TAIPEI (TVBS News) — In an unprecedented move, the Ministry of National Defense (MND, 國防部) welcomed approved military internet influencers to a public news event on Wednesday (June 19).
This initiative follows recent changes to the "Regulations for Inviting News Media to Visit" (國防部辦理新聞媒體邀訪作業規定) that now extend invitations to self-media practitioners focusing on defense and security, as long as they are Taiwanese citizens.
During a session held at the Bo'ai Barrack (大直博愛營區), the MND conducted its first defense news qualification review. The meeting included three independent commentators: YouTube creators and military aircraft photographers.
They were assessed by a committee comprising representatives from print, electronic, and web media, military magazine journalists, the Military News Research Association (軍事新聞研究會), and MND officials.
The MND has also engaged scholars and experts to develop standards for internet traffic evaluation and establish "Self-Media Certification Regulations." These certifications, open for application in March, June, September, and December, include stringent criteria such as identity verification, background checks, media format, and a social platform verification badge requirement.
Also, the standards demand strong platform interaction, demonstrable advertising effectiveness, and evidence of communicative impact. Only self-media content that offers more than six months of regularly updated, original defense-related material qualifies; reprints and Chinese-funded content are explicitly excluded.