FACT CHECKING: Although the Council of Agriculture filed complaints about the story, CtiTV only issued a correction about part of the talk show’s inaccuracies

Taipei Times
Date: Apr 11, 2019
By: Shelley Shan  /  Staff reporter

CtiTV was yesterday again fined NT$1 million (US$32,420) by the National Communications Commission, this time for failing to verify the information a pomelo farmer gave during a political talk show before airing it.

The news story was seen as the reason the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the legislative by-election in Tainan, a traditional DPP stronghold, by only a narrow margin.

The penalty came after it was fined NT$1 million at the end of last month for failing to adhere to fact-verification guidelines stipulated in the Satellite Broadcasting Act (衛星廣播電視法).

According to the commission, the host of CtiTV’s Political Gossip (大政治大爆卦) interviewed a pomelo farmer in a program that aired on March 8.    [FULL  STORY]