KBS reporters “We shied away from angry Sewol victims”

Some 40 reporters and cameramen from state-run broadcaster KBS voluntarily submitted a repentence note admitting their lack of professionalism in covering the Sewol ferry disaster.

By Ko Dong-hwan

Tens of KBS reporters submitted on their intranet server a collective self-critique reflecting on how they unprofessionally covered the Sewol fiasco.

Those with remorse were 40 reporters and cameramen employed by the state-run broadcaster in 2012 and 2013. Among them, 10 representing the group penned the afterthought.

One reporter confessed they made up reports without visiting the disaster site in Jindo. They feared families of victims might beat them out of angst, since headlong journalists eager to make their reports exclusive were once blamed by the public.

Another said they intentionally didn’t cover the pandemonium that erupted when President Park Geun-hye visited a Jindo indoor gymnasium to condole the families.

In replacing audio records from the president, they said they used computer graphics as fillers.

Another wrote he realized the 10kg equipment they carry on shoulders is why they pursue the truth and inform citizens.

The reporters suggested a roundtable discussion to evaluate KBS’s general coverage on the disaster so far. They also called on their editors to participate in.