by Brian Hioe

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English
PPhoto credit: Chunsan / WikiCommons / CC

LAST MONTH was covered by continued media coverage by Taiwanese American singer Wang Leehom, following allegations of abuse and infidelity from his wife, Lee Jinglei, who is Taiwanese. The allegations were posted by Lee on his Instagram shortly after their divorce was announced.

In particular, Wang is accused of having had relations with other artists and of having sought the services of sex workers during their marriage. Likewise, much attention was paid to the fact that Wang allegedly started suing Lee when she was a teenager, there was a ten-year age difference between the two.

What was understood as attempts by the Wang family to cover up the scandal led to further outrage in the media. This included photos posted by Lee of an alleged text message from Wang in which he offered her an apartment if she apologized and withdrew her allegations, as well as a statement released by Wang’s father in defense of his son.

Liberty Times Facebook account posts joke on new Lee Jinglei post

Wang finally announced that he would take a career break. By the time this happened, however, the controversy had captured the attention of millions in Taiwan and China. the Time of freedom, Taiwan’s most widely read newspaper, began to comment with humor whenever Wang or Lee published a new post, often in the morning or late at night. Many Taiwanese internet memes commented on Wang’s late night posting.

No less than The Chinese Central Disciplinary Inspection Committee issued comments that appeared to be directed against Wang, the former World time editor Hu Xijin also weighed in on the matter. Wang, like many Taiwanese celebrities, is also working in the Chinese market, but it is likely that Wang will be barred from working there for some time, if not permanently. Wang is also unlikely to find much work in Taiwan in the near future.

Word of the scandal was so widespread that some members of the KMT blamed him for the results of the referendum which took place last week, in that members of the public were distracted by the scandal. While this is overstated, it can nonetheless be emphasized how Taiwan’s media culture disproportionately focuses on sensational celebrity gossip – almost every cover story on the Apple Dailyfor days, for example, on the Wang scandal, masking more important political events and even #MeToo allegations against a prominent and nationally recognized artist.

Taiwanese media coverage of female subjects in particular is often sexist and misogynistic. The Taiwanese media are also quick to violate the privacy of individuals, especially women. This was also visible in the scandal, regarding the treatment of Lee, the other celebrities Wang allegedly slept with, or the sex workers he was looking for. While difficult to disentangle from sensationalism, some reports suggest that one of the women Wang is suspected of having carried out an affair with attempted suicide. To that extent, the treatment of sex workers by the Taiwanese media – or even in Lee’s comments, which had a tinge of sex work stigma – is more often than not demeaning and dehumanizing.

The Wang Leehom scandal erupted shortly after a controversy involving DPP lawmaker Kao Chia-yu, who was beaten by her then partner, social commentator Raphael Lin, while the two were staying in a hotel. Taiwanese media also harassed the incident for days, if not weeks.

Wang Leehom posting with a sword prop. Photo credit: rita888_hsieh / WikiCommons / CC

While Kao has sought to deflect attention from the controversy to broader issues of violence and domestic violence facing women, as well as the growing problem of deepfake videos of female public figures in Taiwan, Taiwanese media did not largely covered the incident with no sensitivity. Instead, the incident was seen as an opportunity to increase clicks and engagement, regardless of whether it was contributing to the issue at hand.

In addition, the KMT took the opportunity to politically attack the DPP, saying the incident showed deep-seated issues of violence within the Pan-Green camp. This is not much different from claims that the Wang Leehom scandal distracted attention from the referendum, as incidents of domestic violence, abuse, etc. of any relationship inherent in matters of Taiwan’s sovereignty, the main political divide between the two camps.

But the same is true with the Wang Leehom scandal, which lasted for days, then weeks. The Taiwanese media did not do any better this time around either and, even when such incidents touch on important social issues such as the abuse of women by their partners or within families, the Taiwanese media can help. these problems rather than serving as a vehicle for discussing social solutions.