Hou Yu-ih Suppressing News? Why Taiwanese Media Dares Not Report on Banqiao Kindergarten Poisoning Case? — Analysis of Regulatory and Social Media Restrictions

This article refutes the political conspiracy theory that Hou Yu-ih suppressed news regarding the low coverage of the 2023 New Taipei City Banqiao kindergarten poisoning case. The author criticizes DPP supporters for using this case to divert attention from the DPP"s series of sexual harassment scandals. The author points out two real reasons for the media"s lack of reporting: first, strict restrictions in the Child and Youth Welfare Act on revealing the identities of child victims, and warnings of fines from Taiwan"s iwin organization; second, social media platforms like Facebook have even stricter regulations on content harmful to children, where posting related content could lead to the entire fan page being removed. The author calls for Taiwanese people to improve their media literacy, not to knee-jerk attribute everything to political pressure, and suggests solving the problem by amending the Child and Youth Welfare Act.