By Sah Dong-seok
Deputy Managing Editor

As the candlelit rallies that raged violently for more than two months have waned, the true picture of the Korean press has been acutely revealed. Most newspapers and television networks have twisted and distorted the facts while indulging themselves in factional interests.

Formerly, Korea's media outlets had also been the target of criticism for reporting extreme news frequently along the lines of their respective ideologies and favoritism. In particular, conservative newspapers such as the Chosun, Dong-a and JoongAng that had lashed out at the progressive Roh Moo-hyun administration made a 180-degree U-turn in the conservative Lee Myung-bak government, turning their faces away from the problems of the new government that took office in late February.

Conversely, progressive newspapers such as Kyunghyang and Hankyoreh have changed their hitherto friendly attitudes and began cursing criticism of the Lee administration, fanning confusion and instability. Their malignant intentions to give a hard time to the disagreeable new regime have been seen clearly.

What's most worrisome is that favoritism and factionalism of the Korean press are found easily in news reports as well as in editorials and commentaries. Of course, it is well known that the country's media outlets had dealt with news differently depending on their inclinations even before the latest candlelit vigil. Given advocacy and criticism are traditionally restricted to editorial and op-ed pages, the severity of the problem is serious.

News reports on overnight candlelit rallies the following morning were poles apart. While conservative dailies focused on protestors' violence, progressive ones ran big pictures showing combat police wielding shields against demonstrators. For this reason, the Korean press has been called advocacy journalism.

The three conservative newspapers made every effort to frustrate the Roh administration's policy to put the nation's chaotic newspaper market in order, enjoying their nearly combined 70 percent market share. As a result, readers' trust in newspapers has dipped year after year, reaching a point where it would be all but impossible to earn new subscriptions without gifts such as bicycles.

Progressive newspapers also demonstrated their horrific narrowness, bias and factionalism in the course of the candlelit vigils. Their incorrect reporting, capitalizing on people's uneasiness about American beef, played a key role in inflaming the protests. They vehemently asked the government to start renegotiations unconditionally, citing dubious people's voices, even though the possibility of renegotiating was already over with the conclusion of the government's additional negotiations.

The progressive dailies likened the beef import issue to the 1987 pro-democracy movement that put an end to decades of dictatorship, cursing the regime change they didn't want. Their impudence was vividly demonstrated through the ``BBK scandal'' in the December presidential election that involved then opposition candidate Lee Myung-bak in stock price manipulation. Lee was cleared of the charge after a pre-election prosecution probe.

Broadcasters were no exception. MBC's ``PD Notebook,'' which had played a crucial role in igniting the candle, allegedly came out with its controversial program to hurt the Lee administration that had pledged to privatize MBC and part of KBS, seemingly with the conclusion that ``American beef is mad cow meat.'' Given the latest revelations related to the program, MBC, one of the three nationwide networks, is suspected of a cover-up, distortion and mistranslation. KBS, along with MBC, also ignored protestors' unlawfulness and violence while focusing on an excessive police crackdown in their reports on candlelit vigils.

As the rallies turned violent, the principles of objectivity and equity in news reporting have been nowhere in sight. Most quotes in stories were filled with those favored by specific papers. People who remained neutral, let alone those who had opposing opinions, were excluded from the list of those being quoted. The factional newspapers made it a rule to allow space only for columnists who conform to their taste and ideology. Later, the opposing sides exchanged direct attacks among themselves.

The recent bias of the Korean press seems to have crossed its bearable limit, although securing complete objectivity is admittedly difficult to attain. In the midst of this confusion, however, such newspapers as the Hankook Ilbo have been received well, rejecting bias and favoritism and dealing with issues neutrally and objectively.

The future of the Korean press is doomed if the current structure in which media outlets serve to enlarge conflicts, rather than trying to resolve differences, persists. The Korean press will have nowhere to go should its trust be questioned, given the influence of traditional outlets such as newspapers and broadcasters is waning while the Internet is gaining momentum.

Objectivity is essential to problem solving in proportion to how the issue is important and the confrontation is tough. Now it's time to embrace the spirit of tolerance that envisions hearing different opinions, finding problems through discussions and striking solutions.

sahds@koreatimes.co.kr