On the afternoon of the 8th, an editorial committee meeting was held at the Hankyoreh Newspaper in Mapo-gu, Seoul. By Lee Jung-ah, staff reporter
Before and after the first COVID-19 vaccination on the 26th of last month, numerous media reports followed. Hopes for the end of the pandemic and concerns about the vaccine were mixed, and reports of adverse reactions continued after vaccination. At a meeting held in the conference room of the Hankyoreh Newspaper in Gongdeok-dong, Seoul on the 8th at 4 pm, members of the 9th edition of the editorial committee pointed out what the news was like in the flood of vaccine reports. At the meeting, citizen editor Kim Min-jung and open editor-in-chief (Professor of the Department of Media and Communication at Hankuk University of Foreign Studies), member Kim Gyeong-mi (CEO of Shadow Cabinet), member Kim Jun-beom (Vice President Halla Holdings), member Lim Ja-woon (attorney at law firm Jidam), and member Hong Yun-hee (disabled mobility rights content) Chairman of the cooperative Muui) and member Hwang Se-won (CEO of Ilin Research Institute) participated. At the Hankyoreh, Lee Bong-Hyun, Director of Journalism Affairs Office, Kim Young-hee, Deputy Director General, and Jung Hwan-Bong Communication Desk were together.
Minjung Kim The topic we will focus on today is vaccine reporting. The basic role of the media in vaccine reporting is to deliver accurate information on the efficacy and type of vaccine and the progress after vaccination. The media is playing an important role in resolving public anxiety by carefully clarifying whether the death is related to the vaccine, rather than simply saying’there was a dead person’ about adverse reactions after vaccination. It is evaluated that the Hankyoreh has been performing such a basic role without difficulty in a large framework. Unlike other media, it carefully and clearly discloses adverse reactions such as’there was a case with an underlying disease’ and’the direct relationship with the vaccine has not been revealed’. Nevertheless, there are also some regrets. On March 2, there was a column titled’The Anti-Enlightenment of Mok Soo-jeong’ by Dr. Woo-Jae Kim. It was a column criticizing the author Mok, who is active in France, raising suspicions about the vaccine through SNS. And two days later, author Mok’s contradictory article was posted. It was a tone that it was unreasonable to impede efforts to reveal the exact substance and push it into conspiracy theories. It’s just to guarantee the right to object, but I think this can be dangerous. In situations of high vaccination anxiety, whether it was appropriate and valid to publish this article, or whether it was necessary to clarify the Hankyoreh’s position while posting the article, or to point out how reasonable the claim was.
Hwang Se-won Readers are bound to wonder how safe the vaccine is. Although the Hankyoreh did not report to verify this, there is a regret that it was not able to actively answer readers’ curiosity, such as articles discussing different opinions. Reporters may ask a lot of experts or the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in detail. In fact, I thought it was a little colorless and odorless when it came to vaccine reporting. I don’t know if there was an author Mok’s contribution after this in-depth report, but it didn’t look good to see the thoughts coming and going from the opinion side.
Kim Kyung-mi There is some concern about Mok’s perspective, but it is regrettable that it ended without a follow-up article to verify this. I hope to clear up the related controversy and move on, but it feels like I left it to the two. So I think it’s a pity that there is still debate and the only way to judge yourself while watching the discussions at SNS remains.
Jawoon Im The media should do the gatekeeping as to which opinions will be put on the public debate. Because it is a column, it is not a part that can be backed down by claiming that it is’different from our position’. That’s a very irresponsible act. Of course, I don’t think the Hankyoreh has taken that attitude. However, if so, the readers think that the value of the suspicion raised by Mok was judged by the Hankyoreh as a subject to debate. If it was such a judgment, it would be very dangerous. The moment it is posted as an opinion on the forums of public debate, it can be criticized for failing to properly consider the possibility of creating a dangerous situation by arousing distrust and excessive suspicion about policy decisions that should be trusted and cooperated under earnest aspirations.
Yoonhee Hong Most agree with the preceding statements. Last year, not only vaccines but also Corona 19 became politically contested, and in the United States (NPR, US public radio broadcast), reporters specialized in science and reporters specialized in history came together to release a number of investigation reports. Gee regularly received contributions from renowned scholars such as Michael Osterhome (Director of the Center for Infectious Disease Research and Policy at the University of Minnesota in the U.S.), and presented a number of highly accurate and unbiased scientific opinions on the risk of COVID-19. In particular, I would like to apply strict standards when receiving medical and scientific articles.
