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IN FOCUS: Netizens,
academics slam role of media in Makiyo case
By By Huang Chen-yin and Hu Ching-hui / Staff Reporters
A live interview conducted on TVBS’ 2100 Talk Show (2100全民開講) on Friday with a
Japanese man suspected of having assaulted a taxi driver has drawn criticism
from netizens and academics. Host Lee Tao (李濤) was singled out for exceeding the
professional parameters of the media.
Local celebrity Makiyo and her Japanese friend Takateru Tomoyori were indicted
on Friday for “inflicting serious bodily harm” on taxi driver Lin Yu-chun (林余駿)
on the night of Feb. 2 in Taipei.
In the indictment, the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office recommended a
six-year prison term for Tomoyori and a four-year prison term for Makiyo, who
was born to a Japanese father and Taiwanese mother.
Following the indictment, Lee interviewed Tomoyori on his Friday evening show
for nearly two hours.
During the interview, Tomoyori said he was in a serious relationship with Makiyo
and claimed that everything said at the press -conference held on Feb. 4 had
been manipulated by Makiyo’s talent agency.
However, Netizens blasted Lee for repeating the same questions and sounding
“like a broken record and driving the translator and the viewers nuts.”
Netizens also asked: “Is the court now in session, Judge Lee?”
Academics who specialize in media-related issues also responded negatively to
the interview, with National Chengchi University Department of Journalism
associate professor Liu Chang-de (劉昌德) saying: “The media are not the
prosecution, and this sort of conduct is unbecoming of a professional media.”
Liu further commented that the media had focused too much on the Makiyo
incident, when the majority of its coverage should have been on more important
issues, such as the ongoing dispute over US beef.
Hungkuang University Department of Cultural Studies associate professor Connie
Lin (林育卉) was more direct in her criticism of media behavior: “When did the
judicial system in Taiwan fall so far that the media, bereft of judicial
professionalism or authority, decided that it is better placed to put someone on
trial?”
Although the Makiyo case deserved public attention, Lin said that it was the
responsibility of the media to present such incidents in context and based on
the principle of proportionality, ensuring that they did not displace coverage
of more important news.
National Chung Cheng University Department of Mass Media associate professor and
Taiwan Media Watch chairman Kuan Chung-hsiang (管中祥) said: “The media should not
exceed its role and seek to play judge and jury,” adding that the 2100 Talk Show
interview with Tomoyori amounted to little more than allowing a man accused of a
serious crime to present his own defense unchallenged and without any scientific
or forensic evidence to back up or refute his claims.
Such a show “does not help clarify the incident, and could easily be
misleading,” Kuan said.
In response to these criticisms, TVBS spokesperson Yeh Yu-chun (葉毓君) said the
show did not only provide a platform for Tomoyori to explain his side of events,
because the taxi driver’s opinions were also expressed when his lawyer called in
during the second half of the show.
The 2100 Talk Show is broadcast live and the host often has to make on-the-spot
decisions, Yeh said, adding that TVBS respected the different opinions expressed
on the content of the interview.
Translated by Jake Chung, Staff Writer
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