Smear Campaign in Elections: Sanlih's 'Taiwan Forward' Gutmann Interview Sparks Organ Harvesting Controversy

In September 2018, on the eve of the Taipei Mayoral Election, Sanlih's political talk show 'Taiwan Forward' broadcast an exclusive interview with Ethan Gutmann, author of 'The Slaughter'. Through selective editing and leading questions, the program sensationalized accusations that Ko Wen-je had facilitated organ transplants in China and acted as an accomplice to organ harvesting by teaching ECMO technology. This controversy exploded during the election and was weaponized for political mudslinging. Ko strongly criticized Sanlih for deceptive editing and threatened legal action. Gutmann subsequently called Ko a 'liar' at a press conference, leading Ko to file defamation lawsuits. Although prosecutors eventually dropped all charges against Gutmann, Sanlih's role in amplifying such grave, unverified allegations to influence local elections drew widespread criticism.