CTi News () is a Taiwanese 24-hour online news outlet and, until December 2020, cable television channel, operated by Chung T'ien Television. CTi News was known for its support of Kuomintang politician Han Kuo-yu, who attracted a huge wave of supporters and led the opposition party to a sweeping victory in the

2018 Taiwanese local elections Local elections were held on 24 November 2018 in Taiwan, to elect county magistrates (city mayors), county (city) councilors, township mayors, township councilors and chiefs of village (borough) in 6 municipalities and 16 counties (cities). Elec ...

when he was elected mayor of

Kaohsiung Kaohsiung City (Mandarin Chinese: ; Wade–Giles: ''Kao¹-hsiung²;'' Pinyin: ''Gāoxióng'') is a special municipality located in southern Taiwan. It ranges from the coastal urban center to the rural Yushan Range with an area of . Kaohsi ...

. It is alleged to be a "

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, most populous country, with a Population of China, population exceeding 1.4 billion, slig ...

-friendly" or "pro-Beijing" media outlet due to its constant referral to Taiwan as the Republic of China.

Closure on cable television

CTi News's application to renew its broadcast license was rejected by Taiwan's broadcast regulator, the National Communications Commission (NCC), on 18 November 2020. The NCC's decision cited repeated violations of rules regarding accuracy in reporting. It is the first television news channel to have its license terminated in this way since the NCC was created in 2006. There is dispute over whether the NCC's non-renewal of CTi News's broadcast license represents a violation of

freedom of the press Freedom of the press or freedom of the media is the fundamental principle that communication and expression through various media, including printed and electronic News media, media, especially publication, published materials, should be conside ...

Reporters Without Borders Reporters Without Borders (RWB; french: Reporters sans frontières; RSF) is an international non-profit and non-governmental organization with the stated aim of safeguarding the right to freedom of information. It describes its advocacy as found ...

issued a press release stating that while the licence cancellation's effect on CTi News staff was unfortunate, the action did not represent infringement of press freedom. On the other hand, CTi News said that press freedom in Taiwan had died and the Kuomintang party denounced the decision as an attack on press freedom which sent out a chilling effect. Kuomintang had accused the ruling

Democratic Progressive Party The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) is a Taiwanese nationalism, Taiwanese nationalist and Centre-left politics, centre-left political party in the Taiwan, Republic of China (Taiwan). Controlling both the President of the Republic of Chin ...

of seeking to close the news channel, saying that the renewal consideration process was scripted by Tsai Ing-wen's government. Referring to a classified document from the Presidential office leaked out in May 2020, which described two newly appointed members of the "supposedly independent" regulator as siding with the ruling party and able to cooperate in dealing with CTi News, Kuomintang pointed out the fact that a renewal application hearing, the first of its kind in Taiwan, was hosted by these two members in October 2020, just as written in the document. On 11 December, Kuomintang Chairperson

Chiang Chi-chen Johnny Chiang Chi-chen (; born 2 March 1972) is a Taiwanese politician. He was the penultimate Director-General of the Government Information Office from 2010 to 2011, a post he resigned to become a member of the Legislative Yuan in which he h ...

and former President Ma Ying-jeou dressed in mourning clothes and called for international attention to the deteriorating press freedom in Taiwan at an international news conference. Ma commented that President Tsai's actions went against her pledge to protect freedom of speech, and questioned that the statement made by Reporters Without Borders "does not resemble commentary from professional media personnel". CTi News was forced to end its broadcasts on Taiwan's cable television channel 52 when its broadcast license expired at 00:00 on 12 December 2020. It continues to broadcast on its YouTube channel and its own app, while its sister channels CTi International (abroad only), CTi Entertainment and CTi Variety also continue to broadcast on cable and satellite. Four months later on 19 April 2021, CTS News and Info Channel (owned by the state-owned Taiwan Broadcasting System), CTi News' long time rival took over Taiwan's cable channel 52 after NCC approved CTS News and Info Channel's transfer from cable channel 130 to cable channel 52.

References

External links

CTi News official website
* {{Television in the Republic of China 24-hour television news channels in Taiwan Television channels and stations established in 1994 1994 establishments in Taiwan Television channels and stations disestablished in 2020 Television news in Taiwan