"PLA Missile Attack... War Erupts" Taiwanese Broadcast Subtitle Misinformation Shakes Citizens

Taiwan Public Broadcaster CTS News
"Subtitles Created for Fire Drill Purposes" Explanation

At 7 a.m. local time on the 20th, a subtitle appeared at the bottom of Taiwan's China Television System (CTS) news stating, "Chinese People's Liberation Army missile attack on New Taipei City, explosion at Taipei Harbor, destruction of facilities and ships." / Photo by Twitter capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Yeeun] Taiwan's public broadcaster ChungHwa TV (CTS) issued an apology after displaying a news caption claiming that China had launched a missile attack during its broadcast on the 20th (local time).

According to CNN and others, at 7 a.m. on the 20th, CTS morning news showed a caption at the bottom of the screen stating, "Missile attack by the People's Liberation Army of China on New Taipei City, destruction of major facilities and ships at Taipei Harbor."

At the time the caption appeared, the news anchor was delivering the weather report.

Subsequently, captions warning of a "risk of war outbreak," "suspected arson by Chinese agents at major Taipei train stations," and "Taiwanese President declares a state of emergency" were also broadcast.

As inquiries from viewers flooded in after watching the news, the broadcaster aired an emergency apology at 10 a.m. The anchor explained, "The news about war and arson is false. Citizens should not be alarmed. The captions were created for fire drill purposes and were accidentally broadcast due to a technical error."

However, public opinion worsened, and eventually the broadcaster's representative issued an official apology. Acting CTS President Chen Yalin (陳雅林) bowed and said, "We caused confusion to the public by airing false information during the 7 a.m. morning news today. I sincerely apologize to everyone."

Taiwan's Minister of National Defense Chiu Kuo-cheng also appeared before the legislature that day and stated, "(After watching the broadcast) I was truly shocked. The military immediately responds and verifies accurate facts whenever controversial information is received."

Meanwhile, eight people including Acting CTS President Chen Yalin, news producers, and editors responsible for the incident are expected to face severe disciplinary action. Taiwan's National Communications Commission announced plans to hold CTS accountable for disturbing public order and to investigate the circumstances of the incident.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.