Attention Hogs
News&Market (上下游新聞), a niche Taiwan media outlet focusing on agriculture and environmental issues since 2011, found itself embroiled in controversy over social media framing after posts on Facebook promoting its relatively balanced coverage of Taiwan’s first African swine fever outbreak in seven years triggered allegations of bias in favor of the opposition Kuomintang (KMT) party — and escalated into questions about its financial backing.
The controversy began when News&Market’s social media posts framed its outbreak coverage in ways critics saw as deflecting blame from KMT officials currently leading the local government in Taichung, where the outbreak was confirmed on October 21. One Facebook post asked: “Is Taichung really the outbreak’s source? The answer isn’t that simple.” While the underlying reporting examined systemic failures across both local and national governments — ranging from inadequate enforcement of food waste sterilization to gaps in veterinary care — the social media packaging triggered allegations of bias as it seemed to give Taichung officials a pass and lay blame instead on the national government, currently run by the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP). As skepticism grew online, users questioning the perceived slant began probing the outlet’s funding sources. In Taiwan’s divisive political environment, KMT alignment can often be perceived by “pan-green” DPP supporters as simply pro-China.
The outlet denied allegations of Chinese funding on October 30, saying its operations are supported by “small donations and market product sales.” Risking further speculation, however, it has so far not provided financial data or verifiable documentation of these revenue sources.
The case is a sobering illustration of how intentionally viral social media posts about the news — regardless of its actual reporting quality — can lead to an outbreak of questions about credibility, especially against a backdrop of political divisiveness.
