【新唐人2013年1月15日讯】当我们还有声音时，我们将它呐喊。将它呐喊，因为那是我们活着的证明。将它呐喊，因为那是我们的权利。没有任何人能具有将我们声音剥夺之权力，如有，那么不管这名对像为何，请容许我们称呼他一声刽子手。因为他扼杀—他扼杀了人权、民主，以及自由。
而今，我们无声。我们无声，不是因为拒绝展现声音的权利，而是因为新闻自由即将死亡，取而代之的，是箝制大众声音的刽子手。台湾的未来，即将与媒体巨兽共生—而实则，等于共死。
旺旺集团总经理蔡衍明于2008年买下中时媒体集团，蔡于2011年以巨额接续并购中嘉集团。当一个集团同时拥有平面、电视、网路及有线电视系统，它就不再只是一个集团，它是怪兽，是掌控人民思想权力的媒体巨兽。媒体巨兽能控制一切它想让民众知道的事实：上达操作政治议题创造舆论，下至灌输民众偏差讯息。台湾引以为傲的新闻独立与言论自由将正式步入坟场。
为表达媒体垄断后台湾言论自由濒死之样貌，反媒体垄断英伦阵线 (UK for Taiwan Media Freedom) 在此号召广大海外留学生，于一月十八日（五）下午一点，在Brunei Gallery SOAS Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG，以“死亡”概念之行动艺术—众人同时静默躺下，以衣物遮住脸部，象征死亡，全程约五分钟—表达我们无声的愤怒，以及言论自由被剥夺的处境。尔后，我们将在一月底举办公共论坛，邀请多位学者针对媒体垄断议题，以及台湾媒体现况与其未来方向等做深入讨论。
我们期盼，此具体行动不仅能表达对壹传媒并购案之不满，也能引起更多共鸣回响，并激发更多力量。我们不愿意目睹，前人以思想和血泪替台湾所种下的珍贵资产—新闻独立与言论自由—在众目睽睽之下、在一片沈痛的呐喊声中，凋零成空。我们是一群英国海外学子，也许我们力量不大，但我们的心必定如太阳般巨大。也许前方险恶，我们依然无所畏惧，坚持迈步，并勇敢堆砌属于我们的堡垒—一个守护台湾自由与民主的堡垒。
台湾，你也许没有名字，但我们将永远捍卫你声音和思想的权利。
反媒体垄断英伦阵线 (UK for Taiwan Media Freedom)
总召 廖乙臻（07761731756 /[email protected]）
副召 邱秉瑜（07598730819/ [email protected]）
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Taiwanese students express anger against media deal back home through action art in London
Dort wo man Bücher verbrennt, verbrennt man auch am Ende Menschen.
Them that begin by burning books, end by burning men.
～Heinrich Heine (1856)
We are a group of Taiwanese students studying in different cities in the United Kingdom. Today we are here, to express our will to fight against media monopoly, and our determinations to fight for editorial independence. Today we are here, forming a student organisation “UK for Taiwan Media Freedom” to preserve the freedom of Press.
Unsatisfied with his already enormous media holdings in Taiwan, Tsai Eng-ming (蔡衍明), the owner of Want Want China Times Group, wants more. He wants a media monopoly. The decision of the Hong Kong-based Next Media Group to sell its Taiwanese newspaper, magazine and television businesses to several buyers that include Want Want China Times Group (旺旺中时集团) has stoked fears that the editorial independence enjoyed by the various media are now in an impending doom.
Media monopoly is so abominable and vicious that the value of democracy can easily be crippled and social norms can be highly undermined. Want Want China Times Group, if the transaction takes effect, will control 50% of what the Taiwanese read in newspapers every day. Media monopoly can easily block the public criticisms and purposely introduce bias to the news stories and imprint partial beliefs to people and also, crucially undermine the intrinsic value of Taiwanese democracy.
In Canada, Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) serves the needs and interests of citizens. In Australia, Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) oversees and controls media ownership. In the United Kingdom, they have Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to safeguard the media freedom and against media monopoly, which forbids one company from owning both a newspaper and a television station in one community. In Taiwan, we have National Communications Commission (NCC)—a commission, regrettably, that fail to serve the needs of Taiwanese citizens, a commission that allow media oligopoly, a commission that ignore media independency and the freedom of speech.
Our Democracy is at stake and therefore today, we appeal to international community to help. We appeal to foreign media for support.
Freedom of the press is now endangered in Taiwan. We are about to lose our rights to know the truth, our entitlements to the truth and our conception of the truth. In order to express the vicious character of media monopoly and the possible dying of media freedom in Taiwan, every single participant will lie down on the ground, covering their bodies with black veil on the 18th of January 2013, at Brunei Gallery SOAS Thornhaugh Street, Russell Square, London WC1H 0XG, to symbolise the dying of media freedom, and to convey our silent indignation.
In order to reach our goal to draw international attention, a public forum discussing the importance of media freedom and the serious chain consequences of media monopoly will follow up and take place at School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London on 30th of January.
~Them that begin by burning books, end by burning men~
A corruptive system will eventually lead to the corruption of mind. If we do not speak up in defence of our freedom of speech, our rights to truths and our concern of media independency, Taiwan, a country without its identity in the world, will in the end drowned in the pool of silence.
UK for Taiwan Media Freedom
Chief Coordinator: 廖乙臻Yi-chen Liao ( 07761731756/ [email protected] )
Vice Chief Coordinator: 邱秉瑜 Bing-yu Chiu ( 07598730819/ [email protected] )
