跳到主要內容區塊

吳部長出席「臺美合作暨訓練架構--培養媒體識讀以捍衛民主國際工作坊」開訓典禮致詞稿

  • 發布單位:公眾外交協調會
  • 資料來源:公眾外交協調會

吳部長出席「臺美合作暨訓練架構--培養媒體識讀以捍衛民主國際工作坊」開訓典禮致詞稿

《透過媒體識讀捍衛民主》

早安!歡迎各位來到臺灣,首先容我先介紹幾位特別來賓:美國國務院副助理國務卿科特巴斯比(Scott Busby)、美國「媒體素養計畫」主持人法莉女士(Maggie Farley)、美國在台協會臺北辦事處處長酈英傑(Brent W. Christensen),以及臺灣的貴賓:臺灣民主基金會董事蘇嘉全、行政院數位政務委員唐鳳、外交部政務次長徐斯儉、臺灣民主基金會執行長廖福特。感謝大家出席這場非常重要的活動。

自我以前在國安會服務時,已就臺美合作暨訓練架構(GCTF)有過多次討論。我曾參與多場會議討論GCTF的優點以及將有多少人從中受惠。從那時起,我已成為GCTF的忠實支持者。對於GCTF的預算大幅增加,因此能就互惠議題辦理更多元的培訓課程,我感到非常高興。

有趣的是,從GCTF開辦迄今,我知道GCTF舉辦的各項會議、論壇及講座都深受好評,但我本人竟然還未曾實際參與其中的任何一場活動。今天我深感榮幸,有此機會首次在GCTF的活動中談及臺美間長期合作的實例。我要感謝美國在台協會(AIT)、臺灣民主基金會以及外交部辛勤的同仁共同促成本次活動。

今天我們齊聚一堂探討的是當前政治議題的焦點----我們的社會要如何分別事實與虛構、資訊與假消息。當前所有的民主國家都面臨此項挑戰----特別是非民主行為者透過運作成熟的假消息,擾亂及打擊民主發展;面對此一挑戰,媒體識讀即是解答!挑戰同時也是機會,美國前總統傑佛遜(Thomas Jefferson)曾說,在一個民主國家沒有什麼比選民知的權利更重要。同樣的,透過媒體識讀,我們能建立一個資訊更為流通的社會,最終能使民主更加穩固堅韌。

從許多方面來說,要討論媒體識讀這個議題,各位真是來對了地方。臺灣身處於企圖在我們社會中製造紛爭、意圖破壞我們生活方式的假訊息攻擊的第一線。這是我們外交部每天都要處理的事情。假訊息的範圍從邦交國即將斷交的謠傳,到影響國家安全的議題,不一而足。當我們一次次澄清這些假訊息時,卻有更多的假消息蜂擁而來。這使我們的工作充滿挑戰,我也瞭解不僅僅是臺灣,全世界政府無不面臨這個棘手的問題。

昨天我在立法院聽到了一種說法,說政府打擊假訊息,意在隱瞞或撇清政府視為燙手山芋的議題。我想說明這兩者之間存在明顯的區別。批評政府可以透過多種形式,而作為一個捍衛民主的政府,我們的工作不僅是確保言論自由獲得尊重,更應被奉為民主社會的一部分。然而,當這種批評是基於假訊息、謊言、空穴來風或無從查證的匿名來源時,是來自那些透過詆毀我國政治制度而擷取利益的外國機構時,那便是我們責無旁貸的反擊時刻。

讓我舉個例子。 今年5月下旬,大批媒體報導說,我們某一個友邦的外交部長正在北京與中國密謀建交。我們十分關注這則消息,並立即請我們駐當地大使向該國政府查證。幾個小時後,這位大使提出令人信服的證據:一張大使本人與謠傳中訪問北京的外交部長在該國首都的合照。後來事實證明,這個假消息來自中國河北省的某個社群軟體帳戶。

這個例子說明,隨著新技術的出現,假訊息和虛假資訊(falsehood)的傳播速度遠較過去任何時候迅速,甚至在許多情況下比我們澄清的動作更快。行政院雖已設立即時新聞澄清網頁(real-time news clarification webpage ),並在今年即已蒐集820份報告,但這些數字不過是冰山一角。當前政府及民間團體都致力於查驗資訊的真偽,部分民間組織如「台灣事實查核中心」(Taiwan FactCheck Center)也正致力於查證從網路及社交媒體接收的新聞和資訊。長期而言,假訊息帶來的破壞力亟需一個更好的因應之道。中國也許只要支付其網民5毛來散播假訊息,但要駁斥這些資訊,我們卻要耗費更多成本。因此,相關因應作為不能僅以政府為中心,而是要以能夠宣傳及接收資訊的個人為中心,包括記者、學界,民間社會和每一位公民。

