Taiwan video taken down after reporter calls Trump 'convicted felon'

A state-funded English-language broadcaster in Taiwan said Tuesday it removed a video of one of its journalists calling US President-elect Donald Trump a convicted felon because the term had been used inappropriately.
Taipei has publicly congratulated Trump on his victory, joining other governments around the world in trying to get onside with the next US administration.
Washington has long been Taipei's most important supporter, but Trump raised concerns on the campaign trail by suggesting Taiwan should pay the United States for its defence and accusing it of stealing the US semiconductor industry.
TaiwanPlus correspondent Louise Watt was speaking on camera in the US state of Florida last Wednesday when she said: This was always going to be a historic election -- the US was either going to vote in its first female president or its first convicted felon.
Well America looks like it's chosen the felon, Watt said, in a clip of the broadcast seen by AFP.
Taiwan Culture Minister Li Yuan told local media on Saturday that TaiwanPlus took down the video after he told the broadcaster that this issue is very serious.
Public Television Service Foundation, which manages TaiwanPlus, said Monday the broadcaster had humbly reviewed its operational procedures following the report.
The foundation said it will convene a self-discipline committee this week to discuss the matter.
TaiwanPlus, which broadcasts videos on its website, YouTube and cable television, said in a statement Tuesday that the term convicted felon was widely used by public media around the world and could be used in their reporting.
But it should not be used in inappropriate narratives, such as oversimplifying the US presidential election as a choice between a woman and a felon, TaiwanPlus said.
More than 90 percent of TaiwanPlus's viewers are overseas, the foundation said.
In 2023, TaiwanPlus began showing in US hotels in key cities frequented by political and economic elites, such as Washington, D.C., New York, Los Angeles, and Seattle, the foundation said.

(2024/11/13 16:37)