Sloppy Fact-Checking Causes International Dispute: FTV Fakes "Kyoto Boy Murder" Report

In April 2026, while reporting on the murder of a boy in Kyoto, Japan, Formosa TV (FTV) News carelessly cited unverified rumors from social media, falsely claiming in its broadcast that "the boy's stepfather is suspected to be Chinese" in an attempt to manipulate specific hateful sentiments. This report was quickly debunked and denied by the Japanese police. Only after triggering an international dispute and intense criticism was FTV forced to remove the video and issue an apology. This incident not only exposed the shoddy production process of FTV News but also made a laughingstock of Taiwan's media credibility internationally.