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UCLA Professor supports Chinese network

ludahai

Defender of the Faith
DP Veteran
Joined
Apr 24, 2005
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Location
Taichung, Taiwan - 2017 East Asian Games Candidate
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Political Leaning
Very Conservative
A UCLA journalism professor named Tom Plate recently defended a Chinese-owned TV network under fire from Taiwan's government.

Originally posted at www.xanga.com/ludahai on November 19, 2005
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The past few weeks have seen a growing media controversy in Taiwan. Taiwan’s media is as open and free-wheeling as its politics, facts that anyone who actually lives in the country sees and understands. However, a professor in California who apparently has little direct experience with this country and likely has never resided here, and if he had, it has certainly not been recently, seems to think that he knows enough about the local media culture to commentate intelligently on a growing row here in Taiwan. We have a network called TVBS. It is fully owned by Hong Kong interests and is widely suspected to be heavily influenced by the Chinese government. Taiwan’s telecommunications law does not permit majority foreign ownership of Taiwanese broadcast or cable channels.

In comes UCLA journalism professor Tom Plate. He seems to think that he is all knowing enough about Taiwan’s media to suggest that TVBS is being targeted by the government. http://www.tvbs.com.tw/news/news_list.asp?no=lili20051103150707
Well, someone should tell Professor Plate that TVBS is in clear violation of Taiwan’s law. Furthermore, the station is owned by interests from Taiwan’s only enemy, that being China. Sure, Taiwan has territorial issues with Japan and the Philippines, but neither of them are true threats to Taiwan’s security. Only China plays that role. They openly claim this island-country as a part of their territory, in open defiance of the principles of international law. Still, Professor Plate seems insistent on sticking his nose in when it is obvious he knows little of which he speaks. A Taiwanese living in Taipei made this clear in a letter sent to AsiaMedia. http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=33223

Anyone who watches TVBS’ 24-hour news channel knows that it is sensationalistic and extremely pro-China. In an atmosphere where China does not even permit Taiwanese news websites to be accessed from China, how can the government here tolerate a major cable outlet owned by the sole sworn enemy to this country? Taiwan had freedom of the press. They are free to criticize the government. I watch local newscasts almost daily and see exactly this. Obviously, Tom Plate does not. I seriously doubt he is truly aware of the nature of the local media. If he is, it is a shame to see an American academic defend a station owned by interests from a totalitarian regime who wants to end our way of life.

What I do not completely understand is why he would support this agent of China’s designs on Taiwan. He certainly does not have a record of supporting tyrants in his writings, save for a curious commentary of former Chinese lackey in Hong Kong Tung Cheehwa. Many journalists do have the notion that freedom of the press should be absolute and that even reasonable restrictions are not acceptable. When you are in your ivory tower in Los Angeles, protected by the world’s most powerful military, it is an easy position to take. However, when you are a small island country threatened by the world’s most populous nation that has a record of aggression against its neighbors that dates back two thousand years, it is a completely different story. National security is of paramount importance to Taiwan, especially when there is already such an active Chinese fifth column domestically. Reasonable laws restricting Chinese ownership of domestic media outlets is NOT an onerous restriction on the freedom of the media. That Taiwan is able to maintain a free media in the face of the threats that it faces should be an inspiration to the entire world.
 
ludahai said:
A UCLA journalism professor named Tom Plate recently defended a Chinese-owned TV network under fire from Taiwan's government.

Originally posted at www.xanga.com/ludahai on November 19, 2005
----

The past few weeks have seen a growing media controversy in Taiwan. Taiwan’s media is as open and free-wheeling as its politics, facts that anyone who actually lives in the country sees and understands. However, a professor in California who apparently has little direct experience with this country and likely has never resided here, and if he had, it has certainly not been recently, seems to think that he knows enough about the local media culture to commentate intelligently on a growing row here in Taiwan. We have a network called TVBS. It is fully owned by Hong Kong interests and is widely suspected to be heavily influenced by the Chinese government. Taiwan’s telecommunications law does not permit majority foreign ownership of Taiwanese broadcast or cable channels.

In comes UCLA journalism professor Tom Plate. He seems to think that he is all knowing enough about Taiwan’s media to suggest that TVBS is being targeted by the government. http://www.tvbs.com.tw/news/news_list.asp?no=lili20051103150707
Well, someone should tell Professor Plate that TVBS is in clear violation of Taiwan’s law. Furthermore, the station is owned by interests from Taiwan’s only enemy, that being China. Sure, Taiwan has territorial issues with Japan and the Philippines, but neither of them are true threats to Taiwan’s security. Only China plays that role. They openly claim this island-country as a part of their territory, in open defiance of the principles of international law. Still, Professor Plate seems insistent on sticking his nose in when it is obvious he knows little of which he speaks. A Taiwanese living in Taipei made this clear in a letter sent to AsiaMedia. http://www.asiamedia.ucla.edu/article.asp?parentid=33223



Oh dear Ludahai, you are more knowledgable than an acredited professor at UCLA?
TVBS presents the truth, the talked the most **** about the pan blue in the days of your beloved lee tung hui, and even today they still rat on the various dirty dealings of the pan blue; completely independent of any government influence.
More pan green rhetoric from you I see.
FYI that's Dr. Tom Plate to you.

ludahai said:
Anyone who watches TVBS’ 24-hour news channel knows that it is sensationalistic and extremely pro-China. In an atmosphere where China does not even permit Taiwanese news websites to be accessed from China, how can the government here tolerate a major cable outlet owned by the sole sworn enemy to this country? Taiwan had freedom of the press. They are free to criticize the government. I watch local newscasts almost daily and see exactly this. Obviously, Tom Plate does not. I seriously doubt he is truly aware of the nature of the local media. If he is, it is a shame to see an American academic defend a station owned by interests from a totalitarian regime who wants to end our way of life.
Completely untrue. Taiwanese news websites as well as, and even I was surprised by this, American News websites are completely accessable, even when the issues are in relation to China.
I think it is you who are still living in the past as the mainland is no longer the "sworn" enemy of Taiwan. You really are a war monger arn't you?