Kim Kyung-mi When there is an unprecedented problem such as an infectious disease, it is necessary to solve this problem in the direction of creating a new system that we do not have without political strife, progress and repair. However, the Hankyoreh also reported a case in which the vaccine issue seemed to be linked to the presidential approval rating or lame duck. I don’t know if it is a report of the presidential approval rating based on the detailed analysis of how the government is responding to the vaccine, but it is regrettable that the report directly links the vaccine and the approval rate.
Joonbeom Kim As for the vaccine report, it seems that the scientific report is not working properly when dealing with the Corona 19 issue. The column criticizing Mok Soo-jung also did not contain scientific refutation. I wondered if there was a reason for the expression’anti-enlightenment’ in the title. If there is a problem with the opinion of the author of Mok, it would have been good if the opinion of a vaccine expert had been refuted. There are not many reports based on scientific knowledge, and the situation is misleading as people who are not experts in the field talk like experts.
Jawoon Im When the entire social crisis like Corona 19 comes, the media can have a clear direction to overcome this crisis as quickly and safely. I think this can be done as a member of society apart from journalism. In that respect, there is a wish that the Hankyoreh would be more desperate. It is true that the vaccine is uncertain. The stability is 100%, and none of the experts can say it. However, for now, we have decided that this is the best, and we have decided that vaccination is much better for the society as a whole, even if we endure uncertainty. However, there are too many media outlets that take advantage of that uncertainty. I expect the Hankyoreh to’fight’ rather than the’different’ Hankyoreh from the media.
Minjung Kim I think the Hankyoreh will be able to play an active role in improving the quality of response to Corona 19 in our society by fighting false information and the politicization of vaccines. Meanwhile, the government now has to provide medical services and vaccinations for quarantine and confirmed patients at the same time. In this situation, I would like the Hankyoreh to report in advance whether the quarantine authorities are preparing sufficient resources and resources, and what will happen to the plan afterwards. There were many articles on facts such as the vaccination status, and there were not enough articles giving directions on how we should endure until the point of formation of group immunity.
Yoonhee Hong Doctors say that if someone dies after vaccination, they must list the underlying disease in the title. If you say breaking news and write’A woman in her 60s, vaccinated and died’, it seems that she died because of the vaccine. The Hankyoreh compliments it because it seems to adhere to such basic principles.
Younghee Kim Regarding the adverse reaction article related to the Corona 19 vaccination, the editorial board has set a guideline to include information such as the underlying disease in the title. Overall, the principle of being cautious about the Corona 19 report from a year ago and putting safety first. They are talking from the inside to avoid stimulating expressions and words. Mok’s writing was published as a counter-argument, but the reporters in charge raised similar issues with the committee members. I sometimes feel that it is a very difficult problem to set the standard for gatekeeping in the public forum. There is always a temptation to expand the scope of debate through stories different from the ones from the Hankyoreh, but there are also topics that should not be approached. I will think more about how far to refute fake news and how to do it. It is part of such efforts that starting this week, we started a corner (back, right, right Q&A) where readers ask about vaccines and answer them.
Minjung Kim It was a month with many issues besides vaccines. After the Minister of Justice Park Bum-gye, there were also issues of prosecution personnel, Shin Hyun-soo’s resignation from Cheong Wa Dae Min Jeong, and Prosecutor General Yoon Seok-yeol’s resignation. There were various topics such as sports violence, entertainment school violence, and Coupang listing in the United States.
Hwang Se-won It was calm now, but at the time, only the prosecutor’s greetings and the civil affairs chief were spoken on the radio and the last episode. I thought it was something to deal with. Compared to that, the Hankyoreh was not at the level of pouring out articles, but it seems that it was an important report. It is difficult to judge whether it is correct for Min Jung to be involved in the prosecution’s personnel. The more fundamental question, however, is why this is happening. I thought that the officials had their own real affiliation. Min Jeong-suk wasn’t the place that was originally reserved for the prosecution, but it was like that. Former Chief Shin Hyun-soo is also a person appointed by the government. However, there was a question why this person would act as if his affiliation was the prosecutor’s office, and why he gave public office to such a person.
