Some Americans complain about the number of cable news stations, saying too many exist.
But in Taiwan, 10 cable news stations compete for ratings, said Bonnie Peng, a professor of journalism at National Chengchi University in Taipei, Taiwan.
Peng visited the Ball State campus from April 8 through Thursday to discuss the future of the student and faculty exchange program Ball State shares with Chengchi, Peng said.
But during her time here, she also discussed various aspects of American and Taiwanese media coverage, her specialty.
Because of the number of news channels, Peng said, stations in Taiwan tend to report sensationally.
"It seems to be infotainment," Peng said. "I feel so sad about that."
Sometimes, and especially since the outbreak of war in Iraq, reporters will even dress in Arab clothing for an added effect.
Peng said that style of reporting clashes with the objective style she has taught her students and carried out herself as a former producer of the Taiwan affiliate of 60 Minutes.
Peng was one of the producers for the newsmagazine during its first season that ran from 1977 to 1978, she said.
Peng said being a journalist in Taiwan is tough.
In addition to tense ratings competition among the news channels, a lack of financial resources makes broadcasts difficult to produce, Peng said.
For example, many stations use footage from CNN when thin archives don't suffice, Peng said.
And as for the war in Iraq, opinions on the conflict vary as much as they do in the United States, Peng said.
"The government supports America's decision (to go to war) but the people are against the war," Peng said.
"(On one side) 99 percent of our oil comes from the Middle East, but we depend on the U.S. to protect us. So politically, we have to support war."
Peng said the media in Taiwan has an opportunity to report objectively about the war when the United States may not be able to.
"Why bother to talk about the bravery of (American) soldiers?" Peng said. "We have to explain (to Taiwan) why Americans went to war."
The media in Taiwan also differs from America by fewer advertisements and fewer photographs in newspapers, said Alan Richardson, a participant in the faculty exchange program and a Ball State professor of telecommunications.
Richardson spent three weeks teaching at Chengchi during the 2001- 2002 school year.
Richardson said that most people in Taiwan got their news from newspapers and the Internet, even though the Internet servers were slow.
Richardson also said local news is not as prominent as it is in the United States because most can't afford to have developed local media.
Peng received her doctorate from Southern Illinois University.
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