"My own accusations that the police violated human rights were entirely omitted," he said.
While Taiwan's journalists have made progress in terms of advocating the protection of political human rights, they are still very ignorant about social human rights, according to Ho Jung-hsing (何榮幸), a director of the Association of Taiwan Journalists (台灣記者協會).
He said reporting on social issues requires sensitivity and professional knowledge, but that most social reporters lack such characteristics. Most media outlets have never provided the required education to their staff, he said.
In coverage like that of the AG incident, he said, the media was unable to voice the concerns of disadvantaged groups, resulting in bias towards the police.
A-cheng was victimized by a "chain of non-professionalism as a result," he said.
"All my relatives, friends and neighbors said I was engaging in sex deals and they all stopped communicating with me," he said. "My social life collapsed and I ended up seeing psychiatrists frequently," he said.
A-cheng not only lost his hair through anxiety brought on by the case, but also his job.
Business at the AG Fitness Club dropped drastically after the incident, and A-cheng had to quit his job as a training coach, which left him short of income for a whole year.
"Now the court is giving me belated justice, but for the one year of injustice that I have suffered at the hands of society and the media, who should I seek redress from?" he asked.
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