Joint Statement by Ten Media Organizations Including the Journalists Association
Concerns Over Weakened Media Role in Monitoring and Checking Power
Support for Expanding Remedies for Citizen Harm
Media industry organizations, including the Korea Journalists Association, have called for the exclusion of reports on politicians, public officials, and large corporations from the scope of "punitive damages" under the proposed amendment to the Press Arbitration Act, which the government and ruling party aim to pass next month. Their concern is that the media's role and function of monitoring and checking those commonly referred to as people in power could be undermined.
On August 29, ten media industry organizations-including the Korea Journalists Association, National Union of Media Workers, Korea PD Association, Korea Broadcast Journalists Association, Korea Broadcast Engineers & Technicians Association, Korea Video Journalists Association, Korea Photojournalists Association, and Korea Video Editors Association-issued a joint statement, declaring, "The moment the media's function of monitoring and checking power is weakened, citizens' right to know and the health of democracy are also damaged."
These organizations also expressed "deep concern over the apparent revival of a proposal that would require the media to prove the truthfulness of their reports and whether there was intent or negligence." They added, "This poses a significant and immediate risk of undermining the media's watchdog and investigative reporting on abuses of power."
Previously, Jeong Cheongrae, leader of the Democratic Party of Korea, emphasized that the three broadcasting laws and the Press Arbitration Act are central to media reform, instructing the party's Special Committee on Media Reform, which was launched on August 14, to prioritize the passage of the Press Arbitration Act. He is also pushing for the bill to be passed at the plenary session on September 25, ahead of the Chuseok holiday. The core of the amendment is to allow claims for punitive damages in cases of malicious false reporting.
The media industry organizations expressed agreement with the direction of "strengthening the social responsibility of the media" and "expanding remedies for citizen harm." However, they raised concerns, stating, "It is questionable whether the punitive damages system will function solely as intended by the legislation." They warned, "If the law does not clearly define what constitutes 'malicious reporting,' any authority in the future could abuse it as a tool to suppress critical reporting that is inconvenient to them."
These organizations argued, "The Press Arbitration Act is not a bill that should be rushed through. If the purpose of the amendment is to protect citizens' rights and interests, a sophisticated design is essential to address concerns about 'restrictions on press freedom' and 'weakened oversight of power.'" They further proposed that "a set period should be established for politicians, the media, academia, and civil society to jointly and intensively review the amendment, in order to find a balance that protects citizens' rights while preventing abuse by those in power."
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