hankyoreh

who died of vCJD

Munhwa Broadcasting Corp. has sparked controversy by indefinitely postponing an episode of “MBC Special,” dealing with a British mother who lost her son to vCJD, the human form of mad cow disease, due to fears the program could “provoke prosecutors.” Broadcasting experts are criticizing the move, saying MBC’s over-defensive attitude could bring the ill effect of justifying the administration’s hard line drive towards the broadcaster.

MBC’s current events and culture desk held a preview screening of the program August 26 with the desk’s director and team leaders present. After the screening, they decided to postpone the show indefinitely. One producer who attended the meeting said the decision was made when it was judged that due to the program’s subject, mad cow disease, it could cause unnecessary misunderstanding from the government.

The program began preparations for the episode in April, with reporters finishing local coverage in Britain in June. It was scheduled to go on the air on July 17, but when controversy surrounding “The Producer’s Notebook” spread, it was postponed once to late August. The episode is a documentary telling the tale of a British mother as she looks for the truth behind mad cow disease, which late last year took the life of her 24-year-old son, Andrew Black, who had dreamed of being a broadcast producer.

Chang Hyeong-won, the producer of the episode, said he accepted the internal opinion that while the program was faultless in terms of depth, it could have a negative effect on the ongoing investigation into “The Producer’s Notebook” if prosecutors were provoked by having the mad cow disease issue raised again. He said, however, that the program -- which he worked on for three months -- must not end up in the bin because it deals with a sensitive topic.

Meanwhile, Christine Lord, the victim’s mother whom Chang met in Britain and a central figure in the program, posted on her blog (www.justice4andy.com) a letter sent by Chang and expressed her disappointment in the broadcast’s being postponed twice. In the letter, Chang said, “I’m totally upset and frustrated... I heard there was an attempt to move me from the documentary team to another program, however I will try to do my best to protect my film and to air the film for the sake of me and you, especially Andrew.”

Lord said on her blog, “The situation in Korea is dire, journalists have been imprisoned because of speaking out about BSE, many are being intimidated and frightened. Its more subtle but similar tale here. Chang’s private email was blocked to me and he has had to contact me via another address, many Korean websites that carried the link www.justiceforandy.com have had it removed by the Korean government.”

Professor Gang Sang-hyeon of Yonsei University said the decision not to broadcast the program could be used as an excuse justifying calls to privatize the broadcaster by suggesting there is a problem with the station.

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