Does Taiwan matter? Not according to the star.com

As a University of Toronto student, trying to cover the January 2012 election in Taiwan, I can't help but be frustrated by the lack of coverage in Canadian media, as well as News outlets like the Guardian who have little to no coverage of the events of the 2012 election.

The below image of the Toronto Star's "taiwan" search result is a perfect example of this; "0" results come up when looking for articles about the election. Perhaps it's unfair to pick on the star for its lack of Taiwan coverage, most of their focus is on Toronto and Canada news stories, but it's indicative of my frustration in looking for information about current events in Taiwan. Even News websites like the Guardian have little to no up to date coverage of the election; stories that do emerge are sporadic at best, and do not have a wide range of opinion on the issues concerning the election.

So answering a question, like "why does Taiwan's 2012 election matter to the rest of the world?" I'd have to say be frank, and say it doesn't. Coverage has been so small, it's hard to gauge international reaction of the election.

For me, this brings up a lot of interesting questions:

1. Is the international press confident enough in a Ma Yingjeou re-election victory to not bother covering the election?

2. Are the political issues of independence and closer relations to the mainland not as salient as last year? Are these issues not interesting to report on anymore?

3. Is Taiwan just too small to report on? Does Taiwan's lack of representation in the international community mean less interest from the press?

More than anything, I find it frustrating that something I feel is an important and interesting issue is blanked out by the press in Canada and in my favourite newspapers. There's something happening here that is worth investigating, this election is important, if only news outlets thought so.

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