Lin felt that his ultimate vindication was down to the rising power of Internet users.
"Since I have given up my high-paying job at the TV station, fame does not appeal to me anymore, and yet I suddenly became the center of attention because of something said by a few politicians," Lin said. "I do not think I have benefited from such fame."
Lin said that by spreading information online, the Internet can outperform mainstream media outlets.
"Some people have already learned to use VCDs and the Internet to voice their opinions, and this, I think, is truly the people's triumph," Lin said. "It is a battle between David and Goliath."
Lin also said that the VCD incident showed that mainstream media influence is on the wane.
"To talk about who benefits the most in this event, I think it is better to say that the victory goes to the disintegration of the values held by the mainstream media," Lin said. "Long live the Internet!"
Although the ban on new media has been lifted, Lin said that freedom of speech still could not be fully exercised today.
"After the ban was lifted, many cable TV stations were established," he said. "However, when a group of youngsters decided to step out to poke fun at politicians and the media, they found themselves facing a slander lawsuit. Even though the current ruling party is the Democratic Progressive Party, the tyranny of the Chinese Nationalist Party still shrouds our society -- this is a national tragedy."
Lin claimed he had coined a new term to describe Taiwan's gossip-loving media.
"Taiwan's media lacks public discussion, and yet is full of stories about nobodies," he said. "For instance, between a story about a female legislator showing her belly in public and a story about labor insurance which affects the lives of millions of workers, the first made headlines. Do you think such a phenomenon is called true news reporting? I think Taiwan's media does not provide viewers with information nor entertainment, but infotainment."
In Lin's second e-mail, he highlighted the decline of the media.
"Most media outlets pick only the sensationalist elements to make up the stories they want to present," he wrote. "However, through the publicity of 4 million online friends, words spread like fire. As a result, I had some room to backslide. It is rather sad that the Internet was the only channel to save myself from this media embroilment, but this method is indeed quite effective."
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