Hong Kong tycoon Jimmy Lai (
Within hours of hitting the newsstands yesterday, Next magazine was sold out.
The premier issue: Accusations from the jilted lover of Chao Chien-min (
PHOTO: REUTERS
On the magazine's cover was a photograph of Chao holding hands with fiancee Chen Ching-yu (
"The ex-girlfriend of the president's prospective son-in-law gives her inside story of a womanizer," the headline said.
In the story, the girlfriend accused Chao of dumping her to find someone who could help him advance his career.
Sensational, indeed. All 270,000 copies of the double-issue edition -- which contained other stories of political and business leaders, gangsters and TV entertainers with sensational paparazzi-style photographs -- sold out within four hours.
That followed an NT$120 million advertising campaign successful in creating a buzz about the publication. One ad plastered to the side of Taipei public buses shows two eyes on a woman's bare bottom. The accompanying title says: ``Adultery? Please watch out.''
Those who liked the magazine said yesterday the publication was doing a good job "upholding the people's right to know" by putting the lives of public figures under the microscope.
"We're entitled to know the real sides of politicians. We want to know whether their words match their deeds," one reader said.
But others criticized the magazine for invading the personal lives of public figures by choosing issues that have little public interest.
"Why do we need to know about the past romantic history of the future son-in-law of the president? It's entirely irrelevant to the welfare of the general public," said Liu Hui-ping (
Liu said that the media should report not on what people "want to know," but what readers "are entitled to know."
Ping Lu (
"Tabloid reporting is inevitable in a society where people tend to have a desire to poke and pry into other people's private affairs, but there is a limit to it," Ping said.
"If politicians intend to portray themselves as perfect characters during election campaigns, then it is the media's responsibility to expose their lies. Otherwise, I don't see the point of it," she said.
Other commentators said stiffer competition in the cutthroat world of media would probably lower the quality of journalism in the country.
Still, Chin Heng-wei (
NEXT GENERATION: The four plants in the Central Taiwan Science Park, designated Fab 25, would consist of four 1.4-nanometer wafer manufacturing plants, TSMC said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) plans to begin construction of four new plants later this year, with the aim to officially launch production of 2-nanometer semiconductor wafers by late 2028, Central Taiwan Science Park Bureau director-general Hsu Maw-shin (許茂新) said. Hsu made the announcement at an event on Friday evening celebrating the Central Taiwan Science Park’s 22nd anniversary. The second phase of the park’s expansion would commence with the initial construction of water detention ponds and other structures aimed at soil and water conservation, Hsu said. TSMC has officially leased the land, with the Central Taiwan Science Park having handed over the
AUKUS: The Australian Ambassador to the US said his country is working with the Pentagon and he is confident that submarine issues will be resolved Australian Ambassador to the US Kevin Rudd on Friday said that if Taiwan were to fall to China’s occupation, it would unleash China’s military capacities and capabilities more broadly. He also said his country is working with the Pentagon on the US Department of Defense’s review of the AUKUS submarine project and is confident that all issues raised will be resolved. Rudd, who served as Australian prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and for three months in 2013, made the remarks at the Aspen Security Forum in Colorado and stressed the longstanding US-Australia alliance and his close relationship with the US Undersecretary
‘WORLD WAR III’: Republican Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said the aid would inflame tensions, but her amendment was rejected 421 votes against six The US House of Representatives on Friday passed the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for fiscal 2026, which includes US$500 million for Taiwan. The bill, which totals US$831.5 billion in discretionary spending, passed in a 221-209 vote. According to the bill, the funds for Taiwan would be administered by the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency and would remain available through Sept. 30, 2027, for the Taiwan Security Cooperation Initiative. The legislation authorizes the US Secretary of Defense, with the agreement of the US Secretary of State, to use the funds to assist Taiwan in procuring defense articles and services, and military training. Republican Representative
TAIWAN IS TAIWAN: US Representative Tom Tiffany said the amendment was not controversial, as ‘Taiwan is not — nor has it ever been — part of Communist China’ The US House of Representatives on Friday passed an amendment banning the US Department of Defense from creating, buying or displaying any map that shows Taiwan as part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC). The “Honest Maps” amendment was approved in a voice vote on Friday as part of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act for the 2026 fiscal year. The amendment prohibits using any funds from the act to create, buy or display maps that show Taiwan, Kinmen, Matsu, Penghu, Wuciou (烏坵), Green Island (綠島) or Orchid Island (Lanyu, 蘭嶼) as part of the PRC. The act includes US$831.5 billion in
RSS