hankyoreh

By Choi Won-hyung, staff reporter

South Korean journalists have again ranked the Hankyoreh as their most trusted news source.

The Journalists’ Association of Korea commissioned the polling organization Hangil Research to conduct a survey of reporter opinions for its 49th anniversary. Of the 304 currently working journalists surveyed, 21.9% chose the Hankyoreh as the news outlet they trusted most. Next in line were the Kyunghyang Shinmun with 14.9%, the KBS network with 13.5%, the YTN network with 6.3%, and the Chosun Ilbo with 4.8%.

The Hankyoreh has topped the list for trust in six JAK surveys conducted since 2006.

KBS was named the most influential news source, with 45.2% of reporters selecting it. It was followed by the Chosun Ilbo (30.6%), YTN (6.3%), and the Hankyoreh (2.8%).

The network MBC received record low ratings of 0.7% for influence and 0.5% for trust. A 2011 survey had it ranked third for the former (13.8%) and fourth for the latter (8.3%).

A total of 67.4% of respondents said media freedoms under the administration of President Park Geun-hye were “similar” to their levels under her predecessor Lee Myung-bak. Answers of “worse” or “much worse” were given by 23.7% of reporters, while just 8.7% rated them “better” or “much better.”

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