Korea slides in press freedom rankings
Korea has slipped down the global rankings for freedom of the media as journalists here face a dual threat of hyper-competition and increasing government interference.
The public’s waning trust in the accuracy and credibility of journalists’ output has been displayed over the coverage of the Sewol ferry disaster as news outlets seemed to be creating their own sideshow with moments of sloppy and unethical reporting.
The Freedom of Press 2014, an annual index of media freedom published Friday (KST) by New York-based Freedom House, ranked Korea 68th among the 197 countries and territories assessed during 2013, which represented a four-spot drop from the previous report.
The report rated 63 countries as free, Korea and 62 others as partly free and 66 not free. Korea first lost its spot in the free category in 2011 under the Lee Myung-bak government.
The Netherlands, Norway and Sweden, topped the list in that order, while the United States finished 30th, Britain 36th and Japan 42nd. Korea trailed Italy, Chile, Namibia and Nauru, which were in a four-way tie at 64th.
Freedom House, which introduced the index in 1980, has yet to pick a country other than North Korea as the worst offender of press freedom.
The report claimed that media freedom around the world had fallen to its lowest level in more than a decade. It blamed regressive steps in countries such as Egypt, Libya, Jordan, Turkey and Ukraine, and also actions taken against American and British journalists reporting on national security issues, including Edward Snowden’s surveillance disclosures.
“We see declines in media freedom on a global level, driven by governments’ efforts to control the message and punish the messenger,” the report said.
While Freedom House has not yet released its individual report for Korea for 2014, the non-governmental organization heavily criticized the Korean government’s strengthening control over the mainstream media in its 2013 study.
Last year’s report highlighted the Lee administration’s efforts to extend its influence over television networks, including appointing former presidential aides and advisers to key positions, censoring reports and penalizing journalists for writing critical articles about government policies.
Much of the criticism can be applied to the Park Geun-hye government, which has continued the practice of parachuting presidential cronies into television CEO spots.
The appointment of Ahn Gwan-han as the new head of MBC television in March touched off fierce criticism from the company’s reporters’ union as he had been the right-hand man of his controversial predecessor, Kim Jae-chul.
Kim was accused of censoring reports and abolishing investigative news programs to maintain a close relationship with the government of former President Lee, a product of the conservative Saenuri Party as is President Park. Kim’s conflict with the news staff triggered an all-out reporters’ strike in 2012.
Ahn further infuriated MBC reporters by naming Kwon Jae-hong as the company’s new vice president and Lee Jin-suk as chief news editor. Kwon, a former news host, served as chief news editor under Kim, who picked Lee Jin-suk, a former reporter, as his spokeswoman.
Kwon and Lee Jin-suk were both vocal critics of the reporters’ strike. Kwon in particular became a target of ridicule when he went on air to say that he had been assaulted by his striking colleagues, a claim he later admitted was untrue.
The editorial i ndependence of broadcasters continues to be a subject of controversy whenever a new government is elected. However, the debate has never been as deafening as during the past several years under the conservative administrations of presidents Lee and Park, with journalists complaining that the government interference has become more profound and direct.
The government maintains the right to name the president of state-run network KBS and essentially holds the same power over MBC. Although MBC is set as a commercial network, it is 70-percent owned by the Foundation for Broadcast Culture, of which the Korea Communications Commission, the country’s broadcasting regulator, holds the right to name all nine of its board members.
After periods of state control and heavy censorship under the military governments, Korea experienced a stretch of freedom and rapid growth after the country’s democratization in 1987.
Whereas in 1980 there were only 28 national newspapers, there are now more than 100 serving the public in Korean and English. The television market is marked for its vibrancy and diversity, with numerous terrestrial, cable and satellite stations and Internet broadcasters.