[Editorial] Most journalists agree with 'Newspaper Law'

Korean journalists are driving on bicycles calling for reforms in the press. Jeju/Yonhap News

According to a recent survey, a majority of Korean journalists agree with the basic purpose of the Newspaper Law, which was created to promote the social responsibility and diversity of newspapers. The survey was carried out by the Korea Press Foundation, which asked 311 newspaper, broadcast, and wire service journalists what they thought about the Newspaper Law and the Press Arbitration Law, which some commentators have been calling unconstitutional. Approximately three out of four agree with the clause that guarantees the independent authority of editors by defining editors as "persons responsible for editing" instead of "persons appointed by the publisher."

This was a survey of journalists, and it requires deep consideration, though not because journalists are the most objective, fair, and professional obesrvers. Rather, they know the realities of media better than most, and they would not feel pleased about the fact that their lives are monitored in accordance with the law if they didn’t agree with it.

Of particular note is the fact that a relatively high ratio of respondents agree with the principle of guaranteeing the editor the right to make independent decisions, as the respondents value not having to deal with outside pressure, such as from the government or advertisers. This support for the law also means that, currently, editorial decisions are not all that independent. Even at the Chosun Ilbo, one of the country’s three major conservative dailies, 46.7 percent of reporters agreed with the clause, and 33.3 percent were opposed to it. Their views differ greatly from those of newspapers’ majority shareholders, who are currently fighting to change the Newspaper Law.

It is safe to say that, once again, we see the reason newspaper owners are opposed to the law is because they want the freedom to do whatever they please, instead of to guarantee freedom of the press. This is further evidenced by the fact that the clauses they take issue with are ones regarding management. While it is clear that excessive legal interference on how newspapers are managed also risks restricting freedom of the press, a certain degree of regulation is essential in having the media carry out its social responsibilities. All the more so in Korea's situation, where some conservative newspapers dominate the market because they have so much capital.

Many people say that newspapers are in a state of crisis. At the center of the crisis is the fact that they are losing the public’s confidence. Conservative newspapers need to ask themselves why they have lost readers’ confidence and why a considerable number of their own journalists also believe in the need for editorial freedom and independence. If they want to get rid of the Newspaper Law, the best way to do that would be to follow media’s proper role.