"Yoo Si-min Alileo... 'Language of Agitation'"
"Kim Eo-jun News Factory... Only Airing What Listeners Like"
"MBC PD Notebook 'Yabawi'"
Former Dongyang University Professor Jin Joong-kwon (left) and Yoo Si-min, Chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation (right), engaged in a discussion on media reform and other topics during the 'JTBC New Year's Special Debate' on the 1st. Photo by JTBC
[Asia Economy Reporter Han Seung-gon] Former Dongyang University professor Jin Joong-kwon belittled the content of the YouTube channel 'Alileo,' hosted by Yoo Si-min, chairman of the Roh Moo-hyun Foundation, calling it "delusion," "incitement," and "fantasy." Jin also sharply criticized 'Kim Eo-jun's News Factory' and 'MBC PD Notebook,' saying, "They only broadcast what people want to hear," and "It's a scam." Yoo responded, "I will not comment."
On the 1st, Jin, Yoo, Lee Chang-hyun, professor at Kookmin University, and Jung Joon-hee, adjunct professor at Hanyang University, participated in a discussion on the 'JTBC New Year's Special Debate' hosted by JTBC Newsroom anchor Sohn Seok-hee.
When anchor Sohn asked, "Is the term 'giregi' (a derogatory term for journalists) justified?" referring to media reporting behavior, Yoo replied, "It's because the quality of reporting is too low. Readers feel hostility, thinking the media is unilaterally pouring out what they want to say."
Jin immediately rebutted. Referring to 'Alileo,' he said, "Alileo viewers create lists of journalists. They mark coordinates on those who work properly and attack them," pointing out, "They dig into journalists' families' personal information and criticize them as 'giregi.' Such personal information digging has become collective, organized, and routine."
He continued, "I was really shocked at the Seocho-dong rally. I saw a journalist reporting, but the crowd next to him was blocking the report, shouting 'Go away.' I was shocked," emphasizing, "Chairman Yoo bears considerable responsibility."
He also said, "During the Alileo broadcast, Kim Kyung-rok said that evidence destruction was appropriate, which I also thought. That part was cut from the actual broadcast," adding, "They said it was evidence preservation, not destruction. I thought it was a joke. Stop making these dad jokes."
Jin also said, "It's a kind of paranoia that the prosecution's search and seizure could distort evidence. This absurd claim is made to the public," warning, "The public believes Chairman Yoo's delusions as reality. The language he uses is that of incitement." He added, "I don't watch Alileo. I dislike fantasy works..."
In response, Yoo said, "If I respond immediately to such things, the debate will be ruined," and added, "With technological development, Korean media is facing an adaptation crisis."
He also said, "Usually, media includes newspapers, broadcasts, and magazines," and "You cannot diagnose the media based on what happens in new media. The purpose of today's debate is to look at the problems traditional media face, regardless of what happens in new media."
However, Jin criticized Yoo's recent statement on 'Alileo' that "It was an open-book exam, not a proxy exam," calling the prosecution's indictment "cute," saying, "By describing his son's proxy exam suspicion as an 'open-book exam,' he numbed the public's ethics."
He added, "I also have open-book exams at school, but parents do not come to watch. If that is allowed, students who studied hard under uneducated parents will have their share taken by students with well-off parents."
Regarding Jin's criticism, Yoo said, "Most of what we know are prosecution claims, but prosecution claims do not always contain factual truth," and added, "There is a difference between moral issues and when the state should exercise punishment. In the case of former Minister Cho Kuk, the prosecution's use of the media to create public opinion to frame him with guilt is too obvious."
Jin raised his voice against Kim Eo-jun's News Factory and MBC PD Notebook as well. Regarding News Factory, he cited the interview with Cho Min, saying, "They only broadcast what people want to hear. If it were a normal interview, they should have asked key questions, like where she did volunteer work or who the native-speaking professor was. They didn't ask those questions."
Regarding PD Notebook, he said, "They mentioned the probability of making an identical seal as one in several hundred thousand. For that to be meaningful, there should be an actual award certificate with the seal, but there isn't. It's a scam." Yoo responded, "I will not comment."
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