Taipei, Aug. 4 (CNA) Basic human rights, including privacy and the right to refuse to be interviewed, have been seriously abused by Taiwan's media, especially in television news, a media watchdog said in a seminar Friday.
Respect for human rights has been ignored for so long because of agrowing competition in the media, and it's time to solve the problem no matter how long it takes, said Connie Lin, CEO of the Broadcasting Development Fund (BDF) , a non-profit media watch group which organized the seminar "Human rights under the camera lens."
One of several TV newsclips played before the seminar showed a six-year-old girl refusing to be interviewed but ignored by the media and the face of a mentally ill patient.
The mother-in-law, first grandson and even butler of President Chen Shui-bian were followed by media everywhere, with more than two dozen reporters camped daily outside their residence in an attempt to follow their every move, the video also showed.
The current media chaos in Taiwan can be traced back to the "media explosion" after the end of the martial law era, and the situation has worsened in recent years, said Cheryl Lai, president of Radio Taiwan International.
Lai said that besides the "survival of the fittest" dynamic, the media should shoulder most of the responsibility for the decline in journalism's professionalism in recent years, because the media has gotten caught up in the numbers game -- doing whatever it takes to get higher ratings.
Not only have viewers felt frustration toward the media but reporters have as well -- which is why Chin Yu-chung became a print media reporter after five years as a TV cameraman.
With nine 24-hour news channels competing year-round, it's hard to believe the current situation will see any dramatic improvements, although a self-restraint and self-discipline agreement has been signed by all news channels, Lin said.
The media should start respecting basic human rights before it's too late, Lai said. Otherwise, she added, the general public will one day spurn the media because viewers have the ultimate power: turning off the television.