2 talk show hosts sentenced 18 months for slander

Taipei, Nov. 27 (CNA) The Taipei District Court has sentenced two well-known talk show hosts, Clara Chou (周玉蔻) and Tsai Yu-chen (蔡玉真), to 18 months in prison for aggravated slander and the unlawful use of personal data.

Chou and Tsai were found guilty of violating Article 310 of the Criminal Code and Article 41 of the Personal Data Protection Act for "spreading false information" on political commentary shows and social media, the court said in its ruling on Tuesday.

According to the court, Chou has consistently denied any criminal wrongdoing, while Tsai admitted guilt but did not demonstrate "genuine remorse."

Chou falsely accused Chang Shu-chuang (張淑娟), the winner of the Miss Republic of China beauty contest in 1988, of having a romantic relationship with John Chiang (蔣孝嚴) -- one of the sons of former Taiwan President Chiang Ching-kuo (蔣經國) and the father of current Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an (蔣萬安).

While Taiwan possesses strong anti-slander laws and litigation over alleged slander often results in compensation rulings, it is unusual for media figures to be imprisoned for statements made on television, radio or internet talk shows.

According to Chang, Chou made the false statements and referred to Chang by name on her show broadcast on Sept. 22, 2022, and continued to make the false claims even after Chang issued a denial the following day.

"This was a collective bullying incident involving the media figures, senior journalists, lawmakers and pundits," Chang told reporters at a press conference held at the Legislature on Wednesday as she stood next to Kuomintang lawmaker Wang Hung-wei (王鴻薇).

"My personal experience in the past two years has been a very painful experience," the former beauty contest winner said, adding that Chou and Tsai should "sincerely repent in prison, rather than apologizing today then continuing to bully the next person tomorrow."

Chou, 71, has been a well-known outspoken political commentator since the 1990s. Tsai, in her late 50s, is less well-known but has appeared on political talk shows as a host and guest.

Under Taiwanese law, the offense of slander can result in a prison sentence of up to one year, while "impairing another person's interests" by using their personal data can result in a sentence of up to five years.

As of 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Chou had not issued a statement in relation to the court's judgement. Tsai told CNA she would appeal.