TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan Public Television Service appealed to legislators for support on Friday after the KMT proposed cutting its budget by NT$23 million (US$698,886) due to allegations of political bias.
KMT Legislator Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇) proposed shaving 1% off PTS’ NT$2.3 billion budget during discussions of the general government budget in the legislature this week. In response, the PTS board of directors said the station is a public asset for Taiwan, per CNA.
The statement said budget cuts may be made after consultation, but added the board feels uneasy about the extent of the proposals. PTS said it is committed to producing fair, diverse, and high-quality content for the public.
PTS also noted that its programming has won local awards and serves as a bridge to international media markets. It thanked legislators for their past support and asked that it continue.
PTS also said that some of its content may have appeared negligent. It said for this reason it will establish accountability mechanisms while accepting supervision from the public and government agencies, as required by law.
KMT legislators increased criticism of PTS after a reporter for its English language channel Taiwan Plus described Donald Trump in a way some said was biased during the US presidential election. The KMT criticized the channel in a Facebook post on Thursday for having low viewership, alleged bias, and for its high cost.
The party’s legislators have also claimed PTS’ Chinese content has shown political bias, mocked politicians, and distorted World War II history when it came to Taiwanese and Japanese soldiers, per Yahoo.
