分析台灣主要報紙的兩岸新聞與言論：聚焦在《聯合報》（1951－2019）

Analyzing Cross-strait News and Commentaries of Taiwan's Main Newspapers: Focusing on the United Daily News (1951-2019)

解嚴以後，統獨作為支配兩岸關係的標籤走出地表，不再只是伏流，到了本世紀政黨輪替，《聯合報》在內的若干傳媒，更是遭致與其有競爭關係的同業，不正確地影射為統派報紙。分析《聯合報》六十餘年來的相關報導與評論，實可發現，該報有關兩岸的新聞與社論，並未固定不變，是反映了中華民國（台灣）國際政治地位的改變及其選舉政治民主化的增長。在1987年解嚴以前，所有主要傳媒包括《聯合報》，並沒有兩岸終將統一以外的立場，惟最早在1970年代，違反統一國策的兩德、邦聯與歐盟模式實已「靈光一閃」，至2000與2001年，由於民進黨初次執掌中央政府行政權，以及國民黨一度有意將邦聯列入黨綱，有關邦聯的言說因此在報端相對頻繁地出現，《聯合報》尤其是各報中，最為穩定與持續呈現該主張者，原因之一是該報社論在這段期間有了變化。以前，《聯合報》是消極地負面表述，不接受一國兩制，同時善勸台獨不可行不可欲，從2002年起至今，該報轉向積極，提出了正面的主張，以「屋頂中國」等不同的修辭，認為兩岸應該共建兩岸關係的第三種概念，亦即由中華民國與中華人民共和國共同構成類似邦聯或歐盟的一個中國。

The dichotomic concepts of ''reunifying with the Mainland China'' and ''getting Taiwan independent'' has increasingly become dominant labels attached to future cross-strait relationships since the Martial Law was lifted in 1987. Some newspapers have alluded mistakenly that the United Daily News (UDN) is pro-Unification. This essay analyzes what the UDN, from its inception in 1951 to the present day, has reported and commented on the cross-strait relationships. Prior to 1988, the UDN was indeed pro-Unification which the state imposed and no media could disobey. However, as ROC on Taiwan suffered from diplomatic setbacks, coupled with domestic electoral democratization, the space was opened for proposing other options. Oversea scholars raised confederation and similar ideas in the 1970s and were amplified years later, particularly in 2000 and 2001 when the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won the Presidency and the Nationalist Party (Kuomintang, KMT) attempted to put a confederation article into its Party Platform. As its consequence, relatively more discourses on confederation appeared in the press, with the UDN standing out as an outlet providing more such contributions while making a notable change of emphasis. The UDN editorials used to argue by negating two positions. The Mainland China's call for reunification through ''one-country-two-system'' has been firmly rejected, while in the meantime the UDN tries to convince people that an independent Taiwan state is neither feasible nor desirable. Commencing in 2002, the UDN has been asserting more frequently that a Chinese Confederation or Union should be the guiding principle that incorporates both ROC and PROC.