臺灣經常被稱為區域中的民主燈塔,這一點在美國彭斯副總統日前談及臺灣選擇擁抱民主時曾做明確揭示。因此,基於捍衛民主此一基本價值的重要性,臺灣必須在媒體識讀等問題上發揮領導作用。在這個問題上,我們尋求資訊分享,貢獻我們的優勢,並與理念相近的合作夥伴及區域內的國家更加緊密地合作。

本次研討會是朝正確方向邁進的一步,也將是未來許多合作的起點。謝謝大家的出席,我希望各位透過此次此課程都能有豐富的收穫。謝謝。

Remarks at GCTF Workshop: Defending Democracy through Media Literacy
Oct. 18, 2018
Good morning! I want to welcome everyone to Taiwan, as well as acknowledge several special guests:

1. Deputy Assistant Secretary Busby
2. Professor Farley
3. My good friend AIT Director Christensen
As well as the dignitaries from Taiwan:
1. Speaker Su, Chairman of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy
2. Minister Tang, popularly known as Taiwan's Digital Minister
3. Deputy Minister Hsu
4. and President Liao of the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy.

Thank you all for coming to this important event.  
Ever since I was in the National Security Council in 2016 I've had numerous discussions about the Global Cooperation Training Framework. I've participated in meetings that have talked about how good the GCTF is, and how many people it has benefitted. I have become an ardent supporter of this program. And I was pleased to significantly increase its budget, so that we can support more training sessions on issues of common interest.

The funny thing is: throughout this process - all these meetings, discussions, and speeches praising the GCTF - I've actually never had the opportunity to participate in an actual GCTF event. And so this is my very first time to be at a GCTF event to talk about this concrete example of Taiwan's longstanding cooperation with the United States. I could not be more pleased at this opportunity. And I want to thank the AIT, the Taiwan Foundation for Democracy, as well as my hardworking colleagues at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for putting this event together.

We're gathered today to talk about a topic that is at the center of today's political discourse. It's an issue that is critical if our societies are to separate fact from fiction, and information from disinformation. Media literacy is the answer to a major challenge posed to all democracies - that is the ever more sophisticated efforts by non-democratic actors to disrupt and degrade our democratic processes. But it is also an opportunity. As Thomas Jefferson once said, a well-informed electorate is a prerequisite to democracy. And similarly, if through media literacy, we are able to build a society that is more educated and better informed, we end up with a democracy that is stronger and more resilient.

In many senses, all of you are in the right place to talk about the issue of media literacy. Taiwan is on the frontlines when it comes to coordinated attacks of disinformation, designed to sow discord in society and disrupt our way of life. In the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, this is something we deal with on a daily basis. The topics of disinformation range from potential switches in diplomatic relations to issues with very real national security implications. For every falsehood we discredit, more come to take their place. This makes my job not only challenging. And I know this is an issue also prevalent across many government agencies in Taiwan and around the world.

When I was at the Legislature yesterday, one line of reasoning I heard was whether our efforts to fight disinformation were concealed attempts to discredit tough questions for the government. Well, I want to make clear that there is a clear difference between the two. Criticism of the government can take many shapes and forms. And it is our job - as an administration rooted in our fight for democracy - to ensure that this freedom is not only respected, but also enshrined as part of our society. But when this criticism is based on fake information and falsehoods, when it is based on unsourced and anonymous material, and when it comes coordinated from foreign actors that hold a vested interest in degrading our political system, that is when it becomes our responsibility to counter it.

Let me give you an example of this. In late May, there were widespread media reports that the foreign minister of one of our diplomatic allies was in Beijing about to establish diplomatic ties. We were concerned and immediately sent our ambassador to that country to verify. This ambassador sent very convincing evidence a few hours later: a picture of himself and the foreign minister is their capital. And as it turned out, this rumor originated from a social media account based in China's Hebei Province.

This example points to the fact that with the advent of new technology, disinformation and falsehoods are spreading faster than ever - in many cases faster than we can clarify. While the Executive Yuan has set up a real-time news clarification webpage, collecting 820 reports this year - this undoubtedly represents just the tip of the iceberg. And it's not just government working to fact check information, it's also civil society. Organizations like the Taiwan FactCheck Center are also working to verify news and information collected online and via social media. But in the long-term, the economics of disinformation dictate a need for a better approach. While China may pay netizens 50 cents to post fake information, it costs us much more than that to rebut it. And so, this approach must be centered not on government, but the very people that produce and consume information: journalists, academia, civil society, and citizens.

Taiwan is often termed as a beacon of democracy for the region. This was acknowledged by Vice President Pence recently when he referred to Taiwan's embrace of democracy. And so, given the importance of defending democracy, our most fundamental value, Taiwan must take the lead on issues like media literacy. On this issue, we seek to share information, contribute our strengths, and work more closely with our like-minded partners and countries from around the region.

This workshop is a step in the right direction. And it will be one step in the many to come. Thank you all for being here and I hope that you have a productive program. Thank you.