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Partisan Bias in Taiwan Television Enterprise's Coverage of the Four Presidential Elections in Taiwan: 1996-2008

James Yu-Chan Lin and Ven-Hwei Lo
2010 / 05
Volume 17, No.1

pp.55-90
10.6612/tjes.2010.17.01.55-90
Paper

Abstract

This study examines how Taiwan Television Enterprise reported the campaign and candidates during the 1996, 2000, 2004, and 2008 presidential elections in Taiwan. A content analysis of evening election news of the television company indicated that there were significant quantity bias, source bias, and presentation bias in its coverage of the first three presidential election campaigns. However, the television company was more balanced in its coverage of the 2008 presidential campaign. An in-depth interview of 10 reporters of the television company indicated that ownership structure has direct or indirect influence on election coverage of the television company. The change of ownership of the television company in 2007 has contributed to the achievement of more balanced media coverage in the 2008 presidential election.

Keywords

partisan bias

presidential election news

ownership influence

privatization

Taiwan Television Enterprise