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12/25 |
2006/9/20-22 [Politics/Foreign/Asia/Taiwan] UID:44461 Activity:kinda low |
9/20 Here is something that puzzles me. I think it's yesterday that there was a protest of roughly ten thousands of people in Hunguary protesting their president. This news showd up in most of the major US media. But just about a week ago, there were about 350,000 people protesting in Taiwan against their president. Yet this event was not covered by major US media at all. My question of the day is, why? protest in Taiwan is about 30 times larger than Hunguary. Economically and stragetically, neither Hunguary nor Taiwan is more significant than another. But why such bias in coverage? Is this a racial thing? is this an attempt to play down the dissatisfaction Taiwan people against their president to fit US interest? what do you guys think? \_ Actually, I'm more surprised that a 10,000 person protest in Hungary got covered at all. It's probably just a blip. Maybe the Hungary protest was on a slow news day, or there happened to be a stringer there and not at the one in Taiwan. This sort of irregularity is normal in the news, nobody's perfect. \_ Quite often I hear about a certain event on KCBS AM 740 radio, and \_ It was the circumstances that prompted the Hungarian protest that were newsworthy. From the BBC: "The latest protests were sparked by Mr Gyurcsany's remarkable admission that his government had lied in order to win victory in the general election in April, and had achieved nothing in its past four years in office." http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5363138.stm Also, they're burning things in Hungary. They marched loudly but mostly peacefully in Taiwan. \_ Sometimes I hear about a certain event on KCBS AM 740 radio, and then the same event doesn't appear on Yahoo! front page until three or four days later. Sometimes it's the other way round. The most recent example I remember is some announcement about the SF hydro-electric project. three or four days later. Sometimes it's the other way round. \_ What else was going on a week ago? I think this stuff only surfaces on 'slow news days' \_ Of course it is biased. I didn't even know about the protest until you mentioned it. You'll bet your ass that if there is a 100 person protest in China, it'll be covered in every front page of every major US media. You must realize, that one dissident in China who got sent to prison is more important for the average US citizen to know than the 350k people protest in the "Democratic Paradise Society of Taiwan". \_ I think one reason is that the protests in Taiwan are anti-Chen protests which are unlikely to spark conflicts between Mainland China and Taiwan. On the other hand, if they were pro-Chen protests, they were more likely to spark conflicts and would get more US mainstream media coverage. Protests like these, whether anti-Chen or pro-Chen, gets the same top-story coverage in Chinese media like Chinese newscast on Ch26. \_ I am talking about mainstream media such as CNN, etc. |
12/25 |
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news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/5363138.stm Printable version Hungary's troubled PM vows to stay By Nick Thorpe BBC News, Budapest Protesters in Budapest early on Wednesday 20 September Dozens were reportedly injured during Tuesday's clashes After two days of sometimes violent street protest in Budapest, Hungarian prime minister Ferenc Gyurcsany remains adamant that he will not resign. The latest protests were sparked by Mr Gyurcsany's remarkable admission that his government had lied in order to win victory in the general election in April, and had achieved nothing in its past four years in office. Five parliamentary parties reached a rare agreement on one subject at least, adopting on Tuesday a declaration condemning the previous night's violence at Hungarian TV headquarters, in which more than 100 people were injured, many of them policemen. "Hungary needs the telling of the truth, honesty, decency, calmness and order," read the final text. Mr Gyurcsany was also at pains to personally condemn the violence, describing it as "not a revolution... File photo Mr Gyurcsany has vowed to continue reforms The 45-year-old-former leader of KISZ, the Young Communist League, became one of Hungary's wealthiest businessmen in the 1990s, then with a mixture of burning ambition and political tact, nudged aside other challengers to replace the lacklustre Peter Medgyessy - also a millionaire - as Socialist prime minister in the summer of 2004. Modelling himself on Britain's Tony Blair, he set about shaking up the Socialists - something which has gone well for him so long as he wins elections. His crowning triumph was the general election victory in May this year - the first incumbent government to win re-election in the 16 years since parliamentary democracy was restored. Resignation calls Since then, he has been forced by the dire state of the Hungarian economy - which has the largest budget deficit among the 25 member states of the EU - to introduce a raft of tough economic measures. Economic woes fuel unrest These include the introduction of fees for health care and university tuition. One of many mysteries in Hungary at the moment is why riot police allowed violent elements on the fringe of Monday night's protest free rein - to ransack the ground floor of the TV building, and wreck cars and police vehicles outside. One theory advanced by some analysts, is that the violence was actually useful to the prime minister, distracting public attention from his own confession of dishonesty. The leader of the conservative opposition party, Fidesz, Viktor Orban, has said that Mr Gyurcsany's fate should be decided by the voters - in the 1 October local elections. If his party suffers a heavy defeat, as opinion polls predict, Mr Orban has said the Socialist party should find someone to replace him. With that comment, Mr Orban carefully distanced himself from the street protests, and made clear that the opposition is not calling for new elections. Just for the Socialists to come up with a new prime minister. |