While it is up to the courts to decide the rights and wrongs of Vice President Annette Lu's (呂秀蓮) case against The Journalist (新新聞周報), both Lu's reputation and that of the media have suffered from the fracas, observers say.
They also believe that the quarrel will have a long-term negative effect on the status of women in Taiwan politics.
Lu is suing The Journalist over allegations in the magazine that it was she who called the magazine to circulate the rumor that President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) was having an affair with presidential aide Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴).
The headline on the magazine's multi-page report last week read "Lu circulated rumors and triggered political infighting (呂秀蓮散播緋聞,發動政爭)."
"Judging from the headline [of The Journalist's reports] the magazine jumped to conclusions," professor of journalism at the National Chengchi University Feng Chien-san (馮建三) told the Taipei Times yesterday.
Endorsing Feng's view, political commentator Ping Lu (平路) also said the magazine has sensationalized the whole issue.
"There is a difference between circulating rumors and toppling [Chen's] power through scandal. As far as Lu's personality is concerned, I don't think she is the kind of person who would plot a conspiracy [against Chen]," Ping Lu said.
He added, however, that if it were to be proved that Lu was behind a conspiracy to seize Chen's position via a scandal, "then it would be another issue and the media is just fulfilling its duty."
One thing that Lu's fight with The Journalist tended to obscure, Ping Lu said, was the nature of her relationship, and possible rivalry, with the president.
While observers like Ping Lu might find the idea of a Lu conspiracy far-fetched, The Journalist is adamantly sticking to its guns.
A source at the magazine -- who asked not to be identified -- told the Taipei Times: "Lu chose to lie in order to better her position in a crisis" adding that the magazine had treated the idea of Lu's being behind such a conspiracy no less skeptically than others but found the evidence compelling.
"So far, we still don't know why Lu placed that call. But we are sure that Lu made more than just one call. Ten out of 17 sources [we contacted] confirmed that they got the rumor directly from Lu, and the other seven couldn't identify any source of the rumor other than Lu indirectly," the source said.
The source, however, added that he thought the wording of the article might have been too sensationalist, perhaps due to the reporter's own news judgment.
But while Lu and The Journalist await their day in court, there have been other victims of the fracas.
"Doubts have once again been cast on women's abilities in politics," Ping Lu said, "Taiwan's politics is traditionally built upon a patriarchy where women are disadvantaged. Even if Lu is proved innocent, women's status in politics will be damaged," he said.
"That women distrust women is part of the issue, too," he added, referring to first lady Wu Shu-chen's (吳淑珍) criticism of Lu and Lu's criticism of Hsiao Bi-khim.
But while Lu alleged rumor-mongering is a cause celebre, how serious an issue is it really?
President of The Journalist Wang Chien-chuang (王健壯) last week argued that the magazine was investigating not just a news story but a constitutional and governmental issue.
Emile Sheng (
"It is not really a public interest issue. I think it's nothing but gossip," Sheng said.
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