Yoon Seok-yeol: "A Single Distorted Truth Article Should Establish a Powerful System That Can Bankrupt a Media Company"

Emphasis on Media Responsibility for Distortion and False Reporting
'Media Arbitration Act' Fails to Protect Sources

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Jun-yi, Jeonnam=Reporter Kwon Hyun-ji] Yoon Seok-yeol, the presidential candidate of the People Power Party, criticized the media environment in South Korea, emphasizing that "to solve the problem of false reporting, the burden of proof should be placed on journalists."

On the 12th, after boarding the 'Passion Train' and arriving at Suncheon Station, Candidate Yoon met with reporters and stated, "Unilateral self-regulation by the Broadcast Review Committee is not desirable."

He continued, "Media arbitration is a quasi-judicial procedure, and while firmly protecting freedom of the press and sources, definite responsibility must be imposed on articles that are not truthful, even if it takes time," adding, "Freedom of the press should be fully guaranteed, but if something is not true, an immediate apology and taking responsibility can resolve the issue. However, if the media persistently distort the truth and deeply hurt victims, the media company must be held accountable."

He elaborated, "If a strong system that can bankrupt an entire media company due to a single article infringing on individual rights and distorting the truth is established within our media infrastructure, then issues like fairness will not be a problem."

Candidate Yoon said, "In the United States, small local media companies often go bankrupt because of a single false article," and added, "Media companies and journalists must carry a heavy sense of responsibility when reporting."

However, he viewed the 'Media Arbitration Act' revision being promoted in the National Assembly critically. Yoon pointed out, "Under the evidence law, the burden of proof lies with the party claiming damages. If journalists are practically required to prove that their reports are not false, they would have to reveal their sources, but if source protection is not guaranteed, how can they investigate power corruption? And who would then provide tips to journalists?"

He also stated, "I think it is unbalanced to impose the 'punitive damages system,' which is not yet widely adopted in our country, exclusively on media companies," and added, "If a media company voluntarily admits its mistake and publishes a correction on the front page in the same size as the original article, reflecting the truth, that should be the proper approach."

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