ludahai said:
What I do not completely understand is why he would support this agent of China’s designs on Taiwan. He certainly does not have a record of supporting tyrants in his writings, save for a curious commentary of former Chinese lackey in Hong Kong Tung Cheehwa. Many journalists do have the notion that freedom of the press should be absolute and that even reasonable restrictions are not acceptable. When you are in your ivory tower in Los Angeles, protected by the world’s most powerful military, it is an easy position to take. However, when you are a small island country threatened by the world’s most populous nation that has a record of aggression against its neighbors that dates back two thousand years, it is a completely different story.
Really? you have a source for this? What grand military invasions have Chinese taken against it's neighbors in the last 2000 years?
 
Last edited:
jfuh said:
Oh dear Ludahai, you are more knowledgable than an acredited professor at UCLA?
TVBS presents the truth, the talked the most **** about the pan blue in the days of your beloved lee tung hui, and even today they still rat on the various dirty dealings of the pan blue; completely independent of any government influence.
More pan green rhetoric from you I see.
FYI that's Dr. Tom Plate to you.

Completely untrue. Taiwanese news websites as well as, and even I was surprised by this, American News websites are completely accessable, even when the issues are in relation to China.
I think it is you who are still living in the past as the mainland is no longer the "sworn" enemy of Taiwan. You really are a war monger arn't you?

Really? you have a source for this? What grand military invasions have Chinese taken against it's neighbors in the last 2000 years?


When I read Ann Coulter write that liberals always side with america's enemies, I didn't believe that was true on ALL issues.

No I'm beginning to see that maybe it is.

Look at this idiot here defending a state run news channel being broadcast in a free country. haha. What a loser.

Hey jfuh if you love china and their government so much why don't you just move there? It's not like you pay taxes in america anyway.
 
jfuh said:
Completely untrue. Taiwanese news websites as well as, and even I was surprised by this, American News websites are completely accessable, even when the issues are in relation to China.

And apparently you are an idiot as well as a traitor.

Connect to the internet though a chinese proxy and try to go to cnn.com foxnews.com or bbc.com. You can't. They are all blocked.

Chinese people see censored versions of all those websites.

CNN did a 1 hour special on this just last week. I thought you might be at least educated enough to know this.

I guess not.

Go read a book you jobless college dropout pothead treehugging leech.
 
FreeThinker said:
Hey jfuh if you love china and their government so much why don't you just move there? It's not like you pay taxes in america anyway.

Who's to say that he isn't there already, on their payroll of course.

The more he posts, the more convinced I am that he is a Chinese agent.

An Ivory Tower UCLA professor actually knows what is happening on the ground here in Taiwan? I highly doubts he even WATCHES TVBS!

Regardless of his comments, or yours, as a Hong Kong owned station, it is in violation of Taiwan's media law - a law passed by your beloved KMT!
 
FreeThinker said:
When I read Ann Coulter write that liberals always side with america's enemies, I didn't believe that was true on ALL issues.

No I'm beginning to see that maybe it is.

Look at this idiot here defending a state run news channel being broadcast in a free country. haha. What a loser.

Hey jfuh if you love china and their government so much why don't you just move there? It's not like you pay taxes in america anyway.
State run news channel? Clearly you've no idea what you are talking about.
Ann Coutler, she's completely full of ****, but then so are you.
 
FreeThinker said:
And apparently you are an idiot as well as a traitor.

Connect to the internet though a chinese proxy and try to go to cnn.com foxnews.com or bbc.com. You can't. They are all blocked.

Chinese people see censored versions of all those websites.

CNN did a 1 hour special on this just last week. I thought you might be at least educated enough to know this.

I guess not.

Go read a book you jobless college dropout pothead treehugging leech.
Traitor? How so?
 
ludahai said:
Who's to say that he isn't there already, on their payroll of course.

The more he posts, the more convinced I am that he is a Chinese agent.

An Ivory Tower UCLA professor actually knows what is happening on the ground here in Taiwan? I highly doubts he even WATCHES TVBS!

Regardless of his comments, or yours, as a Hong Kong owned station, it is in violation of Taiwan's media law - a law passed by your beloved KMT!
This is how you argue Lu? Resorting to nothing but baseless accusations and mudslinging? Chinese agent? lol, perhaps you'd also like to call me an Al Qaeda operative too?
I thought you were all out academia but then when high academia makes a statment that is obvioiusly acredited you do everything to discredit.
Convenient then, how now of all times when TVBS is attacking the pan-green the most there is this sense to get them out. Alright, if indeed it's fact that TVBS is completely Hong Kong owned as you claim, why is it then when TVBS was mounting heavy attacks against Lee dunghui in '96 that the then all powerful KMT that made the law did not prosecute TVBS? That makes no sense to me.
 
FreeThinker said:
And apparently you are an idiot as well as a traitor.

Connect to the internet though a chinese proxy and try to go to cnn.com foxnews.com or bbc.com. You can't. They are all blocked.

Chinese people see censored versions of all those websites.

CNN did a 1 hour special on this just last week. I thought you might be at least educated enough to know this.

I guess not.

Go read a book you jobless college dropout pothead treehugging leech.

/mod mode/
Free Thinker,
I see in your brief tenure at DP you have been warned before so let's make this your last chance before spending some quality time away from this site. One more post personally attacking fellow members of this board in the public forums will result in a week's suspension. And continuing to behave in this manner will lead to a permanent ban. Think you got that?
/mod mode/
 
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