News Reports
Mainstream media had long been controlled by the authoritarian KMT government. The contemporary domestic newspapers were biased about the Kaohsiung Incident and framed it as a violent mass event. China Times, United Daily News, and KMT-owned Central District News also incorrectly stated that the Tangwai protesters were motivated by a pro-independence mindset. It also stated that they were working to subvert the Republic of China in cooperation with the Chinese Communist Party. Such news reports caused negative public opinion. This negative public opinion was used by the media as further proof to attack and condemn the Tangwai.
The incident caused international attention around the world, which pressed the KMT government to hold an open trial on the accused. Even though there were pressures from the U.S. and reports from the international media such as New York Times,, the mainstream Taiwanese media refuted what the larger international media reported as biased rumors regarding the incident.
Read more about this topic: Kaohsiung Incident
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