Gov’t plans to consolidate pressrooms bring controversy

Posted on : 2007-05-22 15:02 KST Modified on : 2019-10-19 20:29 KST
Experts divided over whether plan will increase quality of coverage or media manipulation

The government is due to endorse a plan on May 22 to consolidate about 40 pressrooms at government agencies into three and to prohibit journalists from access to offices of government agencies or police stations.

Starting July, the government is scheduled to apply the plan, called a ‘plan for the modernization of media support,’ after a trial period. Under the plan, there would be only one pressroom each to cover the three major government complexes in Gwanghwamun, downtown Seoul; Gwacheon, Gyeonggi Province; and Daejeon.

The plan is a follow-up measure from the government’s 2003 near-ban on journalists’ entering government offices without notice to meet officials for a story. Instead, the government at that time introduced the so-called ‘briefing system,’ in which government officials call journalists whenever they have a public statement to make. The government’s new plan would strengthen this ‘briefing system’ and add additional restrictions to journalists’ ability to freely enter government offices in order to write stories.

But some experts say the government’s moves could improve the quality of journalism on government issues in the long term because the measures could force journalists to break from the practice of adhering too much on government sources, as well as put a damper on some media companies’ cozy relations with the government.

Against this backdrop, many journalists have been criticized for ending up writing stories largely from the point of view of the government. The move is seen as likely to prompt journalists to write more in-depth stories based on their being more independent from the government’s sources.

Kim Seo-jung, a mass communications professor at Sung Kong Hoe University, said, "Though the government may not be intending to do so, the consolidation of pressrooms is eventually expected to change a currently beat-oriented reporting system: instead of focusing on a certain government agency, the consolidation is likely to force journalists to write a story by collecting information from several government agencies and other diverse sources," Kim continued, suggesting this would give stories more scope and a greater number of sources.

Some experts also expect the government’s pressroom consolidation will eliminate the negative side effects of the closed-door pressroom system. Kim Chang-ryong, a mass communications professor at Inje University, said, "In the past, pressrooms had been plagued by channels of bribery, article collusion, and a closed-door reporting system. I think the government plans to consolidate pressrooms to prevent the media from exercising political involvement by reducing face-to-face meetings between media representatives and government officials," the professor said.

However, others have decried the plans as hindering the public’s right to know. If the government consolidates pressrooms, it would deteriorate information accessibility, critics say. In an article in the May issue of ‘Newspaper and Broadcasting,’ professor Kim of Inje University said, "South Korea’s international transparency index was ranked 40th in the world, one of the lowest among OECD member countries," Kim said. "While ten years have passed since the public information act went into effect, there are too many restrictions and no means of punishment if the government intentionally refuses to give information." If the government consolidates pressrooms and strengthens the briefing system while ignoring these factors, it will lead to further blockage of media’s function to check and monitor, Kim continued.

Other experts say the government’s measure would undermine the diversity of public opinion and widen the information gap. Kim Sa-seung, a mass communications professor at Soongsil University, said, "After being elected, British prime minister Tony Blair introduced a briefing system and gave favors to television stations as part of his media politics. As a result, the influence of print media in the U.K. has significantly shrunk, leading to a fall in the level of diversity of public opinion," Kim said. "If pressrooms are consolidated, there is the possibility that big media companies may monopolize certain information," Kim said. "It will be easy for a source to play the media if a company has cozy ties with the source. In contrast, the government could exclude access to media companies with which they have bad relations."

Please direct questions or comments to [englishhani@hani.co.kr]

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