The two most significant restrictions dropped by the government action were removal of the ban on new newspaper registrations and the 12-page limit to the length of daily papers. The move stimulated intense competition as new daily and weekly newspapers rapidly appeared on the scene.
Established newspapers have revamped their formats and coverage of local and international news in order to meet the challenge of the newcomers, and all papers have sought to attract an even broader readership through more comprehensive coverage.
According to the following analysis by Paul H.C. Wang, who is president of the ROC Institute of Education for Mass Communication and professor of journalism at National Chengchi University, the sweeping changes that have occurred in the media since the first day of the year indicate another healthy step in the development of a democratic society on Taiwan; nevertheless, there are still some warning signals to watch closely as the media exercise long dormant journalistic muscles.
Liberalization has moved at flank speed in the ROC since the lifting of the Emergency Decree that activated martial law (on July 15, 1987), the removal of the ban on family visits to the Chinese mainland (on November 3, 1987), and the dropping of restrictions on newspaper registrations (on January 1, 1988). These represent some of the most positive policy steps taken by the ROC government since its relocation to Taiwan in 1949. Among these moves, the opening of communications channels has already had overwhelming importance, for society now enjoys a flood of information from periodicals old and new.
An indication of the transformed publishing scene comes from mid-year statistics: according to Shaw Yu-ming, director general of the Government Information Office (GIO), by the end of June this year, 57 new papers (including new editions to old papers printed at different locales) have been registered at the appropriate government departments. In addition, most newspapers have extended their daily page count to 24.
Contemporary shifts in media coverage can be regarded as forerunners to a thorough information liberalization, and they are expected to have substantial impact on political democratization and economic development in Taiwan. Five areas of notable change are already underway: (1) freedom of speech and publication, as stipulated in Article 11 of the ROC Constitution, are being implemented more effectively; (2) free and abundant information has brought more political coverage, creating greater public interest and participation in public affairs; (3) diversity in the media sources promotes the airing of different points of view, generating better-informed public opinion; (4) a public more aware of its interests is becoming more active in suggesting directions for government policies, overseeing government administrations, and upgrading the quality of constitutional democracy; and (5) the variety of information has helped alter and cultivate different consumption habits, thereby benefiting economic development.
As a result of these trends already well underway, the lifting of newspaper restrictions has been clearly significant not only in expanding the freedom of the press, but also in promoting political liberalization, aiding further growth of a free, democratic, and rational society.
The decision to lift press restrictions was carefully made, for government officials wanted to ensure the development of a press that was responsible as well as free. As a result, there was a one-year preparation period prior to the January 1 announcement. In February of 1987 (following instructions from Premier Yu Kuo-hwa), the GIO began soliciting opinions from academics and the press about changing governmental policy toward the media. An ad hoc group was also set up to review all the suggestions.
Four principles emerged that were adopted as the basis of any new press policy: uphold the freedom of the press, protect public interests, avoid press monopolies, and promote healthy media development. With the assistance of the GIO, the newspaper associations of Taiwan Province, and Taipei and Kaohsiung cities met to decide some of the new ground rules that they would follow under a more liberal media policy. They decided, among other things, to limit pages to 24 and that prices would be set according to newspaper size. The process was a success. On December 1, the GIO announced that it would start accepting applications for new newspapers and news agencies on January 1, 1988.
Newspapers are indicators of social development, and their survival and development reflect the multiple forces at work within any nation. On the positive side of the ledger, the maturation of the ROC media environment has come at a key time. Taiwan is undergoing complex economic and political change, and press freedoms have assisted the flow of information domestically and internationally. The result has been a populace richly rewarded from time spent in reading, gleaning information about the latest trends, be they in business, fashion, or academic areas.
Although the 24-page format now used by many newspapers has allowed for greatly expanded coverage of news and feature items, local papers still have a long way to go before coming close to matching the size and quality of major papers elsewhere in Asia and the West. Further developments along these lines will also be tied in with more sophisticated advertising from a wider range of sources. Progress has been made already, as news about finance, sports, environmental protection, labor-management relations, and the Chinese mainland is being printed in greater depth. Moreover, opinion pages have been added by many papers, giving their readers a chance to express themselves on almost any topic. The results of public opinion polls, oftentimes conducted by the papers themselves, have added another dimension to local reporting.
Another change welcomed by all readers has been an eye-saver: larger newspapers have allowed typesetters to use larger-size Chinese characters. For decades, newsprint has been nearly microscopic in order to cram as much information as possible into the limited number of pages. Now readers enjoy both larger type and more attractive layouts, complete with more photos and creative designs. Even tables of contents and summaries can be found on the front page, just as in foreign publications, because of the added space.
