hankyoreh

In connection with recently raised allegations over the past misconduct of the leading presidential hopefuls from the main opposition Grand National Party (GNP), the reports of a few conservative media outlets have been found to focus mostly on where the allegations came from, rather than on finding the facts beneath the allegations.

Many observers note that these kinds of reports are typical of reports that water down the importance of each candidate’s ethics while diverting the public’s attention away from the main issues.

The Citizens’ Coalition for Democratic Media (CCDM), a civil watchdog that monitors the mass media, conducted a broad analysis of articles about GNP presidential hopefuls Lee Myung-bak and Park Geun-hye which were published from June 11 to July 6. According to the analysis released on July 9, the nation’s five leading newspapers - The Hankyoreh, Kyunghyang Shinmun, Chosun Ilbo, JoongAng Ilbo and Donga Ilbo - have clearly taken different positions on the controversy surrounding the allegations

With the GNP’s presidential primary, scheduled for this coming August, fast approaching, Lee has faced a series of allegations by party rival and former GNP leader Park, Uri Party lawmakers and the media, that he has accumulated a vast amount of wealth through questionable real estate speculation deals using unreleased development information obtained after he became the head of the nation’s largest construction company, Hyundai Engineering & Construction Co. Lee has also been suspected of manipulating stock prices.

In the Korean political landscape, real estate speculation is the Achilles heel of politicians or candidates for public office. Property speculation, more than any other issue, can be be the downfall of anyone in the political sector and they tend to fall by the wayside when public suspicions are raised.

In response to recent allegations, Lee has denied any malfeasance in his deals and tried to divert public attention from the issues, placing blame squarely on the government, citing that information related to the allegations was only accessible with governmental clearance.

Chosun, JoongAng and Donga, all of which have a conservative bent, have concentrated their reports on who and with what intention the information related to the allegations was leaked. In comparison, The Hankyoreh and Kyunghyang have focused on fact-finding on the matters and asking his explanations based on the confirmed facts.

During the period covered by the survey, the number of articles related to the allegations of Lee Myung-bak printed by the five newspapers was 305.

Chosun, Donga and JoongAng tend to report on the controversy over the leakage of information and privacy protection issues, rather than on Lee’s alleged real-estate speculation itself.

Categorized by the directions of the reports, as many as seventeen stories from Chosun, fifteen from Donga and eleven from JoongAng dealt with the issue by framing the controversy as a war between the presidential hopefuls and the government over who is behind the allegations and whether or not the candidates’ right to privacy had been infringed upon due to the release of information. Neither The Hankyoreh nor Kyunhyang have reported these events.

On the contrary, regarding the reports raising new issues based on research into the allegations, The Hankyoreh printed nine articles, Kyunghyang four, Donga three, JoongAng two and Chosun one. According to the CCDM, Donga articles generally consisted of follow-up stories on reports by other newspapers, rather than reports of new facts.

Regarding articles raising the need to further scrutinize the allegations and the need of Lee’s explanation, The Hankyoreh and Kyunghyang have also occupied the upper position over the three other newspapers.

For the purpose of its analysis, CCDM said that it had specifically singled out articles examining Lee’s morality after searching for stories using the name Lee Myung-bak. CCDM’s analysis covered all news stories, editorials and columns.

In an editorial on July 4, Chosun Ilbo said that most of the information which had been pouring out everyday must have come out through government institutions. The editorial stressed the necessity to seek out those who leaked the information, saying that if the nation misuses the information, the roots of democracy will be shaken. Another article published on July 6 implicated the National Intelligence Service (NIS), the National Tax Service (NTS) and the Ministry of Government Administration and Home Affairs as “invisible hands.” The article went on to say that only a few officials have access to that kind of information, even within government institutions, quoting a former executive of the NIS.

If the information was obtained fairly then the way in which it was obtained should also be made public, said a Donga Ilbo editorial on July 4. The editorial went on to say, “It is also possible to call into question information-gathering techniques for information which is not easily accessible to the general public,” as if urging the media outlets reporting on the scandal to identify their sources.

Kim Seung-su, a professor at Chonbuk National University, said, “Though the presidential hopeful who faced these allegations struggled to divert the public’s attention from the issue by raising the question of who was behind the allegations in the first place, the media should first pursue the facts.”

This is a good example of how the media has lost its function of monitoring those in power and ability to exercise self-control, Kim noted. “I suspect that the conservative media is doing all they can to promote the candidate they support” in advance of the presidential election slated for this coming December.

Shin Tae-seop, a CCDM chief, said, “it was not based on the facts that the conservative media brought up the nation’s spy agency.” “They are watering down the seriousness of the allegations to protect the candidates they support,” he adde. “Leakage of information is one thing and verification of it is another. Even if they track down what they deem to be suspicious sources of information, they should first take in-depth investigation into the allegations on the behalf of the people, without regard for who is implicated in the end.”

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