04/07(Sun) 20:27

[Editorial] Paranoid About The Press?

On Sunday Roh Mu-hyun issued a handwritten announcement to explain his comments regarding the press. He claims that he made some "rambling, idle talk while having a drink," and one of the reporters went back to his newspaper with an exaggerated version of what he said, something about "closing down the Dong-A Ilbo," or nationalizing it, or forcing its president to resign. One of his opponents in the Millennium Democratic Party's presidential candidate selection process distorted, exaggerated, and abused his comments, and then a few newspapers made it all out to be a big deal indeed, to the point where they are reporting on the whole thing in a manner unbecoming of the true mission of the news media, wrote Roh. On Saturday he claimed that the Chosun Ilbo and Donga Ilbo were plotting against him because he has refused to change his stance on limiting individual stock ownership in newspapers, and even told the Chosun and Dong-A to "get your hands out of the MDP's candidate selection voting process!"

To begin with, Roh's claim that the accuracy of the information gathered by our reporters is somehow questionable at best is most unusual. On what basis is he able to one-sidedly degrade us? Something else that must be determined is the meaning of his inconsistent and vague use of language. On the one hand he uses terms like "fabrication," "baseless talk," and "I have no recollection whatsoever¡¦" but then turns around and says "I'm not 100% sure because I may have said something after a few drinks, and so I am hesitant, but I've said I never said such things because I've not thought such things," or that "Maybe I said something of the kind because I meant to say that it won't be our fault if the Donga can't pay its fines and has to close." He is a public figure who depends on alcohol to wander back and forth on the facts.

It looks like Roh had close to no choice but to issue a formal statement on Sunday, when it started to look like he really had "lied" as soon as some papers began reporting that he indeed had said something about closing the Donga Ilbo, after this was confirmed by reporters that had been present with Roh for dinner on the evening in question. This latest statement cannot be said to be a real clarification, however, as it is also one-sided and lacks clarity. The man at the center of these problematic comments is someone asking to be elected to the presidency, and so both Roh and the reporters present at the time will have to continue to respond to this national process of proving the facts about this most serious question that relates to the foundations of liberal democracy. How is it supposed to be possible for someone running for president to make such rash and unrefined statements?
Roh's press aide Yu Jong-pil has said he is "sorry" about the truly baseless claim made by his candidate that the Chosun Ilbo tried to get him to give up on his position on limiting individual stock ownership in news media companies. When someone says something utterly ridiculous only to use a surrogate to apologize, it is as if he is essentially saying "oops, never mind then." When he tells the Chosun and Donga to "get your hands out of the MDP's primary vote," does he mean them to stop covering it? Are we supposed to stop running stories and commentary on the whole process? If he thinks that the press is applying pressure by covering the news when it is just doing its job, then it means the press has no reason to exist.

The whole series of exchanges was something that started between Roh and his opponent. If he blames it on the papers that have reported it all, then he is trying to turn the truth on its head.

(April 8, 2002)

See our list of related articles titled "Press Under Siege."