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NTHU students protest
monopolization of media
EXALTED COMPANY: Wang Dan, an exiled leader of
the Tiananmen democracy protest of 1989, showed up to lend his support to the
event on the NTHU campus
By Hung Mei-hsiu and Jason Pan / Staff reporter, with staff
writer
Students from National Tsing Hua
University hold up banners as they protest against media monopolization at the
school’s campus in Hsinchu yesterday.
Photo: Hong Mei-hsiu, Taipei Times
More than 300 National Tsing Hua
University (NTHU) students took part in a rally on the university’s campus in
Hsinchu yesterday in support of a campaign against media monopoly.
The event, organized by NTHU student group “Radical” (基進筆記), which publishes
campus news on a monthly basis, is part of an on-going nationwide campaign
staged by college students against media monopolization after learning that a
consortium including Want Want China Times Group chairman Tsai Eng-meng (蔡衍明)
was buying Next Media Group’s four media outlets in Taiwan.
They oppose control of the mass media being concentrated in the hands of a few
conglomerates and want the government to scrutinize the transaction.
“Safeguard press freedom. I’m at Tsing Hua to protect Taiwan!” the students
chanted.
They also signed petitions and wrote down prayers on prayer cards before posing
for a photograph.
NTHU chief secretary Chien Chen-fu (簡禎富) and dean of student Affairs Lu Ping-chiang
(呂平江) also lent their support.
Chen Wei-ting (陳為廷), an NTHU student and a co-convener of the Youth Alliance
Against Media Monsters, also attended the rally.
Chen provoked a media frenzy earlier this month for calling Minister of
Education Chiang Wei-ling (蔣偉寧) a hypocrite and liar, and demanding an apology
from him for sending an e-mail that asked universities to “show concern” over
the participation of students in recent protests.
Chen has since apologized for his remarks in an effort to avoid diverting
attention from the issue of media monopolization.
Wang Dan (王丹), an exiled leader of the Tiananmen democracy protest of 1989 and
currently a visiting professor at NTHU, showed up with his own printed slogans
to convey his opposition to media monopolization.
“People in Taiwan can voice their diverse views freely. It is very good that
students are standing up to fight against media monopoly,” Wang said.
He added that he hopes the government will take the students seriously.
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