Radio Taiwan International (Rti) in collaboration with the National Development Council and the National Taiwan University held a forum with the theme of “Navigating Asia’s Media Landscape: Authoritarianism v.s. Democracy” at the National Taiwan University (NTU) on Monday.
A panel of seasoned foreign journalists shared their perspectives on Taiwan’s media ecosystem. Taiwan Foreign Correspondents' Club (TFCC) President Thompson Chau (周浩霖), New York Times Chief Correspondent in China Chris Buckley (儲百亮), and the former Reuter Regional Editor Phil Smith were all guest speakers.
Chau, a journalist for the Economist and Nikkei Asia, said that Taiwan has become an international media hub thanks to its geopolitical location and freedom of press. He pointed out how many foreign media representatives have relocated to Taiwan since the start of the political unrest in Hong Kong as an example.
Buckley said that the Chinese government has implemented strict rules, which made it difficult for journalists to talk to local people. He said Taiwan’s democratic environment has benefitted journalists and that he was impressed by the diverse media landscape in Taiwan.
Smith shared his experiences as a journalist for the past 40 years. He said that press censorship has intensified in many South and South East Asian countries. He lauded Taiwan’s continuous progress in press freedom for the past few years, referring to the World Press Freedom Index published by the Reporters Without Borders (RSF). Taiwan has gone up the rankings with 42 in 2019, 38 in 2022, and 35 in 2023.