On February 10, around 3 p.m., the MoU sent a PDF file entitled “North Korea executes Ri Yong Gil in early February” to local reporters via email, requesting reporters describe the source for the tip as an “(anonymous) North Korea expert,” the Hankyoreh and Kyunghyang Shinmun reported.
Soon, more than 100 articles related to Ri Yong Gil’s “execution” were published almost simultaneously by local media, spreading the news of Ri’s death based on the source they could not identify publicly at that time.
Rather than scrambling to be the first one to report a story – perhaps if South Korean media did a little vetting of sources – this wouldn’t happen so often.
Setnaffa
10 years ago
Anyone remember the iteawon NFL story on kimsoft? Of course they make up stuff.
@Guitard, it isn’t just the Korean media, few media sources in the US bother to check sources either in the quest to be “first” to report so called breaking news.
True to an extent, but the difference is that most large, reputable newspapers in the US are more careful about checking facts before they publish. Where as very few if any Korean newspapers worry about that. Furthermore, most US papers willingly print retractions when they are wrong. Korean newspapers treat retractions as a nuisance and wonder why anyone would care about something that is (three days later) old news already.
@Guitard, after Duke Lacrosse, George Zimmerman, gentle giants, etc. I have lost a lot of respect for US news media. You are right that the US media at least is good about retracting things, but by then the false stories become facts for many people who never see the retraction.
From the original article:
Rather than scrambling to be the first one to report a story – perhaps if South Korean media did a little vetting of sources – this wouldn’t happen so often.
Anyone remember the iteawon NFL story on kimsoft? Of course they make up stuff.
@Guitard, it isn’t just the Korean media, few media sources in the US bother to check sources either in the quest to be “first” to report so called breaking news.
True to an extent, but the difference is that most large, reputable newspapers in the US are more careful about checking facts before they publish. Where as very few if any Korean newspapers worry about that. Furthermore, most US papers willingly print retractions when they are wrong. Korean newspapers treat retractions as a nuisance and wonder why anyone would care about something that is (three days later) old news already.
@Guitard, after Duke Lacrosse, George Zimmerman, gentle giants, etc. I have lost a lot of respect for US news media. You are right that the US media at least is good about retracting things, but by then the false stories become facts for many people who never see the retraction.