Musicians in Taichung.

Complex issue with no easy answer.

I have a close friend who enjoys playing devil's advocate over coffee on Saturday afternoons. He is taking me to task for what I wrote earlier about the government's decision to eject the Chinese journalists who work for Xinhua and The People's Daily.

To begin with, he told me about the press release from Reporters sans frontieres, which condemned the government's position and suggested that the reporters be allowed in. Here is graf from the organization's statement:

Urging Taiwan to reconsider its decision, the worldwide press freedom organisation said, "Even though the People's Republic of China is certainly no model of press freedom, using censorship against its media makes no sense. We believe that the right to news and information should in no circumstances be compromised because of political differences."

While I understand the point, I still believe that these reporters are reporters in name only. Perhaps this situation could have been handled more smoothly by government officials who, rather than do what many democratic government' officials do, i.e. bullshit, chose to criticize the reporting and tell the world how angry they are about Chinese journalists misrepresenting Taiwan in communist newspapers. What they should have done is either never allowed the journalists into the country to begin with or at the very least spin the issue as a visa problem and not a press problem, though it would have been clear to everyone what was going on.

I am not, however, suggesting that all Chinese journalists or even those who work for party organs, are fake reporters. Anyone who has been keeping up with the ebb and flow of the Chinese press must be aware of the number of significant contributions China's journalists have offered their readers. China seems to have a number of investigative reporters, all of whom probably know the risks they are taking, who continue to uncover corruption, sometimes at the very highest levels of government.

At this juncture, I'd be interested in hearing other opinions on the issue, especially from journalists or those who agree with Reporters sans frontieres' position.

Excuses, excuses ...

I know the frequency of posts leaves something to be desired. I am busier now than I have been in a long time. I'm scrambling about trying to fill out financial aid forms for graduate school, plus I have a number of stories to work on and the magazine must be put to bed by Friday. So for the regulars, my apologies. Things should return to normal in May.

And as I understand things, DogoftheSouth is also often beholden to deadline pressures around the same time I am.

A blow to freedom of the press? I think not.

When the Mainland Affairs Council decided to eject two Chinese reporters-- one from Xinhua and the other from the Communist Party's mouthpiece, The People's Daily--earlier this week, we were blessed with the unsurprising hue and cry from the KMT and the biased media outlets that tacitly support the pan-blues.

We were told that ejecting the two reporters was a blow to Taiwan's burgeoning democracy, that freedom of the press was now on its knees begging for mercy and that by sending the reporters back the government would irreparably damage cross-strait relations. We were, so to speak, invited to a horsefeathers banquet.

Just because these reporters work for news agencies doesn't make them real journalists; they are nothing more than hacks for the Chinese Communist Party. They have no interest in balance, fairness, getting at the truth or even reporting the facts. They are paid to file stories that confirm what the boys in Zhongnanhai want to hear. The stories must fill out the narrative that Taiwan is the Rebel Province brimming with evil splittists trying to lead the good people of Taiwan astray on their inexorable journey to "reunification."

How anyone can pretend that these people are anything more than the cogs of a propaganda mill or outright spies baffles...

Hot spots, trouble zones ...

whatever you want to call them, news junkies are always keeping an eye out for the next revolution, coup d'etat or outright act of aggression. In Taiwan--considered one of the hot spots of the world because of China's intransigence--people are aware of the potential for things to get out of hand, so much so that the country's awkward relationship with China defines day-to-day politics.

But if Al Giordano is to be believed, the next international flare up is nigh. Vincente Fox may be about to wager his legacy as a shephard of democracy on a power grab sanctioned by Washington. Read the full piece here. (via James Wolcott)

An item that should concern bloggers or readers thereof ...

Via Steve Gilliard.

Talking shit

in the Legislative Yuan means you are dooooomed. or canned or harassed ... In any case, it's not good. More here.

The People's Daily gushes over the KMT's visit.

I guess they just can't help themselves. Here are two choice passages:

People on both sides of the Straits have the same roots and share weal and woe, a strip of the shallow straits cannot cut off the feeling of reminiscence. The "tour of reminiscence" embodies such a feeling of history and continuation of tradition, and exhibits the Chinese people's unique national sentiments, so naturally it is easy to strike a responsive chord in people's hearts.

and ...

During its tour, the KMT stressed that it would provide the Taiwan people with "another kind of expectation and choice," and would not "follow the authorities in running amuck," obviously, this remark was made strictly in light of the reality, which deserves deep thoughts to be made by various social circles on the Island.

I'm still stumped about where, if anywhere, the KMT thinks this will lead. The CCP and the KMT inked a 10-point proposal, but since the KMT doesn't represent the government of Taiwan, that piece of paper is merely symbolic. Perhaps one day it'll be considered symbolic of the Nationalists' perfidy. You can read the piece here.