Historical perspective
Article 11 of the Republic of China Constitution (effective
December 25, 1947) guarantees the rights of "freedom of speech,
teaching, writing, and publication" to all citizens. However, in the
past, our nation was unable to fully implement these freedoms due to
civil war, authoritarian politics, economic underdevelopment, and
limited technology.
It would be impossible to gain an adequate appreciation of the
true nature of Taiwan's advancement to full press freedom over the past
five decades without fully considering the historical context of the
process and the problems encountered throughout this long journey.
After World War II, the Republic of China not only faced the
destruction wrought by eight years of intensive war with the Japanese,
but also the internal turmoil of the full-scale armed rebellion by the
Chinese Communists.
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More than 360 different newspapers roll off the press in the Republic
of China every day.
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The Communists exploited the weaknesses of the government by the
strategy of disinformation through speeches, propaganda, and the press
to further drive a wedge between the people and the government. Taking
full advantage of these rights whenever possible, the Communists would
immediately proceed to obliterate speech and press freedoms, as soon
as they gained military power in each area they conquered.
Consequently, the government was exceptionally wary of allowing an
unfettered press.
On the other side of the Strait, Taiwan was far from the pleasant,
economically-developed sub-tropical island that it is today. As the
site of a major Japanese military build-up prior to and during World
War II, the island was a prime target for allied bombing campaigns.
Taiwan had been retroceded to the Republic of China on October 25,
1945, and, when the central government sent officials to re-establish
the provincial government in Taipei, they found much of the
infrastructure destroyed.
The period from 1950 through the 1970's, was marked by serious
threats to national security, which people today have tended to forget.
From 1950 to 1953, the Korean War was raging; from 1953 to 1958, there
was a series of battles against the Chinese communists in the Taiwan
Strait; and, from the late 1950s to 1975, Taiwan was influenced by the
Vietnam War. The Republic of China was under constant military threat
from the Chinese mainland. In view of the bitter experiences in the
late-1940s, national security was the government's primary concern
throughout the period.
During the late 1970s, economic reconstruction, led by the export
industry, brought new-found prosperity to Taiwan. And, as is usually
the case, the demand for democratic freedoms followed closely on the
heels of prosperity. It was only when Taiwan's economy had sufficiently
prospered and tensions across the Taiwan Strait had eased that the
government gained sufficient confidence to lift martial law in 1987.
Since then, the Republic of China has made significant
achievements in all areas of democratic freedoms, particularly with
regard to freedom of the press. If a visitor turns on the TV, checks
the newsstands, or talks with people in the streets, he will certainly
understand that freedom of the press is remarkably active in Taiwan.
Media progress has come extremely rapidly, mostly over the past
decade. The year 1997 marked the 10th anniversary of the lifting of
martial law, which led to sweeping changes in society. On January 1,
1988, restrictions on the number of newspapers and printing were ended,
and, in 1990, the broadcast policy was liberalized to allow the
operation of private cable and satellite TV enterprises. New licenses
for AM and FM radio, as well as television, were also granted, ushering
in a new era for the free flow of information.
Today, ROC citizens enjoy the same degree of press freedom as
people in any other advanced, democratic nation. Furthermore, the
reforms of the past decade are continuing. The Publication Law, which
was nearly 70 years old, has been abolished, as inapplicable to a
democratic society and as an unnecessary obstacle to an
information-based society. These actions provide evidence of the
government's commitment to the creation of an open society, with a free
and unrestrained press.
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