Pro-China TV channel shut down in Taiwan ove press freedom issues

Taiwan’s broadcast regulator, the National Communications Commission (NCC) ordered the closure of one of the it’s pro-China cable news network, Chung T’ien News, following a month-long battle over journalistic standards and freedom of the press.

NCC chairman Chen Yaw-shyang said at a briefing that they will not renew the broadcast license as the station repeatedly violated broadcast regulations, including frequent failure to fact check news items and the network owner’s involvement in the editorial process.

He also said that Chung T’ien News’ largest shareholder Tsai Eng-meng is directly and indirectly involved in the production of news programs.

Tsai Eng-meng is Taiwan’s second-richest man and the chairman of Shanghai-based rice cracker and beverage maker Want Want China Holdings, he has long been a vocal advocate of Taiwan’s unification with China.