The Taipei mayoral election is crucial to the development direction of the capital in the next four years. Six media outlets including Liberty Times jointly invited the participating camps to participate in a TV debate.
The Taipei mayoral election is related to the development direction of the capital in the next four years, and various policies of urban governance are closely connected with the daily lives of citizens. In this regard, "Liberty Times", "China Television", "Taiwan Television", "FTV", "Mirror TV", "China Television" jointly issued a statement inviting candidates such as Shen Boyang of the Democratic Progressive Party and Jiang Wanan of the Kuomintang to participate in a joint media television debate.
The statement pointed out that in the face of critical elections, citizens have the right to review the candidates' policy blueprint, implementation capabilities and responsibility commitments through open and rational policy debates. To this end, media colleagues, adhering to journalism profession and public responsibility, jointly propose to jointly organize the "Taipei Mayor Election Television Debate" with television and print media, and sincerely invite all participating camps to participate, so that the election can return to substantive policy discussions.
The joint statement proposed four principles for televised debates:
1. Protect citizens’ right to know and expand the breadth of public dialogue
Democratic election debates should prioritize citizens’ right to know. Cross-media co-hosting can bring together diverse viewpoints and supervisory forces, broaden the scope of discussion, and allow more citizens to fully understand the municipal vision.
2. Adhere to the principle of equality and objectivity, and candidates undergo public testing
We respect the plans of all media and candidates, but the core of the debate is fairness and transparency. We hope that all camps will respond positively to the joint debate invitation with the same standards, stand on an equal stage, and answer the important issues of public concern.
3. Return to rational policy exchanges and replace attack and defense with political slogans
The joint debate should focus on substantive municipal issues, cross-examine candidates through cross-media questions, and examine the feasibility of policies and financial planning. The core value of debate is to present the arguments and differences behind claims and help citizens make the best choice.
4. Adhere to an open and inclusive attitude and create cross-media public assets
This initiative does not exclude or replace any existing arrangements, but rather aims to promote more representative cross-media dialogue based on mutual trust and professionalism. All media are willing to jointly negotiate time, venue, rules and broadcast methods to ensure that the process is fair and objective.
The statement emphasized that the capital does not belong to any political party, and the media also shoulders the responsibility of being a public instrument of society. Therefore, it calls on all participating camps to respond positively to the invitation for a joint debate, appoint representatives to start consultations as soon as possible, and jointly promote a democratic dialogue with policy as the core and citizens as the main body.
