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The Korea Times Proudly Admits Journalism is Not its Concern
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CentralCali



Joined: 17 May 2007

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:03 pm    Post subject: The Korea Times Proudly Admits Journalism is Not its Concern Reply with quote

Under the title of Setting the Record Straight, The Korea Times attacked foreigners who complained about its biased and xenophobic "coverage" of foreigners in Korea. Have a read and tell me if I've mis-stated the case, please.
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xingyiman



Joined: 12 Jan 2006

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:18 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Just like the Korea Times, circle the wagons and blame the foreigners for being isolated and mentally unstable. I wonder if the KT realizes that their defensive tone just makes them look more like they're trying to cover up something?
I would like to ask the editor why then was an article printed about Lee eun eung who stated that foreign teachers were "raping korean women at knifepoint" and the interviewer failed to ask Lee for specific numbers or the names of foreigners implicated in such crimes (crickets chirping)? This is only one example, another would be the law supposedly aimed at foreign pedophiles, which was born from the actions of a KOREAN pedophile. Correct me if I'm wrong but isn't that what editors do.....check facts and decide whether a story is newsworthy or is rife with inconsistencies?
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Fox



Joined: 04 Mar 2009

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:28 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I don't even read this newspaper, but after reading this article, they've convinced me that they're probably guilty of biased, anti-foreigner reporting to at least some extent. Pathetic attempts at justification like this don't get published unless there's something to justify. This segment in particular caused me to feel this way:

Quote:
Lastly, we think that some of the misunderstanding is caused by a sense of isolation felt by foreign readers living far from home and adapting to a new set of surroundings.


I seriously doubt anyone has ever read an article they would otherwise be comfortable with, and were upset by it purely because they were having trouble adapting to a new set of surroundings.
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CentralCali



Joined: 17 May 2007

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

xingyiman wrote:
I would like to ask the editor why then was an article printed about Lee eun eung who stated that foreign teachers were "raping korean women at knifepoint" and the interviewer failed to ask Lee for specific numbers or the names of foreigners implicated in such crimes (crickets chirping)?


That's the same reaction I get from their "reporting" on how the schools on the military bases have Korea students there illegally. Okay, so someone says that's the case. Now, practice some actual journalism and ask the following questions:
  • How many students are there illegally?
  • Are the Korean citizen students dependent family members and therefore legally attending?
  • How many of the Korean citizens have been adopted by US Servicemembers and how many of those adoptions are illegal?
  • What is the actual proof of the assertions made that there are students illegally attending those schools?


I really didn't think following journalistic ethics is as hard as it appears to be for The Korea Times reporters and editors.

Fox wrote:
I seriously doubt anyone has ever read an article they would otherwise be comfortable with, and were upset by it purely because they were having trouble adapting to a new set of surroundings.


And the editor didn't even clue into the fact that if his assertion is valid, then his reaction could be because he, along with other Koreans, are "having trouble adapting to a new set of" circumstances, that which includes over a million foreigners living in Korea.


Last edited by CentralCali on Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:37 pm; edited 1 time in total
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blackjack



Joined: 04 Jan 2006
Location: anyang

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:35 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

What's up with the email address? Kinda unprofessional

[email protected]
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Moldy Rutabaga



Joined: 01 Jul 2003
Location: Ansan, Korea

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:38 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Dear Korea Times: &#$% yourselves. Has it not occurred to you that the people who complain about your shoddy, xenophobic, sensationalistic, high-school "journalism" are your potential readership, and that getting on your high horse like this is a further slap in our faces?

What to do about the Korea Times?

Stop buying it.
Stop buying it.
Stop buying it.
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Fox



Joined: 04 Mar 2009

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:39 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

blackjack wrote:
What's up with the email address? Kinda unprofessional

[email protected]


I wondered that too.
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xingyiman



Joined: 12 Jan 2006

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:44 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I remember a few years back the Joongang daily used to be just as bad if not worse than the KT. Every day an article trashing male, foreign teachers was plastered across the front page. All of a sudden they changed.
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TheUrbanMyth



Joined: 28 Jan 2003
Location: Retired

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:13 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Moldy Rutabaga wrote:
Dear Korea Times: &#$% yourselves. Has it not occurred to you that the people who complain about your shoddy, xenophobic, sensationalistic, high-school "journalism" are your potential readership, and that getting on your high horse like this is a further slap in our faces?

What to do about the Korea Times?

Stop buying it.
Stop buying it.
Stop buying it.



Agree 100% with this. If just 1000 foreigners (who were regular customers) stopped buying it, that would be a hit of 700,000 won per issue they didn't pick up.
Assuming they buy around 100 issues per year that would be around 70 million won less in the Korean Times pockets.

I wonder how kindly the editors/owners would feel towards journalists who were responsible for this?
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peppermint



Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 8:31 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Times is an ESL rag, not a real paper- I thought everyone knew that? Lets face it, there aren't enough English speakers to merit two English language newspapers in Korea, and even if there were, those papers couldn't hope to compete against the IHT.

Their market isn't foreigners, it's Koreans who've had to learn English for business purposes, and are bitter about it- hence the bias.
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Eedoryeong



Joined: 10 Dec 2007
Location: Jeju

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 9:30 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

peppermint wrote:
Their market isn't foreigners, it's Koreans who've had to learn English for business purposes, and are bitter about it- hence the bias.


That's interesting. I always thought it was the opposite. Could you say a bit more about that?

e.g. if it's for Koreans learning English for business purposes, why wouldn't they just buy the Wall Street Journal or the Economist instead?
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Moldy Rutabaga



Joined: 01 Jul 2003
Location: Ansan, Korea

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 11:01 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As some have indicated indicated on a related thread, some of those KT buyers are our employers, for hogwan lounges or for school use. We can encourage them to buy a different paper, if they're the listening types.
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Easter Clark



Joined: 18 Nov 2007
Location: Hiding from Yie Eun-woong

PostPosted: Tue Dec 08, 2009 11:46 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Moldy Rutabaga wrote:
As some have indicated indicated on a related thread, some of those KT buyers are our employers, for hogwan lounges or for school use. We can encourage them to buy a different paper, if they're the listening types.


I just told my students not to buy KT because the English is horrible. If they want to improve their English, read a newspaper written by native speakers. It worked! Cool
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whome?



Joined: 13 Nov 2009

PostPosted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 1:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Eedoryeong wrote:
peppermint wrote:
Their market isn't foreigners, it's Koreans who've had to learn English for business purposes, and are bitter about it- hence the bias.


That's interesting. I always thought it was the opposite. Could you say a bit more about that?

e.g. if it's for Koreans learning English for business purposes, why wouldn't they just buy the Wall Street Journal or the Economist instead?


If someone is learning english the WSJ and the economist are WAY too difficult. WAY. Here's a few samples of a recent article about korea from the economist: public works porjetc, the president's critics scorn... as the product of the overblown ambition..., much-derided scheme, venturing into Cholla. There are many, many more, but you get the point. They need a hire level of exposure and comprehension. The Times, the Ilbo etc are normally at about the right level for learning.
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peppermint



Joined: 13 May 2003
Location: traversing the minefields of caddishness.

PostPosted: Wed Dec 09, 2009 5:03 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

The Times ( and the Herald- they've got the same market really) are written at about a third or fourth grade reading level, and the Economist is definitely not.
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