Three Terrestrial Broadcasters Fined for Reporting on Controversial Recording File
The Broadcasting Subcommittee of the Korea Communications Standards Commission has imposed fines on three prominent broadcasters, namely Korea Broadcasting System (KBS), JTBC, and YTN. The fines were issued in response to their reporting on the controversial ‘Kim Man-bae and Shin Hak-rim recording file’.
The imposition of fines represents one of the most severe legal sanctions that can be imposed by the Korean Communications Standards Commission. In a meeting held by the Broadcasting Subcommittee, the production teams for Korea Broadcasting Corporation 1TV’s ‘News 9’, JTV’s ‘JTV Newsroom’, and YTN’s ‘Night with the News’, which were broadcasted on March 7th last year, had the opportunity to present their opinions. However, after careful consideration, the committee decided to proceed with the imposition of fines.
The decision, which comes as the first of its kind since the establishment of the Korean Communications Standards Commission, targets terrestrial broadcasting channels, comprehensive programming channels, and news channels. Notably, SBS’s ‘SBS8 News’ was not subject to any penalties as they did not directly use the controversial recording file for their news reporting.
Further steps in the sanctions process include administrative guidance, warnings, program modifications or suspensions, disciplinary actions against personnel, and even punishments. These steps will be determined in a comprehensive meeting attended by all nine members of the commission. At the meeting, which will take place on the 25th, the specific sanctions and the amount of fines for the three affected broadcasting companies will be finalized.
While the production team from the broadcasting company expressed their intention to maintain fairness and insisted that there was no intent to influence the election, three members of the ruling party, including Ryu Hee-rim, Chairman of the Defense Review Committee and Chairman of the Broadcasting Subcommittee, labelled the reports from these broadcasters as ‘fake news’. They emphasized that imposing the highest level of sanctions was inevitable.
It is worth noting that the opposition recommended the departure of members Kim Yu-jin and Ok Si-chan due to their strong opposition to the indiscriminate use of the term ‘fake news’ by the committee.
Correspondent Choi Seong-jin csj@hani.co.kr
On the 19th, the Broadcasting Subcommittee of the Korean Communications Standards Commission decided to impose fines on three terrestrial broadcasting channels, comprehensive programming channels, and news channels that quoted and reported the ‘Kim Man-bae and Shin Hak-rim recording file’. Hankyoreh file photo
On the 19th, the Broadcasting Discussion Subcommittee (Broadcasting Subcommittee) of the Korea Communications Standards Commission imposed fines on three broadcasters, including Korea Broadcasting System (KBS), JTBC, and YTN, for reporting on the recording ‘Kim Man-bae- Shin Hak-rim file’. I decided to do it. The imposition of a fine is one of the highest levels of legal sanctions that the National Defense Commission can impose. The Broadcasting Sub-Committee of the National Defense Commission held a meeting on this day to express the opinions of the production team on Korea Broadcasting Corporation 1TV’s ‘News 9’, JTV’s ‘JTV Newsroom’, and YTN’s ‘Night with the News’, broadcast on March 7. last year. After listening, it was decided to impose a fine. The opinion statement of the production team of the cultural broadcaster ‘News Desk’, which was due to take place in the sub-committee on this day, was once postponed due to the broadcaster’s request to confirm the data. Unlike these broadcasters, a no problem decision was made for SBS’s ‘SBS8 News’, which did not use the recording file directly for news. This is the first time since the launch of the National Defense Commission that it has decided to impose serious disciplinary actions against terrestrial broadcasters, general programming channels, and news channels of the so-called level. The decision of the review committee is divided into an administrative guidance step ‘opinion’ and ‘recommendation’, and the legal sanctions such as ‘warning’, ‘warning’, ‘program correction, modification, suspension or disciplinary action against personnel’, and ‘punishment’. Legal sanctions must be submitted to a full meeting attended by all nine members, rather than to each sub-committee consisting of five members of the negotiating committee, to be decided. Specific sanctions and the amount of the fines for the three broadcasting companies for which it was decided to impose fines in the Broadcasting Sub-Committee on this day are also to be finalized at the general meeting on the 25th. The production team of the broadcasting company that attended the meeting of the sub-committee on this day expressed the opinion, “We tried to keep our own balance and there was no intention to influence the election.” However, three members of the ruling party, including Ryu Hee-rim, Chairman of the Defense Review Committee and Chairman of the Broadcasting Sub-Committee, defined the reports of these broadcasters identifying the recording files of Kim Man-bae and Shin Hak-rim as ‘fake news’ and he emphasized. that the highest level of sanctions is inevitable. The opposition recommended that members Kim Yu-jin and Ok Si-chan leave after protesting strongly against the debate body’s indiscriminate use of the term ‘fake news’. Correspondent Choi Seong-jin csj@hani.co.kr
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