According to a Gallup poll commis-sioned by the Domestic Information Services Department of the Government Information Office (GIO) at the end of April, to review progress since last year's launch of a GIO-led nationwide anti-pornography drive, 61% of respondents considered the media to be awash with pornography, violence and crime, and felt that the situation was not improving. The GIO is therefore continuing the campaign against pornography and violence as one of its main undertakings for the current year.

On one evening recently, a surf through the dozens of cable channels on television revealed at least three that were showing a particular kind of image: a scantily clad young woman cooing seductively to the camera, with a telephone number shown alongside, offering services that can be guessed at. But the proliferation of adverts promoting sex hotlines has finally triggered a backlash from the public.

Legislators Tsai Huang-lang and Chen Chi-mai, among others, have been pressuring the GIO and the Directorate General of Telecommunications for a response, while various women's groups have registered disgust at the invasion of pornographic advertising into the home, calling for the government to show some resolve and take action. And when a high school student in Hualien committed suicide recently, his parents blamed the media for having reported in detail on various methods of suicide.

Facing a reaction throughout society, and aiming to halt the rampant spread of pornography, the Legislative Yuan adopted an amendment to the "Child and Youth Sexual Transaction Prevention Act," mandating imprisonment for up to five years and a NT$1 million fine for anyone using advertising, publications, television or the Internet to spread or propagate material that encourages people to engage in sexual transactions.

Reviewing the situation in mid-May, on the first anniversary of the "National Consensus to Reject Pornography and Violence in the Media" campaign, the GIO concluded that the public feels the situation has not in fact improved, with 89% of survey respondents favoring the adoption of stricter measures to tackle pornography, violence and crime in the media. In response, GIO director-general Chen Chien-jen has announced that there will be no let-up in the campaign against pornography and violence.

In late April and early May, Chen met in turn with the over-the-air networks and cable TV companies to discuss why there is so much blood and violence on the news, and to forge a consensus for self-regulation in the media. The four main networks have already promised improvements in the quality of television news, and several cable TV operators have also decided to support the government's efforts against pornography.

In addition to calling for media self-regulation, the GIO has begun recording and monitoring news content on each channel. Furthermore, on May 8 it ordered a total ban on the transmission of advertisements for pornographic telephone services, notifying cable TV systems of strict new controls and inviting the public to assist by reporting any violations. At least 17 cases have been handled in the first two weeks, and over NT$5.1 million in fines imposed.

A further key element of the counter-pornography policy is the TV classification system introduced in January this year, similar to movie classifications, in which programs are graded and color-coded according to content: red for "restricted," yellow for "parental guidance," blue for "protected" and green for "general audience." The GIO has already dealt with 21 cases of broadcasts that overstepped their level of classification, and has received 148 complaints about program violations from members of the public. It has also banned 174 misleading advertisements on cable TV, and imposed NT$30.73 million in fines in the process.

As GIO Director-General Chen Chien-jen stresses: "It is our teenagers who are harmed most by the epidemic of pornography and violence." Chen says that the government will continue working alongside NGOs such as the Committee of Mothers for Monitoring the Media, and the Garden of Hope Foundation, while the Directorate General of Telecommunications, the National Police Administration and the Ministry of Justice will maintain a concerted drive to "combat pornography and violence in the long term through the triple approach of 'self-regulation, public monitoring and the law.'"

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The tide of pornography and violence in media continues to rise, and the public is now demanding stronger action from the government. (courtesy of GIO)