.jpg/dims/resize/740/optimize) |
The latest "man-bites-dog" story is a Korea Times news article in Monday's newspaper reporting that a court has ruled that a piece of a broken credit card can be considered a lethal weapon.
This case involves a man, surnamed Kim, who was sentenced to 18 months in prison, but suspended for two years. "He was indicted for beating and choking a woman at her home in Seoul at 4:30 a.m. on Dec. 22 last year. He also broke his credit card in half and put it to her neck, threatening to kill her."
Most of the article focused on legal arguments about whether or not a credit card can be used as a weapon, and about other everyday items that can be used as weapons. Almost lost in the oddball report? Kim beat, choked and threatened to kill a woman.
Did the original story about beating and choking the woman make the news last December? As I wrote about the almarist report about MERS in Korea, more than 60 rapes are reported in a typical day in Korea, almost four people are killed every day. Monday's Korea Times had that page three story about a credit card being used as a weapon, but there were no stories about rapes, murders, or even about women getting choked and beaten.
It may matter to the lawyers, but is the credit card weapon "news," compared to other things happening in Korea? Those people who have silently suffered don't realize that they need media publicists to pitch their tragedies as oddball stories in order to get coverage. If I collect a bundle of Korea Times newspapers and drop them from the second floor onto the heads of editors and reporters as they walked by, then would the story be attempted murder or about newspapers falling out of the sky?
I'm not the only one to complain about the media, as if they cared. Media remains one of the few fields where 1) the customers are always wrong when they complain 2) the suppliers will proudly tell you that their customers don't understand. "If both sides attack you," some of the smart media people will say, "then you must be doing something right." But as I respond to reporters saying that: "It could still mean you are doing something wrong."
Reporters can dismiss complaints, but is there anyone, besides the criminal in charge of North Korea, who is satisfied with media coverage? Even those North Korean dictators aren't happy with the way outside media portrays them, I have heard that it is still illegal to watch foreign media there.
It is more than just "both sides" complaining. Black people complain about being stereotyped as hoodlums and rappers. Latinos complain they are portrayed as immigrant criminals. In American movies, Europeans are the bad guys with the bad accents trying to destroy the world (or at least, New York City). A man with a moustache or goatee is also up to no good. Exercise gurus, geeks, fat people, feminists, gay people, people who wear glasses, the elderly all complain about the media.
Business people are always cheating people and polluting the world for fun. Muslims complain that they are portrayed as terrorists. Short people complain they are ridiculed for being short. I bet that even terrorists and Klansman complain about the way they are portrayed in the media. Politicians complain they are portrayed as liars. Hahaha! Just kidding about that one, we know that one is true.
I have heard Korean men complain that Korean media portrays them as bumbling and hopeless, while women are portrayed as heroes. Worst of all, bald men are unfairly portrayed in many ways that wound my soul. At some point, the media can't dismiss the complaints when every group is complaining about the way it is portrayed. When both sides keep complaining about your bad smell, you may be doing something wrong.
Another reason I hate reporters: They often get easily verifiable facts wrong. I have been parts of numerous organizations that have been incorrectly reported about over the years. I have witnessed this so often that when I am profiled, I don't bother checking details. I enjoy the nice articles about me, but I make it clear: "That's the reporter's opinion." Reporters could write more accurate articles if they would send quotes to sources, to be checked in advance. A handful of reporters do that (notably, Jay Mathews of the Washington Post), but most reject that suggestion.
Most people hate the media, and for that, we should thank the media. They seek out strange "man-bites-dog" stories, get basic facts wrong, and don't report, for example, about a man choking a woman until they learn that he threatened her with the sharp part of a broken credit card.
The writer is the Director for International Relations at Freedom Factory Co.in Seoul. He can be reached at: CJL@post.harvard.edu.
![[INTERVIEW] Can art become stable investment source?](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/d9b4b117e5b74f4c931de724ebd2ee68.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Choi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi on creating Korean-style noir with 'Big Bet'](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/8b795a8f6b42492db4e8fdc47e9abd8d.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
![[INTERVIEW] Ahn Jae-hong on playing underdog basketball coach in 'Rebound'](https://img.koreatimes.co.kr/upload/thumbnailV2/fe381342632c46bfa6d3245cb475676e.jpg/dims/resize/178/optimize)
