killing her father-in-law
27
). However, the MOHW did not impose sanctions in
response to any of the three reports.
(4) The MOHW has announced guidelines for media reporting on persons with
mental disorders. By contrast, other government agencies have yet to establish
specific guidelines for media reporting on persons with disabilities (e.g.,
guidelines prohibiting discrimination and derogation). For example, stories of
persons with epilepsy getting into traffic accidents reported in the mass media
generally create negative feelings toward such persons, preventing the public
from understanding and supporting persons with epilepsy. The NHRC
recommends that the relevant competent authorities formulate reporting
guidelines for news media and media personnel to follow.
(5) The NCC is responsible for supervising radio and television content to ensure
that it is discrimination-free. Besides, pursuant to the PDRPA and the MHA,
the MOHW and local governments shall oversee and sanction print media such
as newspapers and magazines. Nonetheless, the CRPD Second Report has
failed to indicate the number of cases reviewed and any resulting sanctions.
(6) Investigations showed that between 2016 and 2019, the NCC provided only a
few education and training sessions to radio and television operators to
eliminate discrimination by them against persons with disabilities.
Additionally, the NCC mostly relied on the operators to organize their own
classes and rules. The commission indicated that organizing such classes and
rules would be viewed as a plus for the operators during their assessments and
license renewals.
Article 9: Accessibility
27
news reports released by 2 domestic news channels that violated the MHA. On April 20, the MOHW
issued a response letter indicating that it was difficult to ascertain that the news content was in
violation of the act.
Woman torturing and killing her father-in-law case on July 4, 2019: On July 8, 2019, the NCC sent a
letter to inform the MOHW of a news report released by a domestic news channel that violated the
MHA. The MOHW subsequently issued a letter to the Department of Health, Taipei City Government
to handle the case. On August 12, 2019, the department issued a letter to the news channel requesting
that it comply with the “Six Do’s and Four Don’ts” principle when reporting on patients with mental
disorders, consult with psychiatric or legal experts to ensure balanced and objective reporting, and
provide mental health-related community resources or health education.
30