《华盛顿邮报》在3月31日题为《两个中国政府》的文章中这样说：
Chen Shui-bian's election as president of the Republic of China on Taiwan dramatically and instantly raised the stakes for U.S. policy in the Taiwan Strait.
Lee Teng-hui's election in 1996 was the first direct，popular election of a head of state in Chinese history. President-elect Chen's election marks the first peaceful transfer of power from a ruling Chinese party to its democratic opposition.
Taiwan's democratic transformation，begun by President Lee，is complete. The Republic of China's experiment in democracy is no longer an experiment——it is a proven reality. The nation that was known for the better part of 40 years as “Nationalist China” now is “Democratic China.”
译文：
陈水扁在台湾的“中华民国”“总统”选举戏剧地而且立即为美国在台湾海峡的政策提升了赌注。
1996 年李登辉的当选是中国历史上第一次直接的、受欢迎的国家元首选举。陈水扁在此次选举中当选，标志着第一次和平地把权力从一个统治中国的政党交接到它的民主反对派手上。
台湾的民主改革是从李“总统”开始的。“中华民国”在民主上进行的实验不再是实验——它是已被证明的事实。那个以“国民党中国”而闻名40年的国家现在是“民主中国”。
在称赞台湾“民主”制度的同时，美国两大报也突出了对该制度的获益者陈水扁的赞许。首先是报道他作为律师的坚毅，塑造其正直的形象，其次是报道他夫人吴淑珍的瘫痪在床，肯定其作为中国好男人的优良道德观的典范，再次是报道他在两岸关系上的进一步定位，肯定其是爱好和平的温和领导人。
《华盛顿邮报》在2000年3月19日《台湾的成功故事》一文中，极力烘托陈水扁平凡的出生、优秀的学业和坚忍不拔的性格。文章说：
Chen's personal story is compelling testimony to all aspiring democrats. Born into an impoverished peasant family in rural Taiwan in 1951，Ah-bian （as he is known） was the best student in his county's primary and secondary schools——earning himself a place in the prestigious Taiwan National University and a law degree. He labored for two decades in the opposition movement，enduring imprisonment and personal tragedy.A bungled assassination attempt on him，allegedly by government intelligence agents，left his wife paralyzed for life. Chen's political ascent included service as a Taipei city councilman，a member of the Taiwan legislature and a mayor of Taipei——a post in which he was immensely popular for improving the quality of life of the city and cleaning up corrupt politics.
译文：
陈的个人经历对所有渴望民主的人士来说都是绝好范例。他1951年出生于台湾一户贫苦的农民家庭，人们熟知的阿扁是那个县小学和中学里最出色的学生，后来他考入著名的台湾大学并获得法学学位。20多年间，他参加了反对运动，忍受监禁之苦，承受个人悲剧。后来，据称是政府情报部门策划的一场拙劣的针对他的暗杀行动让他的夫人瘫痪在家。他的个人职位是从从台北市政会成员、台北市议员、台北市市长一步步升迁的。在此前的台北市长任上，他因为致力于提升台北市的生活质量和整肃黑金政治而广受好评。
同日，《纽约时报》在《一位不屈不挠的坚定斗士》中，通过对陈水扁表情和家庭的叙述，烘托出一个经历坎坷但意志坚定的台湾领导人形象：
People here who know Taiwan's president-elect，Chen Shui-bian，often describe him as remote and impersonal. In interviews，the 49-year-old politician comes across as almost robotic，reciting policy positions with a blank gaze and a frozen smile.
Yet for many Taiwanese，not least those who swept him to victory today and ended more than 50 years of rule by the Nationalist Party，Mr. Chen's public image was fixed by a supremely personal tragedy.
When Mr. Chen was greeting supporters at a rally in 1985 after losing a county election，his wife，Wu Shu-jen，was hit by a truck. His supporters say the accident，which left Ms. Wu paralyzed from the chest down，was politically motivated. Evidence for that is sketchy，but it cemented Mr. Chen's reputation as a man who paid a high price for his beliefs.
