方恩格快评》中央社也沦为打手

图为中央社。（王英豪摄）

中央通讯社近期发生的两起事件可被认为起因于台湾外交部，因为涉入此次事件的欧洲国家不久前方对印太地区之政策表示立场，即选择于该地区的部分政策与美国持相同的态度，这亦会使台湾间接获利。是以，这些事件理应该受到台湾执政党、在野党、监督媒体的非政府组织以及大众的关注。

在第一起事件中，中央通讯社采访了即将卸任的德国在台协会处长王子陶（Thomas Prinz）。在采访中，王子陶重申了他早前在脸书上所写的内容，即台湾从 BioNTech 购买疫苗是 BioNTech 与台湾之间的商业事务。王子陶指出，存在一家中国制造商参与的现实（因为 BNT 将台湾的分销权授予上海复星医药），但他没有说明中国正在阻止台湾购买 BNT疫苗。中央社英文原文写成「台湾申购BNT疫苗遇到问题因为中国的介入」，省略了「制造商」一词。这大大改变了王子陶所说的话，中央社后来将英文报导更正为「台湾向 BNT采购疫苗遇到问题」，因为「中国公司的介入」。中央社似乎改变了王子陶的评论，以与政府尚未证实的指控一致，即中国阻止台湾购买 BNT 疫苗。

在第二起事件中，中央社援引 Facebook 页面和台湾海巡署的消息称，一艘法国海军舰艇在彰化海岸附近。

我不禁希望这个故事也许是真的，法国计划再次占领澎湖，就像1885年中法战争的Pescadores战役一样。如果法国占领澎湖，这些岛屿可以成为两岸之间的缓冲地带，并降低台海爆发战争的可能性。

法国军方驳斥中央社的报导不实。迄今为止，没有其他消息来源证实一艘法国海军舰艇正在台湾西海岸航行。然而，正如台湾其他评论人士指出的那样，错误的报导已经为某些台湾人提供了利益，这些人想要宣传法国或其他欧洲国家计划在台湾增加军事存在的想法，或台海发生战争时来台援助。

中央社作为政府通讯社有着悠久的历史，无论是在大陆，在戒严期间，还是在台湾民主化之后。中央社以多种语言发布新闻，因此也是台湾向世界发声的管道。不幸的是，中央社也与其他政府机构或其他政府资助机构竞争，无论是为台湾还是海外观众做类似的工作，包括公共电视系统、台北国际广播电台、一个拟议的国际电视频道、总统府发言人和政府部门。或许是出于保护自身利益的缘故，中央社目前的管理层已经改变了其文化或编辑标准。作为经常为外文媒体评论台湾事态发展的人，看到中央社发生这种情况，我感到很难过。

只能希望台湾的最新欧洲朋友立陶宛在台北设立代表处时，能聘请一位优秀的人来处理媒体关系，以免成为这种媒体行为的受害者。

By Ross Darrell Feingold

Two recent incidents at the Central News Agency should be cause at Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs as the incidents involve European countries that recently have taken steps to align at least some of their polices in the Indo-Pacific region with the United States which indirectly is also good for Taiwan. The incidents should also be cause for concern among Taiwan’s ruling and opposition political parties non-government organizations that monitor the media and the public in general.

In the first incident the Central News Agency interviewed the outgoing Thomas Prinz director general of German Institute Taipei. In the interview Prinz reiterated what he earlier wrote on Facebook that Taiwan’s purchase of vaccines from BioNTech is a commercial matter between BioNTech and Taiwan. Prinz noted the reality that there is a Chinese manufacturer involved (as BNT gave Shanghai Fosun Pharmaceutical the distribution rights for Taiwan) but he did not state that China is blocking Taiwan’s purchase of BioNTech vaccines. The original English version of the Central News Agency was written as “Taiwan’s bid to procure vaccines from BioNTech encountered problems “because of the Chinese involvement.”” omitting the word manufacturer. This significantly changed the meaning of what Prinz said and the Central News Agency later corrected the English language report to read “Taiwan’s bid to procure vaccines from BioNTech encountered problems “because of the Chinese company’s involvement.””.

It appears that the Central News Agency altered the representative’s comments so as to be consistent with the government’s as of yet unproven allegation that China blocked Taiwan from purchasing BNT vaccines.

In the second incident the Central News Agency citing a Facebook page and Taiwan’s Coast Guard Administration reported that a French naval ship was off the coast of Changhua.

I couldn’t help but hope that perhaps the story is true and France plans to again occupy Penghu as it did in the Pescadores Campaign of Sino-French War in 1885. If France occupied Penghu the islands could be a buffer between China and Taiwan and mitigate the possibility of a war in the Taiwan Strait.

France’s Ministry of Armed Forces refuted the Central News Agency report as inaccurate. To date no other sources confirmed that a French Navy ship was sailing off Taiwan’s west coast. However as other commentators in Taiwan have pointed out the erroneous report would already serve the purpose of providing a public relations benefit to certain people in Taiwan who want to promote the idea that France or other European countries plan to increase their military presence in the Taiwan Strait or come to Taiwan’s assistance in the event of war with China.

The Central News Agency has a long history as the government’s news agency whether on the mainland during martial law and after Taiwan’s democratization. The Central News Agency publishes reports in multiple languages and thus is also a voice to the world for events in Taiwan. Unfortunately the Central News Agency also competes with other government agencies or other government funded agencies that do similar work whether for audiences in Taiwan or overseas including Public Television System Radio Taipei International a proposed international television channel the spokespersons of the Presidential Office and government ministries. Perhaps out of a desire to protect its interests the Central News Agency’s current management has changed its culture or editorial standards. As someone who frequently comments for foreign language media about developments in Taiwan it saddens me to see that this has happened to the Central News Agency.

One can only hope that Taiwan’s newest European friend Lithuania when it opens its representative office in Taipei will hire an excellent person to manage media relations so that it will not become a victim of this kind of media behavior.

※以上言论不代表旺中媒体集团立场※