Getting digital: What is lost and what is gained when Korean public sector broadcasters go online
Reuters Institute Fellow's Paper
How do public service broadcasters adapt to the different expectations and possibilities for informed comment that their on-line services make available?
In this study, focusing on coverage of the introduction of the controversial THAAD missile defence system in Korea by two of the country’s PSBs, Jungmin Lee finds that correspondents and producers exploited the greater freedom offered by the on-line service to provide more balanced reports, sometimes undercutting the more pro-government line adopted by the more heavily supervised television bulletins.
She looks at the experience of other broadcasters who have explored taking a different tone or editorial treatment in their on-line service and, to avoid the danger of confusion between the two different types of service, suggests practical ways in which Korean PSBs could adapt their policies and procedures.
As with all Fellows’ research papers, any opinions expressed are those of the author and not of the Institute.
