South Korea’s plan to fight fake news could hobble real journalism
The ruling party wants to make it easier for people to sue the media for “emotional distress”
WHEN LAWMAKERS from South Korea’s ruling Minjoo party discuss their plan to impose tougher penalties on the media for reporting “fake news”, they stress that they merely want to safeguard vulnerable citizens. “It’s the least we can do to protect the people from fake news,” one legislator told reporters earlier this month. “We have to remember that our people’s basic rights and freedoms are more important than the freedom of the press,” said another. The proposed changes to the Press Arbitration Act of 2011, the party argues, would improve the quality of reporting and increase the public’s trust in it.
This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “Off-target”
From the September 25th 2021 edition
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