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Taiwan's Media in the Democratic Era
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Advancements in Newspaper Publishing
A well-informed public is essential to both a democratic society
and an economy linked to the global marketplace. The ROC is a nation of
devoted and avid newspaper readers. Over the past ten years, newspapers
have expanded ten times in number. When newspaper restrictions were
lifted in 1988, there were only 31 newspapers in the Taiwan area. The
diversity of topics and views covered in today's 360 newspapers is a
reflection of our modern democratic and pluralistic society.
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The wide variety of newspapers and magazines attests to the freedom and vibrancy of Taiwan's press.
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In the 1950s, Taiwan's newspaper industry faced the formidable
situation of operating in an agrarian society with low purchasing
power. By the 1960s, however, Taiwan's successful transition to an
industrialized society led to increased newspaper circulation and a
doubling of the number of pages from four to eight pages. Competition
began to intensify, not only within the newspaper industry itself, but
also with television, which had just arrived in Taiwan. By the
mid-1980s, newspapers were allowed to expand to 12 pages, still not
providing enough information to meet the needs of the public.
When restrictions were further eased on newspaper licensing and
publishing in January 1988, the papers continued to expand to 32 and
even 40 pages per issue. News coverage became more professional and
in-depth, with specialized reporting an established trend. The
accelerated flow of information has enabled newspapers to bring news to
their readers within a very short period of time, and many newspapers
have gone on-line, so their readers can access news reports via the
Internet.
One of the interesting trends in the newspaper industry manifests
itself in Taiwan's geography and social diversity. While Taipei's major
daily papers, such as the China Times, United Daily News, and Liberty
Times, provide extensive coverage of national issues and approach the
news more objectively, local dailies based in Kaohsiung reflect a
stronger sense of the local identity of the people in southern Taiwan.
Aggressive and provocative, the Kaohsiung press places a heavy emphasis
on political news, as well as the culture, literature, and history of
the southern region. Leading Kaohsiung papers, the Commons Daily, the
Taiwan Times, and the Taiwan Shin Wen Daily News, are replete with
expressions unique to the Taiwanese dialect.
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