[Lee Geun-hyung's Odok Odok] Journalism According to Son Seok-hee, and Memories of 'That Day'

Son Seok-hee's New Journalism Essay 'Scenes'
Includes Exclusive Stories from JTBC Era and His Departure Process

On January 2, 2020, Son Seok-hee, president of JTBC, is hosting the farewell broadcast of Newsroom. Photo by JTBC Newsroom capture

"Order: Remove the respondent, President Park Geun-hye, from office." On the morning of March 10, 2019, the Constitutional Court ruling on former President Park Geun-hye, now referred to as Ms. Park Geun-hye, was announced. At the beginning of this sentence, which is even more famous than Article 1 of the Constitution, there was undoubtedly JTBC Newsroom's report on Choi Soon-sil's (formerly Choi Seo-won) tablet PC. And at the center of it was Son Seok-hee, the president and anchor.

He released an essay titled Scenes 28 years after The Song of the Bunting. He said he chose the title himself. He explained that he wrote the book because "I had a strong desire to organize my thoughts somehow." He left the frontline of news after his last broadcast in January 2020. Last month, he departed for the United States, his first overseas correspondent assignment. Publishing a book reflecting on the path he has walked before returning to the field felt like a kind of declaration of intent, expressing his determination to continue protecting what he has upheld so far.

This book does not cover the entire history of journalist Son Seok-hee. As he stated in the preface, it mainly focuses on his activities as president and anchor after moving to JTBC and until stepping down from the anchor desk. When people think of JTBC Newsroom, the words that naturally come to mind are "Sewol Ferry" and "Tablet PC," and he gives the most weight to these two stories. Perhaps because they remain the most important events in his life and certainly in the history of Korean journalism.

The "Sewol Ferry incident" is a painful memory for the entire nation but especially an indelible and indispensable history for the media. It produced the fatal false report of "all rescued," and Son says that the erroneous reports at that time were the reason the term "giregi" (a derogatory term for journalists) became ingrained in the public consciousness. In the book, he emphasizes "agenda keeping," explaining that the media should not only set the agenda to present issues to society but must continue to maintain that agenda to make a positive contribution to society. The Sewol Ferry incident was the clearest example of agenda keeping he advocates. Despite overwhelming initial attention and coverage, the amount of reporting on the Sewol Ferry incident gradually decreased. However, Newsroom reporters stayed on site for about 500 days, often leading the broadcast with the story almost daily for the first 200 days. Because of this sincerity, many tips flowed to JTBC, creating a virtuous cycle that sustained Newsroom's Sewol Ferry coverage. Son later reflected that without the Sewol Ferry coverage, the Choi Soon-sil tablet PC report would not have been possible.

He is confident that "journalism in its original meaning" will remain even in the rapidly changing digital media era. This confidence is likely based on his experiences reporting on Sewol Ferry, the tablet PC, and the Me Too movement. He says, "Low-quality, blatantly political articles are flooding the market for free." He adds, "If you want to charge viewers or readers, you must produce articles worthy of that cost." This means a return to the essence of journalism, which is idealistic. But can it really happen? His reason for confidence is as follows: "How can I be so sure? If it doesn't happen, it means abandoning faith in a rational civil society. What follows would truly be darkness."

At the end of the first Newsroom anchor briefing after Park Geun-hye's impeachment ruling, he said, "Truth is simple and beautiful, and all that is needed is the courage to protect it." We wish him success as he embarks on a new start two years after leaving the field.

Scenes / Written by Son Seok-hee / Changbi / 18,500 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.