媒體「涉己事務」新聞報導規範之研究─台灣四報之「走路工事件」報導比較分析

Abstract

二○○八年旺旺集團蔡衍明以私人資金收購中時媒體集團，到二○一二年旺中寬頻欲再併購中嘉有線電視，不到四年時間，有關媒體對「涉己事務新聞」處理方式不當而導致的爭議事件，以及違反新聞專業倫理規範的嚴重程度，已促使主管機關及同業公會訂立涉己事務新聞報導規範，多家媒體亦對此訂立相關準則，顯示出過去普遍認為會影響新聞專業倫理規範能否實踐的商業或政治利益，不再是唯一的核心爭議關鍵。 本研究檢視一般新聞專業倫理規範及NCC針對涉己事務新聞的定義與規範後，爬梳過去國內外的爭議案例，發現研究區域以歐美、香港個案為主，且為探討該區媒體倫理道德下滑所提出的幾則案例，並非主要研究重點，而國內目前則尚未有研究針對台灣媒體的涉己事務新聞爭議進行分析；再者，各電視台對涉己事務新聞的認知概念不足，且規範不一，形成各自解讀的情況，無法有效規範報導涉己事務新聞方式不當而產生的問題。因此，本研究希望深入探討涉己事務新聞的概念意涵，並以「旺中案走路工事件」為例，分析不同媒體報導此事件的差異，以作為未來判斷、分析涉己事務新聞的參考，以及如何正確報導，才能避免爭議。 根據NCC及三立、民視、中天、壹傳媒、年代、東森共六家電視台訂立的涉己事務新聞定義與報導規範，本研究歸納出「涉己事務新聞報導原則」。媒體在訂立涉己事務新聞報導規範時，首先應定義何謂「涉己事務新聞」，並界定「關係人」範圍；報導涉己事務新聞時，最重要的是須符合「利益揭露原則」，即「須主動說明與該報導或評論內容有利害關係的事業及其關係人」，同時遵守公正客觀、多元平衡、公共利益、報導比例、利益衝突迴避及自律規範。 針對各家電視台訂立的涉己事務新聞製播規範，本研究建議在界定「關係人」的範圍上應更為細緻，因即使是規範內容已相對完整的中天及壹傳媒，其對關係人的定義及涵蓋程度仍不夠具體明確；其次，從二○○八年企業集團開始以鉅資購買媒體後，涉己事務新聞爭議案例不斷發生，涵蓋層面包括電子及平面媒體，影響甚鉅，但目前平面媒體並無相關規範，電子媒體也僅有六家電視台訂立報導規範，且規範內容參差不齊，有些電視台甚至根本不符合規定。因此，NCC除了請各電視台訂立規範並送主管機關備查、以及要求不符合規定的電視台調整外，更須進一步思考、建立「跨媒體」的涉己事務新聞報導規範，以因應未來媒體產權集中及集團化之下，不同型態的媒體如何正確報導涉己事件，才能避免爭議。 在「旺中案走路工事件」案例分析方面，身為涉己事務媒體的《中國時報》、《蘋果日報》，因此事件攸關兩報所屬集團的利益及形象，為維護自身利益及打擊對方，報導時容易「公器私用」，其造成的新聞倫理問題更多，對新聞從業人員及讀者的影響也更深，《中國時報》即為最具體的例子；至於《自由時報》及《聯合報》，兩報雖非涉己事務媒體，但其在新聞倫理規範的實踐上仍待突破，因涉己事務新聞報導原則亦涵蓋一般新聞專業倫理規範，也可作為檢視媒體報導內容的準則之一。 此外，因走路工事件所引發的爭議當中，有些問題並非涉己事務新聞報導原則可以規範，例如《中國時報》高層擅改第一線記者的特稿，扭曲事實，使記者遭到外界的謾罵攻擊，導致其身心受創而離職。此問題不僅影響媒體組織的內、外部多元性，以及新聞工作者的專業自主程度，其能否依公正客觀、多元平衡原則進行報導外，更牽涉到勞動權侵害的問題。建議未來研究可選擇不同個案來討論其異同，尤其可針對新聞工作者的專業自主性及勞動權問題深入分析，使新聞工作者的專業倫理與勞動權益能受到保障，行政機關及媒體單位也能以正確的方式判斷、處理涉己事務新聞，讓我國媒體的生態環境及報導素質更為提升。

In 2008, Yen-Ming Tsai of Want-Want Corporate personally acquired China Times Group. In 2014, Want-Want Broadband intended to acquire China Network Systems Corporation. In less than 4 years, there had been too much controversial cases while Want-Want Corporate handled self-related news inappropriately and violated the media professional ethics which forced the authorities and the trade association set up regulations regarding self-related news. Many media had also set up related guidelines which shows that whether the commercial / political benefits can be practiced under the news ethnics is no longer the inly core crucial point. This study glanced general news ethnics and NCC’s definition and regulation of self-related news and examined controversial cases regarding the declining of news ethnics and realized they are based in Europe, America and Hong Kong and there hasn’t been any study about Taiwanese media. Secondly, the local televisions do not have a clear idea about the definition of self-related news and do not regulate them on the common ground thus inappropriate treatments occur. Therefore, this study would like to look deeply into the general idea while looking into with the case of “Alleged Get-paid Protestor” and analyze the difference among different media to provide a reference for future coverage and possibly help to avoid controversy. In this study, “self-related news guidelines” are suggested according to the definition and regulation established by NCC, iSET, FTV, CtiTV, NextTV, EraTV, ETTV. When establishing regulations regarding self-related news, media should first define what “self-related news” is and define “related party”. While covering self-related news, initiatively explain the related business bodies and related parties of the piece and its content. At the same time follow the principles of being objective, multiple source balance, public beneficial, proportional, and evasive of profits and conflicts and self-discipline. The study suggests that the definition of “related party” ought to be clearer since it’s been vague even for the relatively strict media such as CtiTV and NextTV. Secondly, since 2008, more and more self-related news coverage occur and only six of all electronic media have related yet not thorough guidelines that some TV stations violate them while printed media have none. NCC has requested all TV stations start setting up their guideline and those violated them to adjust and also urged a cross-media guideline to be established to avoid future conflicts. In the case-study of “Alleged Get-paid Protestors”, China Times and Apple Daily, being the two self-related media violated news ethnic and effected the journalists and audience due to the incident’s impact on the corporate’s image and benefit, the news were biased, especially for China Times. As for Liberty Times and United Daily News, although they were not the self-related media, the practice of news ethnics still has room for break-through. Besides, some of the conflicts were beyond news coverage guidelines. For example, the authority of China Times re-wrote the pieces written by their journalist, made up facts and stirred up the public to blame the journalist and caused him mental and physical trauma and resigned. This issue not only affected the diversity of the organization and the professionalism of the staff but also the possible objectiveness and balance of future news coverage and the damage of labor rights. We suggest that in future studies different cases can be discussed and the professionalism and labor rights are to be deeply analyzed to ensure the right to work and provide the government guidelines to make righteous judgment regarding self-related news and create a healthier media environment.