MCOM 1003 - Carlin Whaley

 Carlin Whaley                                                                                                                                                    11/11/20                                                                                                                                                            Term 4 Paper

Legal Constraints and International Journalist

In several countries such as North Korea journalists are not offered freedom of the press like United States journalists often take for granted. The journalists in these countries are oppressed and often arrested for reporting information and events the government attempts to conceal. This is seen in attempting to censor both domestic and foreign media along with the use of propaganda to attempt to jade the view of foreign nations in the minds of North Korean citizens.  

In North Korea, the option to be open in the media is not even a consideration to these reporters. The North Korean government under Kim Jong Un’s rule has completely censored the media and requires their information to be taken from the central news source, Korean Central News Agency. During Kim Il Sung’s rule, he repressed voices against his rule by creating brutal prison camps and sudden disappearances; this was not only against the media but became a trend as North Korea has continued to inflict the horror this regime created. A United States journalist, Rupert Wingfield- Hayes, and his team traveled to North Korea to report on Pyongyang- the capital of North Korea. When they arrived they were poorly accommodated to and they were constantly surrounded by “minders.” When they attempted to board their plane to Beijing, Wingfield- Hayes was taken away from his team; he was interrogated and threatened with charges of “serious crimes.” He was unaware of his offenses and was told he had insulted the people of North Korea. His interrogation was interrupted by another BBC reporter but he was forced to apologize for his actions and was then expelled from North Korea after being forced to stay two more days in a hotel. This incidence shows that not only are domestic reporters forced to censor their media but foreigners are also punished and threatened for exposing the events that take place in North Korea’s government. According to Wingfield- Hayes, they act this way to preserve their reputation with foreigners.

Not only are they censoring information that is put out into society but they are also introducing biased media through releasing military propaganda against the United States; the North Korean government labels the United States as the “Imperial Enemy.” This propaganda is all the citizens of North Korea know which embeds a seed of hatred for other countries along with creating a molded vision of what is around them. I believe the act of censorship is just as horrific as the arrests, abuse and disappearances of news reporters and journalists that attempt to expose the true events that take place in their society. Otto Warmbier is the most known example of North Korean’s regime committing atrocious acts against foreigners for petty crimes. While he is not a journalist, I believe he is a valid example of how the North Korean government practices extended measures to protect their so highly valued reputation. Warmbier traveled to North Korean in 2016 on a budget tour of Pyongyang. During his stay, he allegedly attempted to steal a propaganda poster from his hotel. A grainy figure that was found on CCTV footage was identified as Warmbier; he was taken, interrogated, detained and tortured into a state that was repulsive to his parents among his arrival home because of his “hostile act.” In his trial, he was recorded to say his “pre-planned” act was led by the United States administration along with a local Methodist church and a Universities secret society; he expressed that the motivation of the alleged incident was to “harm the motivation and work-ethic of Korean people.” American news outlets are unable to determine the voluntariness of this confession and sincerity of the statement he made as his words did not match his lifestyle; for example, Warmbier was Jewish and was stealing for a Methodist church. Warmbier died soon after arrival home; his treatment gave way to discussion of war on emotional grounds. I believe that there have been many cases similar to Warmbier’s but due to the internet and the vast amount of exposure stemming from social media, this case had widespread coverage and exposed the nature of North Korean government’s actions against Americans who attempt to expose their media outlets.

I believe that social media has paved the way for the exposure of mistreatment of the press, this era blasts information and brings light to social injustices. Due to the creation of technology that is able to reach readers worldwide, journalists are able to air out the dirty laundry of those who attempt to conceal the truth. Realistically, social media will inevitably be the reason that dictators will be unable to continue concealing the truth from citizens of the countries that are constantly being lied to and shaded from the realistic nature of the world around them. While the media has the potential to be extremely helpful to societies that oppress journalists, many regimes are still attempting to control the information that reaches their citizens. This is seen in many places that are ruled by extreme dictators but two prime examples are seen in Hungary and Serbia;  eighty percent of Serbia's media outlets are owned by Serbian government allies. With the growth of digital technology, the ability to have information at your fingertips is more accessible now than it ever has been. This is becoming an issue for dictators attempting to censor their citizens. If media outlets are able to stray away from the rule of oppressive leaders it will be the most revolutionary and eye-opening event for the citizens of these countries as they will be exposed to truth and can began to think openly and freely, determining their position on the events they have been shielded from for so long. 

Journalists have been oppressed in foreign countries with oppressive rulers for a while; however, now that there are outlets for their mistreatment to be expressed- the reality of their lack of accommodation while bringing information to the public is being brought to light. There is potential for these situations to be put to rest with the introduction of widespread media and realization they are attempting to broaden our knowledge of events in our world.