Mr.Friday

Public Statement Regarding Reporting by The Atlantic Regarding the article titled "Will Taiwan Just Give Up?" authored by Mr. Simon Shuster in The Atlantic, this public statement is hereby issued to clarify and address the selective quotes taken out of context and the decontextualized framing of Taiwan's defense reforms and Legislator Puma Shen: Legislator Puma Shen was interviewed by Mr. Shuster on April 23 of this year, and a full audio recording of the interview has been retained for verification. 1. To serve a narrative aimed at highlighting "Taiwanese draft-dodging," the article decontextualizes, exaggerates, and misrepresents Legislator Shen’s past experience of legally fulfilling his alternative civil service based on his professional expertise. Equating the legal and compliant alternative service system with "draft-dodging" is not only factually inaccurate, but also seriously misleads the international community's understanding of Taiwanese citizens' participation in national service. 2. The article's quote stating that "people think it's a waste of time" is completely stripped of its original context. At the time, Legislator Shen explicitly referred to the outdated, ritualistic military training of the past—riddled with chores like cutting grass prior to recent defense reforms—rather than dismissing the intrinsic value of military service or suggesting a lack of public resolve to defend the nation. This framing dismisses the efforts of the government and Taiwanese society in addressing past systemic inefficiencies, as well as the MOD’s ongoing commitment to defense reforms and the conscription system, making it highly misleading. Journalistic professionalism and ethics must be built on objective, complete, and contextually grounded reporting, particularly when addressing critical issues such as regional security and democratic resilience. We call on international media outlets to respect factual context when reporting on Taiwan's national defense and will to defend itself, and to refrain from using decontextualized techniques to shape biased narratives.