The complexities of the new-style papers has pushed publishers to invest in more modern equipment, and many papers have become computerized. It is now common to find reporters pounding out stories on their PCs rather than writing text by hand. Editing has also improved because of the technological advances being made in local papers.
But advanced equipment and creative layout are but small parts of any newspaper. Success depends upon good writers, and journalistic standards cannot be expected to mature overnight. While reporters and editorial writers certainly have greater freedom in gathering, writing, and publishing, they still need to find, check, and present the facts. These skills are not easy to develop, and prior to press liberalization, not much encouragement was given to hard-nosed, detailed reporting, especially investigative reporting.
Moreover, journalism schools are still characterized by large classes, making it extremely difficult for instructors to give very much personal instruction. And oftentimes a new reporter will start work at a publication and find even less attention to journalistic training. The result has been a traditional emphasis on quantity of production rather than quality. While there are changes in the wind, they will take time. At least there is now the freedom to develop in these directions.
Advertising is undergoing major transformations as well. Quality has improved significantly, thanks in part to more models from overseas publications and the addition of several joint-venture, international advertising firms in Taiwan. But local products in advertising are also impressive, and their creativity in the new environment is now allowed to go nearly without limits. For this reason alone, the field is attracting more talented people.
Yet, there is a negative side of the ledger as well. One is the readership itself. Over the decades people became used to a rather standard approach to journalism, which established certain reading habits. Now these have to change. It seems strange to hear complaints about papers being "too long," or "too confusing" because they present a wider range of views. While these views are no doubt transitional, they indicate that a broad segment of the public actually needs to learn how to read critically. Again, this will be a slow process of education and experience.
Other habits are being formed, however, that should be quickly discouraged. One is journalistic sensationalism. In the rush to secure wider circulation, many papers have stooped to highly questionable standards of reporting. Filing libel suits has not been a widespread practice in Taiwan, but if some of the styles of reporting continue unabated, there may well be a shift in public attitude about the appropriateness of such action. Objective reporting and faithfulness to facts both could use greater emphasis in domestic publications.
Some observers are also concerned about the possible rise of "media monopolies." The capital-intensive development of newspaper cartels in Taiwan has already influenced the freedom of the press. According to a recent investigation, the two largest cartels—the China Times and the United Daily News—dominate 84 percent of Taiwan's newspaper market and pose a threat to newly-established newspapers. It is not yet clear how this sort of trend can be avoided, but the evolution of this and other worrisome trends is being closely watched not only by the government and scholars in journalism, but also by the press itself.
There are ways to alleviate these concerns, however, and thereby ensure a healthy development of the press. Some of the most frequent recommendations are as follows: (1) Reinforce the functions of the self-disciplinary organizations of newspapers, and promote the maturation of journalistic ethics; (2) revise the Publication Law and related regulations to prevent the reputations and privacy of ordinary people from being infringed upon; (3) seek ways to prevent newspaper monopolies and establish methods of protecting the rights of journalists; (4) strengthen journalistic education in the colleges and universities; and (5) encourage academic and civic organizations to offer constructive criticism of the way the media operate.
With the lifting of restrictions on newspapers, the ROC has taken a major step toward further political democratization, economic liberalization, and social pluralism. Similar developments in the freedoms of speech and assembly, in the liberalization of media ownership, and the screening of TV programs and motion pictures have brought sweeping changes to people in Taiwan. Moreover, the relaxing of controls on information about and from the Chinese mainland has already produced striking results, as local people see for themselves how impressively Taiwan's society has progressed in comparison. Changes in this area of communication alone will remain an important focal point for media attention.
It is safe to assume that increased communication between Taiwan and the mainland will be a "thirst" not easily satisfied, especially since the content goes beyond basic news. Local people are anxious to see even more information about the mainland, including the reprint and circulation of mainland news, publications, motion pictures and video tapes, as well as beginning interchanges of literary and artistic works, the exchanges of visits by writers and artists, the free coverage of news by journalists, and even the receiving of mainland TV programs through satellite communications. That these topics can even be considered is clear indication of how far and how fast the ROC has come in its media policy since the beginning of this year.
Even though the ROC government is not making major shifts in its mainland policy at present, there is a positive momentum to the changes that have already taken place. The foundation of constitutional democracy lies in open and free information and a well-informed people. The ROC has successfully taken major steps in these directions—steps taken in confidence in its maturing democratic forms.