The fourth Television News Seminar for Friendly Nations, sponsored by the Government Information Office, began just after the lunar new year. This event, like the three preceding it, brings media professionals from countries with formal diplomatic ties with the ROC to Taiwan to receive training. Each year the course is offered in a different language to accomodate different participating countries: In 1987 it was in Spanish, in 1998 English, and in 1999 French. The results so far have been good. Where do these media professionals come from? What do they take home with them? Is this helpful in consolidating ROC diplomatic relations?
The fourth Television News Seminar for Friendly Nations began on February 21, and will last for 19 days. Activities include lectures on communications and broadcast theory, visits to domestic media, and activities to help the visitors understand the people and culture of Taiwan. Through these activities, the GIO hopes to give these citizens from the ROC's diplomatic-partner states both knowledge and warm hospitality.
Most of those attending this year's course come from anglophone countries in the Caribbean Basin. These include Grenada, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Dominica, and St. Kitts and Nevis (all eastern Caribbean islands) and Belize (on the Central American isthmus). This year 11 high-level media professionals, media owners, and front-line journalists are in attendance.
According to the GIO, the study session is the result of agreements to boost journalistic exchange, and is an innovative and concrete way to implement these agreements. Most of those attending hold high positions in their domestic media. During their stay in Taiwan, they are not only introduced to media elites in Taiwan and to the local media environment and facilities, but can also gain a greater knowledge of the land and people of the Republic of China. This they can take home to share with their fellow citizens, thereby helping the ROC's diplomatic partners and their peoples to understand Taiwan better.
The sessions have been run by the Broadcasting Development Fund. Lecturers are mainly broadcasting and journalism experts from Taiwan. This year they include Michael Kuan, Andrew Hsia, and Jason Blatt. The course includes classes on political broadcasting, international broadcasting information/propaganda strategies, and digital television broadcast development, as well as visits to the Central Broadcasting Corporation, Taiwan Television Corporation, Eastern TV, and other media outlets.
Generally speaking, the participants are very interested in Taiwan's high-tech industries and products. Visits to the Kuanghua computer market have proven especially popular. The visitors are generally favorably impressed by the prosperity of Taipei City and by the consumer behavior of Taiwanese. In a television interview, television news producer Marcus Bailey from Maitland TV of Grenada said that he has learned a great deal about the editing facilities and techniques used in Taiwan television, and that he would be able to apply this information in his own television production work when he returned home. This experience, he said, has deepened his desire to get further involved in television production work. He added that he would very much enjoy an opportunity to work together with colleagues from Taiwan television.
Section chief Victor Chu of the GIO, who has been involved in organizing the camp three times, says that all the participants are very satisfied with the course. After returning home most of them produce newspaper accounts of their experience. Unfortunately, it is very difficult for them to apply the technical infomation they learned, because in most cases they lack the hardware and facilities available in Taiwan. Thus they are only able to apply the theoretical insights they picked up to their own media work at home. Chu says that the concrete results of the course will only become visible with a longer time frame. This is just like overall relations between two countries: They can only be consolidated by a long period of continual exchange.
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Most of the participants at the fourth Television News Seminar for Friendly Nations came from English-speaking Caribbean nations with which the ROC enjoys official relations.
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Did aliens also come to have a look at the Taipei Lantern Festival? Don't be silly, this is the Taipei Lantern Festival's main theme lantern: "The Millenium Gold Dragon." Standing 17 meters tall and 18 meters wide, it's a gold dragon embracing a globe, and it is supposed to convey the idea of a dragon bringing good luck to the world.
(photo by Hsueh Chi-kuang)
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The "Information Dragon," which has a lively cartoon-like appearance, presents another side of dragons. It's a favorite of children.
(photo by Jimmy Lin)
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The "Nine Dragon Lanterns"-each striking a different pose-lend an imperial aura to the main gate of the CKS Memorial. (photo by Jimmy Lin)
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Butterflies, flying birds, swimming fish, and peacocks. These may not have the flash of the large electrically lit lanterns found at the CKS Memorial, but the traditional handmade lanterns at the Lungshan Temple have an enduring beauty all their own. (photo by Pu Hua-chih)
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