to jail. The risk of jail time for an accident, especially when it isn't your fault, is one of Taiwan's most odious legal stupidities, and one reason I drive as little as possible.
• Mr Ma, the two sides of the Strait are not ethnic Chinese.
• China's maritime surveillance fleet adds muscle. 
• The Independent: Post Card from Taiwan...from Tainan!
• US conducts nuclear emergency preparedness training in Taiwan.

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