Ongoing controversies in Taiwan and China surrounding the media are once again highlighting the delicate balance that must be struck in cross-strait cooperation in all matters pertaining to journalism.
As the editorial staff at Guangzhou-based Southern Weekly defied censors this week over government intervention in the newspaper’s editorial last Thursday, several Taiwanese who in recent months have launched protests against the monopolization of the media and the risks of increasing Chinese influence, received just what they needed to confirm that their actions were justified.
During Chen's presidency, Taiwan became a de facto free country, ranked among the freest in the world and the freest in Asia. To me, this is a miraculous achievement. Of 1.6 billion of Chinese speaking people, only those 23 millions of Taiwanese received this enviable status as being free. 
