TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taipei mayoral candidate Huang Shan-shan (黃珊珊) on Monday (Sept. 26) lashed out at media figure Clara Chou (周玉蔻) for mudslinging and taking advantage of the freedom of speech over her recent remarks about a politically-sensitive love scandal.
Journalist and commentator Chou alleged on a TV show last week that former Miss Taiwan, Chang Su-chang (張淑娟), was involved in an affair with Chiang Hsiao-yen (蔣孝嚴), former vice premier and father of Wayne Chiang (蔣萬安), a legislator and a Taipei mayoral candidate for the Kuomintang (KMT).
The allegation has infuriated Chang, who filed a lawsuit against Chou over libel on Monday and prompted the defendant to apologize publicly. According to Chang, she has suffered stress and experienced suicidal thoughts due to Chou’s groundless suggestions, per Storm Media.
Huang, former Taipei deputy mayor who is running for mayoralty as an independent, slammed Chou for trampling the freedom of the press by hurting innocent people. She condemned the use of the media to bully others to reap political dividends.
In addition to calling for accountability amid the smear campaign, she also asked citizens to root out such ugly political maneuvering with their votes.
The incident has grabbed national headlines and seen over 30 reports filed against Chou to the National Communications Commission (NCC), the country’s regulator of telecommunication and broadcasting industries. NCC has promised to look into the case and investigate whether Formosa Television (FTV), which aired the show, should be held accountable for Chou’s remarks, per CNA.
Chou, known for her outspokenness, has been a staunch supporter of Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), former health minister and Taipei mayoral candidate of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party. Chen has since sought to distance himself from Chou.