The media is drawing attention to the selection of a member of the Korea Communications Standards Commission who deliberates on broadcasting. In particular, when the former KBS president Jeong Yeon-ju, who was a former reporter from the Dong-A Ilbo, was announced as the next chairman of the Korea Communications Standards Commission, conservative newspapers strongly opposed it. However, among the media’s criticisms, a disparate or inconsistent tone stands out.
Former President Jeong Yeon-joo deliberates on election broadcasting? Different from the truth
In an editorial on the 23rd, the Dong-A Ilbo said, “The fifth committee members deliberate on sensitive election reports such as the Seoul and Busan mayoral elections this year and the presidential elections next year.” “The chairman has wide discretion over what agendas will be posted in the deliberation and when. . At a time when the Korea Communications Commission’s fairness and neutrality are more important than ever, having President Jeong Jeon, who has caused a lot of controversy over the past narrow press and government-friendly broadcasting, is like an open declaration of renunciation of fairness.”
If you look at the Dong-A Ilbo’s editorial, it is understood as if former president Jeong Yeon-ju directly poses and deliberates on an election-related agenda. However, the basic facts are wrong.
In elections such as presidential elections, general elections, and by-elections, the Election Broadcasting Deliberation Committee, an independent organization, not the Korea Communications Deliberation Committee, reviews the overall election-related broadcasting. For the fairness of elections, the deliberation was made exclusively through a separate independent organization stipulated in the Public Official Election Act. The Election Broadcasting Deliberation Committee is usually formed 90 days before the election (60 days before the by-election).
Unlike the Korea Communications Standards Commission, in which the opposition parties recommend members at a ratio of 6:3, the Election Broadcasting Deliberation Committee recommends one member per bargaining organization for political parties. Other than this, members are recommended by the Central Election Commission, academia, broadcasters’ organizations, and broadcasters’ organizations. Some of the Election Broadcasting Deliberation Committee may criticize that the Korea Communications Commission is a more favorable environment for the ruling party to select a recommended organization, but the 5th committee members including former President Jeong Yeon-ju are not able to deliberate on the election.
Asking for’fairness’, when is the chairman of New Light Park Hyo-jong?
Conservative media also pointed out that the composition of the Korea Communications Commission was biased toward the ruling party. One of the representative examples is “The members of the opposition party have been six to three, and the National Guard has repeatedly imposed legal sanctions after accepting the purpose of complaints.”
Other press editorials also raised concerns about’fairness’. Munhwa Ilbo pointed out that “if the ruling party is taking control of the National Assembly as it is now, it is possible to form a whole side of power.” Maeil Economy said, “Basically, it is advantageous to the ruling party. Nevertheless, the passport is trying to place a person who has more pronounced pro-government tendencies on the Korea Communications Commission.” The Chosun Ilbo said, “The deliberation itself should be politically neutral and fair,” and criticized that “the attempting to form (deliberation committee) as a member of the Min Eon-ryon under Chairman Jeong Yeon-ju is to throw out’neutrality and fairness’.
The Korea Communications Standards Commission recommends three members each by the President, the National Assembly Speaker, and the Standing Committee in charge, but in reality, the ruling party recommended 6 members and the opposition party 3 members, and political controversy continued. The Munhwa Ilbo said that the ruling party is dominating the National Assembly, so it is possible to form a “one side of the government”, but it is not. Since its inception during the Lee Myung-bak administration, the Korea Communications Commission has been maintained in a 6:3 composition, regardless of the number of seats in the ruling party.
It is not only the’senior structure’ that started with the government in the past. Seoul National University Emeritus Professor Park Hyo-jong was appointed as the 3rd Chairman of the Korea Communications Commission. He was a New Light scholar from Park Geun-hye camp who called the 5/16 coup a’revolution’. However, these newspapers at the time did not publish editorials criticizing the appointment of Chairman Park Hyo-jong. In 2011, the Lee Myung-bak government appointed Park Man, a former public security prosecutor, as the chairman, which caused controversy. Both Park Hyo-jong and Park Man-man had no broadcasting expertise regardless of their bias.
The appointment of such members led to a’political deliberation’. △ KBS’Track 60 Minutes’ dealing with the suspicion of the Cheonan Ship Accident △ KBS’Track 60 Minutes’ dealing with the spy manipulation case of Seoul City officials △ CBS’Kim Mi-hwa’ criticizing the government’s livestock policy ‘News Show’ △ MBC’s’News Desk’, where President Park Geun-hye and artificial aircraft were placed side by side. These are cases in which it was clearly revealed that it was a’political deliberation’ after the KCC sanctions were canceled in the court.
Of course, the Moon Jae-in government’s deliberation is not free from controversy. There are criticisms that TV Chosun is too harsh, and there are points that the decision to delete information related to the President and First Lady related to Corona 19 is an excessive measure. However, there is a difference in degree in that the current government broadcaster’s deliberation sanctions have not been overturned in administrative litigation.
Beyond the criticism of Jeong Yeon-ju, consistent checks are needed
6:3 It is reasonable to point out that the structure of the Korea Communications Commission, which is a composition, has problems, and that it needs to be improved. Media Today, he pointed out several times that it is necessary to increase the share of recommendations from the opposition party to the Moon Jae-in government’s Communications Commission, or increase the share of recommendations from the judiciary and civil society.
But political interests are hindering productive discussions. At the time of the 19th National Assembly, the opposition Democratic Party members Choi Min-hee and Shin Shin-min proposed a bill to increase the number of members recommended by the opposition party. At the time of the 20th general election, the Democratic Party proposed “Reorganization of the Korea Communications Standards Commission to exclude political deliberation” as a pledge. The Saenuri Party (now the power of the people), which was the ruling party at the time, turned away from discussions. However, in the 21st National Assembly, the Democratic Party was in power, the Democratic Party is not discussing related issues. On the other hand, Congressman Chung Yong-gi proposed a bill to double the number of recommended members of the opposition party of the Korea Communications Commission. As such, there is a vicious circle in which the structure remains unchanged while leading the opposition party and becoming the ruling party silently.
[관련기사: 정치심의 바꾸겠다던 민주당 어디로 갔나]
[관련기사: 방통위 방통심의위 지배구조 수술대 올리자]
It is difficult for the media to keep pace with the offensive of the politicians, rather than taking the center of it, in a situation where the politicians are turning around according to their interests. If the conservative newspaper had contributed to changing the structure of the KCC by paying attention to Park Hyo-jong and Park Man in the past, the current concerns may not have been necessary. Therefore, if you really want a’fair deliberation’, criticism aimed at former president Jeong Yeon-ju shouldn’t be all. It is necessary to highlight the structural issues of the Korea Communications Commission that have been passed down from the last government to the current government, and discuss’improvement’ based on this.
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