Neglecting Factual Duty: Sanlih News Fined for Fabricating Han Kuo-yu '2.8 Million Cyber Army' Story

On March 29, 2019, without conducting any basic or reasonable fact-checking, Sanlih News broadcast a report titled '2.8 Million Factual Analysis Sparks Citizen Doubt: Financing a Cyber Army'. The report twisted a standard public relations bid from the Kaohsiung City Government under Mayor Han Kuo-yu into a sensationalized conspiracy, alleging that Han was spending 2.8 million NTD of public funds to finance a personal cyber army. The National Communications Commission (NCC) investigated the complaint and ruled on July 24 that Sanlih had committed a flagrant violation. The NCC noted that the information was 'highly accessible and extremely easy to verify, yet Sanlih failed to conduct any verification', violating the Satellite Broadcasting Act. The NCC fined Sanlih 200,000 NTD, highlighting a pattern of weaponizing unverified stories to attack political opponents.