译文：
认识台湾当局新当选“总统”陈水扁的人知道他经常描述他自己是一个无私的人。采访中，这位49岁的政治家给人留下的印象就像机器人一样，以空洞的眼神和凝固的表情背诵着自己的政治立场。
但是对于台湾人，不仅仅是那些将他推向胜利结束了国民党50年统治的人来说，陈水扁的公开形象被定格在崇高的个人悲剧。
当陈水扁在1985年输了一个县的竞选之后的一个集会上向支持者问候的时候，他的妻子吴淑珍被一辆货车撞了。支持者说这个引起他妻子胸部以下瘫痪的事故是有政治目的的。关于这事的证据是粗略的，但它巩固了陈水扁的声誉，因为他为自己的信仰付出了高昂代价。
2000年3月19日的《纽约时报》在A版第2页，罕有地刊出标题新闻替陈水扁摇旗呐喊，助其声势，全文就是一句话：
“We won't let Taiwan become another Hong Kong or Macao.”
CHEN SHUI-BIAN，President-elect of Taiwan.
“我们不会让台湾成为另一个香港或澳门。”
——台湾“总统“当选人，陈水扁
3.贬低李登辉，冷落国民党
值得一提的是，美国媒体对陈水扁的赞美是以牺牲传统盟友国民党的利益为前提的。早在2000年台湾地区领导人选举前，美国主流报纸就开始报道国民党的“财政窘迫”、“内讧”，塑造了国民党风雨飘摇的形象。2000年1月23日，《纽约时报》就指出了国民党面临失去政权的危险，强调“反对党领导人将搬进这国民党在1945年从日本人手里接过的红砖官邸的前景，动摇了这里的政治秩序。”
选举结束后，美国媒体开始为国民党的败选找原因，把李登辉视为国民党败选的罪魁祸首，渲染李登辉狼狈的下场，这与几年前美国媒体对李登辉的褒奖形成强烈的反差。在1995年和1996年，围绕李登辉访美和台湾举行“总统”直选时，美国媒体把他视为“民主”的化身，也是“和平主义者”的代表。2000年3月19日，《纽约时报》推出多篇报道《台湾国民党在半个世纪统治之后被撵下台》、《国民党被他们提倡的民主推翻》，矛头都直指李登辉。2000年3月19日，《华盛顿邮报》在陈水扁当选后刊出的标题是《台湾执政党下台，主张独立的陈水扁打算与中国进行“和解”》。
3月20日，《纽约时报》在《台湾大选失败后的暴力抗议》里描述如下：
A day after Taiwan's Nationalist Party was swept from power after more than 50 years，the fury of the losers erupted tonight，forcing President Lee Teng-hui to barricade himself inside his party headquarters as thousands of disaffected supporters battled with the police for hours.
While the worst street clashes in a decade raged outside the building——sealed like a fortress with cordons of riot policemen and powerful water cannons——Mr. Lee bowed somewhat to the intense anger and calls for his immediate resignation，agreeing to step down as party chairman in September，a year earlier than planned. Three senior party leaders submitted their resignations，but in the turmoil，Mr. Lee refused to accept them.
The unraveling of the Nationalist Party after its candidate finished last in a bitter three-way presidential race poses huge potential dangers for Taiwan at a time of delicate transition.
译文：
台湾的国民党在执政50年后被迫下台的那天，失败者之中引起了骚乱。迫使李登辉“总统”由于数千反对者与警察对峙了几小时，而躲在国民党中央党部里。
这是近十年来国民党中央党部大楼前爆发的最严重的冲突，大楼被防暴警察和高压水炮密封得像个碉堡，李登辉多少为了缓解人们的怒气和让他立即辞职的呼声，同意了提前一年在九月份下台。三位国民党高层领导人递交了辞呈，但是在混乱时期，李登辉没有批准。
国民党候选人在竞选中失败后国民党的涣散，给微妙转变中的台湾带来巨大的潜在危机。
同日，《纽约时报》在头版刊登题为《目标：以前喜欢的领导人》的文章，烘托了台湾民众的愤怒情绪，同时也批评李登辉失去政治基础：
“He betrayed Taiwan！” “He's a traitor who sold out the Nationalist Party！”“He's a monster，lower than a dog！” “Step Down Lee！Step Down Lee！”
The venom of the crowds here today was directed at a man who was long called “Mr. Democracy”——the man who opened the clubby，all-powerful Nationalist Party to the native Taiwanese majority，the man who engineered Taiwan's first direct elections for president and who bravely asserted the island's separate identity against a hostile Beijing.
