I said news was depressing and boring, I didn’t say anything about the Toilet Times. But, now that you mention it, it sucks.
I can’t read a Chinese newspaper yet, because my Chinese isn’t good enough yet. But I spend that money on Chinese CLASS, so that one day I will be able to read one. And, if Taiwanese Chinese papers suck, at least I’ll know for myself. I know at least whether they’re better or worse there’s certainly more content. Can you read one, Wolf Poop? If you keep hanging out at the Toilet Times, I’m sure you won’t ever be able to.
So basically what you’re saying is you don’t read at all?
Taipei Times is the best of the three hands down, granted it doesn’t match the New York Times. I would like to be able to read Chinese newspapers myself instead of relying on the English newspapers. I would really like to read Next magazine.
You seem really bitter about the Taipei Times. Were you fired from there? Or turned down for a job?
Just how much Chinese class does that NT$15 buy you Poop? Seems to me a small price to pay to have some idea about what’s going on in Taiwan every day. What are you saying … ? That you’ll keep taking Chinese lessons until the day you can read a Chinese newspaper and then read a couple of years of back issues of the Liberty Times to catch up on things? As wolf hints, your screen name says far more than your posts do.
Here’s a question for the peanut gallery: Has there ever been a time when any of the English papers in Taiwan have experienced a relatively good spell? That is, well reported (or well-translated) and well put-together? I thought the Taipei Times coverage of 921 was pretty informative, but I don’t know if that was a fluke. How did the other papers compare during that period?
And I think the ICRT news was at one time pretty sharp. Their daily election coverage in 96 was thorough; I actually made an effort to get up early enough to catch it.
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Taipei Times is the best of the three hands down, granted it doesn't match the New York Times.
It doesn’t? You’re kidding!
Sure, the Taipei Times looks the best and has half-decent copyediting on occasion, but the reporting is just as lazy and the content just as, if not even more biased than the other papers. Well, than the Post, anyway.
If I wanted to see poorly reported pseudo-news wrapped around 5-column photos in 73 eye-catching colors, I’d love the Taipei Times. But while I can get past copyediting errors and bad layout, the reason I read a newspaper is for relatively unbiased reporting of the facts. I’ll read the Post if forced to choose one, but I’d like something better.
quote:Originally posted by :
I thought the Taipei Times coverage of 921 was pretty informative,
There’s nothing like a natural disaster to wake people up is there?
The Times did do a very good job in reporting the 921 quake aftermath. And it also did a good job in its “921 one year later” edition.
But for those who have kept copies of the Times during the 921 period, compare what the talented Monique Chu (who covered Taipei’s Sungshan Hotel tragedy) wrote then to the utter drivel she churns out these days.
I guess it’s all a matter of motivation …
Those inside the newspaper business here as well as the observant outside can see that there is a certain “trick” the reporters use.
I won’t mention names, that would be a “Low” blow, but many of them just use a template to cover and write their stories.
Of course, certain elements should be covered in any good report, but reporters slowly realize that they can just plug in the basic facts into “Article Writer 2.1” and out comes a cookie-cut, ready to run story.
Why be creative and innovative when there is nothing to motivate you in that direction?
Does anyone get excited when they read CNA? These guys are the masters of leaving their brains at home before leaving for work.
The philosophy of “cha bu do” is alive and well at CNA. Most of them still feel that they’re the official government propaganda wing rather than the “real” news agency its supposed to be today (really!).
I guess you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, especially when the dog never managed to learn the OLD tricks very well.
CNA bothers because its employees need something impressive on their resumes so they can go on to high-paid, easy jobs. The question is, why are employers so impressed by experience at CNA? Probably because it is government-related and therefore somehow ‘official sounding.’
Poagao,
I’m not sure what employees you are referring to at CNA (99 percent are not related to the English section), but most of those in the “Foreign News Department” are 20- to 25-year veterans of the company. I doubt that any of them will be polishing off their CVs any time soon…
I was referring to the foreign copyeditors, but you’re right, why would they leave government benefits? Unless they went to another government agency that had better pay, I guess…
Poagao, why pick on the foreign copyeditors? That’s like picking on the janitor at the bank because the tellers keep making mistakes with your account.
The copyeditors at CNA are low on the pecking order. They don’t file the stories, that’s done by the original translators. If they don’t like the changes made to their four paragraphs of poorly constructed sentence fragments, they won’t say anything. They’ll simply change the story back to the way it was, then file it.
Sure, you can make a scene, but where will it get you?
Sure, I could quit in disgust, but as a mercenary and a semi-pro slacker, it would be against my principles.
Working in similar situations, I have found that although it takes some getting used to, a person can learn to do shit work and look the other way when those around you do the same. But I feel that it takes a personal toll on your self-esteem and lowers your whole game. Unfortunately, we all need to work. The lottery here is rigged…
Was I picking? I’m sorry. I was just wondering. People seem to place the CNA in high esteem, for some reason, and I was just wondering why. But I suppose I already answered my own question. They’re ‘official’ and that’s worth a lot in a Chinese context (or even outside it).
Sandman and Wolf, since you both appear to know how CNA works (maybe you even work there now) do the writers and editors respond to criticism, or are they even aware that their copy is regarded with derision and laughter?
Even better, do they respond to reality (ie, almost no one subscribes to their services or reads their disptaches in ANY language?)
Umm, Cranky Laowai, I believe if you reread the two posts above, you will see that Paogao was referring to the Taiwanese employees of CNA. I think Paogao is probably well aware that a foreigner at a government agency is highly unlikely to receive benefits of any kind.