I make it a policy not to fisk the people who write my paycheck, but as I was translating today’s Chosun special editorial (which was rhetorically quite beautiful, at least in Korean), I couldn’t help but be overcome with a sense of dread.
Not that the Chosun doesn’t have points to make, and I distrust state-owned media in general (especially when said media is run by a former editor of the Hankyoreh Shinmun), but all the talk of “social unity” and “public interest” — and state guidance of those broadcast companies that don’t conform — is just a little too, well, fascist for my tastes.
Besides, when the hell has the Chosun ever been politically neutral? Heck, I don’t think it’s possible to name a single print media source in Korea — be it hard-copy or Internet — that’s consistently impartial politically or, for that matter, responsible. Which is fine with me, BTW — gives me access to a wide spectrum of views, and the constant mudslinging, rumor mongering, and outright slander makes for some interesting reading/blogging. But if it’s good enough for the print media, why shouldn’t broadcast media (with the exception of state-owned KBS, which I’d prefer wasn’t connected to the state at all) be allowed to run buck-wild, too?
One Comment
Isn’t Hong great? I think only thing he’s good at is to big up his hole. If he keeps talking like that, chances are that he would become one of those bums and hit the street in the wake of April election.