Jacky Wu (吳宗憲), a popular TV variety show host who dubbed himself "the local king" (本土天王), waged war against newly launched Next magazine this week. Wu says the muckraking journalism of this magazine, owned by a Hong Kong media tycoon, have put the local media's discipline in grave danger and forced public figures to live in fear.
A war between "the local king" and "Hong Kong paparazzi" with morality as its focus may seem a noble quest. But in the eyes of media observers the controversy seems little more than a case of "the pot calling the kettle black."
Most media critics would agree that both sides are using the brouhaha to boost their own publicity.
Wu, 39, has had his share of highs and lows in showbusiness during a career spanning more than 22 years. His career started in college when he hosted campus concerts and tours around Taiwan. After graduation he got a job as a TV show assistant and got involved in various kinds of performances -- singing, movies, and later record production. Today he has the accumulative experience of hosting more than 1,000 live shows -- and he could be forgiven for taking pride in his ability to tickle his audience's imagination. He also excels with his command of slang words and pop culture.
"For the past 20-some years, I learned very hard every step of the way, and I started with running errands. I didn't become really popular until the last three or four years. This does not come out of the blue, but is a result of my down-to-earth hard work," Wu has said previously in his defense.
Although his hosting style is popular among young viewers, his controversial expressions, often filled with sexual innuendo and insults to women, has drawn much criticism. Some womens' groups have even launched a move to get people to stop viewing Wu's shows.
Wu, however, turned this incident into another opportunity to advertise his shows. He locked his head in a big bird cage on his TV show to "show his repentance."
But when the move seemed to trigger even more criticism, he held a live press conference right on his show and accused his critics of using him for their own good. He also questioned the women who criticized him: "Why do you let your children watch my late-night shows when they are supposed to be in bed?"
No matter what is thrown at Wu, he will always find a way to manipulate the media, analysts say.
"He turns all sorts of criticism and negative coverage into opportunities to gain even more publicity," said Hu Yu-wei (胡幼偉), professor at the Graduate Institute of Mass Communication at National Taiwan Normal University.
A newspaper in May last year reported (with photos as proof) that Wu has actually been married for more than 10 years and was the father of four children.
Wu first dismissed the report and publicly stepped on the newspaper to ridicule the reporter.
But, when his wife came forward and admitted their relationship, Wu said they were not legally married and did not have the proper documentation.
In the end, he finally admitted under pressure that he is indeed married with four children.
But he immediately changed the subject by saying he didn't know about the law and even lashed out at the media for "interfering with his private life," saying "the fact that I have four children is none of your business."
Media commentator Po Da-chung (
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