Former anchor Liu Xintong becomes the manager she once disliked

After 26 years in journalism, former news anchor Liu Xintong, now director of ETTV's digital media business department, has come to a striking realization: she has become the type of manager she most disliked in her youth. The Taipei-based journalist, who has worked for Sanli News, Era News, and ETTV, reflected on her career as she approaches her 50th birthday in October.

Liu confessed that when she first entered the industry, she relished the investigative work: being on the ground, chasing stories, finding interviewees, and waiting for hours for the perfect shot or a crucial quote. Her career later transitioned to being an anchor, and then into management, leading teams and departments. Ironically, being a manager was precisely what she detested as a young reporter, often finding her superiors bothersome.

Life's trajectory has led Liu to a position she once vowed to avoid, and she has occupied it for many years. It was only upon becoming a manager herself that she began to understand. "Perhaps some things aren't just about a manager wanting to control things; it's that from that position, you see things differently than before," she mused. While her younger self was preoccupied with career advancement and proving her abilities, the nearly 50-year-old Liu is now asking herself a different question: "If I have another 26 years in life, what do I want to do with them?" She is beginning to ask herself how she would live if she were no longer solely focused on proving herself, though she admits she doesn't have the answer yet.