The Transformation of Journalism in Taiwan and its Democratic Functions

This research focuses on the transformation of journalism in Taiwan, a post-authoritarian society, with a specific focus on its democratic function. While previous research concentrated on the early stages of change after the authoritarian regime collapsed, democratisation has been a continuous process. Taiwan is a pertinent case providing empirical evidence of the role journalism plays in a new democracy's move from transitional to consolidating stages.
This research explores the dynamic changes in print journalism, including a consideration of the assumed Asian trait in journalism - Confucian culture - and the impact of social media in Taiwan's hybrid media system. The study addresses a wide range of concerns related to these dynamics, aiming to shed light on the evolution of print journalism after democratisation. A multi-method approach is used, which includes analysing data from semi-structured interviews with twenty-three journalists and analysing political news from Taiwan's four national newspapers in 2008 and 2020 as well as their corresponding Facebook pages. By taking a longitudinal approach that considers the changing landscape of journalism over time, across print and social media platforms, and through different generations of journalists, this thesis provides a nuanced and holistic understanding of the transformation of journalism in Taiwan.
Challenging the notion that Confucian culture directly applies to Taiwan's journalistic landscape, the research proposes alternative interpretations emerging within Taiwan's distinctive partisan media system, such as the concept of social harmony. Unlike Western concepts, Taiwan's partisanship assumes a unique meaning, with dominant ideologies of unification and independence rather than the usual dimensions of left and right political ideologies. In the post-democratic era, a hybrid form of journalism emerges, and the partisan media system evolves. Print newspapers strive to exert political influence and fulfil democratic roles; while their online counterparts, particularly Facebook pages, mainly serve informational and entertainment functions, unable to replace the significance of print editions. This study not only emphasises the ongoing transformation of print journalism in serving democracy but also reveals the impending crisis of print journalism's democratic function.