Jawoon Im I thought that much of the contents of the articles related to the prosecution’s personnel were criticized based on the atmosphere inside the prosecution. If there is a problem with the personnel of Minister Park Beom-gye, it would be good to point out the evaluation outside the prosecution, not inside the prosecution, and if there is a problem with the investigation behavior of Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office, Lee Seong-yoon, a specific problem that was objectively revealed.
Younghee Kim Regarding the issue of containing external perspectives, not all evaluations would be made on that day. However, it has been pointed out in various circumstances that the leadership of the Prosecutor’s Office is difficult to operate within the prosecution. As I conveyed such content, on the day of greetings on Sunday, it was insufficient to write the inner story as the center and to capture the outside perspective.
Minjung Kim There was also a lot of talk about Coupang listing on the US stock market.
Joonbeom Kim Unlike other newspapers, it seems that Coupang did a great job of checking out the issue by carefully checking the stock report issued for listing on the US stock market. What was regrettable was that Coupang was a company that was great enough to get the attention of the media. The Hankyoreh also pointed out that. Overall, unlike other media, I think they pointed out important points well.
Yoonhee Hong I thought that the reason the Hankyoreh looked closely at the Coupang Securities Report was because he was persistently digging into the Coupang labor issue. Can’t you see it only in the eyes of people you know? An Aiar (IR, corporate activity) expert said that the report came out because he was interested in seeing the Hankyoreh article. As issues such as coupang delivery worker labor will continue to be an issue, I see the Hankyoreh’s tenacious coverage very positively. So, I want to be able to see the part that is easy to miss in a big issue and see it with a new and accurate perspective.
Minjung Kim It was also impressive that 15 faces were featured on the occasion of Women’s Day. It is an attempt that has not been seen in other media. By Jung Hwan-bong, staff reporter [email protected], Transcript Seol Sun-jeong
Differentiated reports on Coupang’s listing in the United States stand out, and the editors of the 9th year of persistent pursuit of sexual harassment fairy tale authors recommended 15 of the contents produced by February 2021 as’good articles’. Among them, the article that the commissioners showed the most interest was ““Coupangitz delivery man, not a worker”… Coupang, government controversy over explicit controversy and’unveiled Coupang… It was an article related to Coupang’s listing on the US stock market, such as’American style of financing method, management, and corporate culture’. Kim Joon-beom, who recommended this article, said, “While other media were talking about differential voting rights, we analyzed the stock report and dealt with important issues from a different perspective. The issue of worker-related delivery workers also captured meaningful points.”
One. “Coupangitz delivery man, not a worker”… Controversy over Coupang’s government Other reporters from Taewoo Park, reporters from National Team, Joonyong Park, Reporter from Seon Dameun from Social Policy Team, Reporter from Park Sooji, Industry Team: “Coupang’s claim in the securities report that the Korean government decided that the delivery person was not a worker was nothing more than the result of a complaint filed with the local labor office. Well pointed out.” “The differentiated analysis of Coupang’s listing in the US was outstanding.” 2. Imprisoned for two years and six months in prison for’child molestation’, a fairy tale writer for’Seo Yeoni series’ Others, Choi Woori Climate Change Team Reporter Jury: “The reporter in charge of reporting the incident that was covered since the second half of 2018, even after moving the team, was outstanding.” 3. ‘After the Choi Sook-hyun incident’ Planning Reporter Junhee Lee’s Exploration Team Reporter Jury: “With reports that came out before the issue of violence in the volleyball world emerged, the chronic physical violence issue was well addressed.” 4. “Comprehensive considerations such as fiscal, growth rate and interest rate, etc. that only look at the national debt ratio”
Lee Jung-hoon Economic Team Reporter Judge: “While other media reported’financial balance’ as an absolute criterion in relation to disaster subsidies and small business support, we expanded the horizon of discussion by conveying the existence of a different perspective.” 5. One tent for’street youth’, never resting on New Year’s Day
Ha Eo-young, reporter review of Saturday Pan Team: “The situation of the street youth in the blind spot of the pandemic and the quarantine administration was delivered in detail, especially the difficulties of female youth.” By Jung Hwan-bong, staff reporter