US newspapers battle over NK coverage
By Kim Bo-eun
Top newspapers in the United States are arguing over the approach journalists should take on covering North Korea.
The New York Times published snippets of the reclusive state by photo journalist David Guttenfelder under the title "Illuminating North Korea" on June 10.
A week and a half later, a Wall Street Journal column titled "When Reportage Is Propaganda," by Bret Stephens, denounced Guttenfelder for his censored pictures, claiming they did not provide an accurate portrayal of the state.
Most of the photos were sketches of Pyongyang and its elite, from cityscapes and a swimsuit rack at a clothing store to children performing in recitals.
Stephens said there were no hints of widespread malnutrition and political prisons where torture prevails.
In his piece, Stephens said: "The truth that much of what passes for news reporting from closed societies is, if not worthless, compromised to the point that it should be prefaced with an editorial disclaimer: ‘Big Brother Is Reading This, Too.’”
"In making the regime seem almost normal, he invites us to forget what it is. Whatever that is, it isn't journalism."
Two days later, a piece by Anna Fifield _ The Washington Post's bureau chief in Tokyo _ asserted that any information about authoritarian regimes is better than none.
Referring to Stephens’ column, she said: "In the case of North Korea, we know so little about what happens there that every piece of information, no matter how small, can add meaningfully to our understanding."
She wrote of her experience as a Financial Times correspondent in Seoul, which enabled her to travel to Pyongyang several times, but how she had to be accompanied by a guide at all times. She said the restrictions placed on journalists were made clear in her reports.
Despite the censorship, Fifield claimed she was given the opportunity to speak to sources of various professions and fields and managed to publish stories such as the scarcity of electricity even in the most prestigious institutions.