Woor20
October 17th, 2004, 12:31 PM
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Gov't Media Bill Sparks Controversy over Press Freedom
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The Uri Party announced a media bill Friday that included provisions to limit the market percentages of major newspapers and to create a newspaper development fund under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to support a joint-newspaper delivery system.
According to the ruling party's "Law to Guarantee the Functions of Newspapers and Protect the Rights of Readers," the designation of monopolistic businesses as defined by the Fair Trade Commission -- 50 percent for one company, and 75 percent for the top three -- would be strengthened in the newspaper market to 30 percent for one paper and 60 percent for the top three. If these papers were to collude in pre-arranging prices, the Fair Trade Commission could hand down disciplinary measures like heavy fines.
The bill also calls for the formation of a newspaper development fund through government contributions to support newspaper distribution and Internet promotion. Newspaper companies deemed monopolistic would be excluded from support through the fund.
The bill would also ban newspaper companies from making forced subscription contracts or freely distributing the newspaper, and calls for fines to be placed on daily papers should over 50 percent of page space be taken up by advertisements. Moreover, newspapers would have to report their yearly circulations and accounting reports to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
It appears the bill was aimed at Korea's three largest newspapers, the Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo and Joongang Ilbo. It is unprecedented for the ruling party to launch an offensive through the law on several particular papers. The core of the bill is to artificially lower the market shares of major newspapers such as the Chosun Ilbo, while supporting Internet media and the remaining newspapers with country's money. That the ruling party took the Fair Trade Commission's designations of monopoly (i.e., 50 percent for one company, 75 percent for the top three) and lowered them to 30 percent/60 percent in the case of newspapers alone seems to have been calculated based on the current market shares of papers like the Chosun Ilbo.
The ruling party said it did this "to prevent the monopolization of public opinion." Given how the influence of broadcasting is growing relative to newspapers, however, the explanation that the ruling party was moving to prevent the monopolization of public opinion could be interpreted as being an excuse, the real reason for the bill being the "newspapers' tone critical of the administration." The three public broadcasting companies -- KBS, MBC, and SBS -- also monopolize their respective market, so one would have to apply these same standards to them as well. In the ruling party's broadcast reform bill, however, no such provisions could be found.
Lawyer Bak Jun-seok said, "The bill is unbalanced and an illegal violation of the freedom of the press. The excessive restrictions on market shares were figured according to the Fair Trade Commission's own tastes so they could target certain newspapers." Prof. Lee Jae-jin of Hanyang University's Journalism and Mass Communications Department said, "This groundless concept of preventing the monopolization of public opinion couldn’t answer why only the newspapers were restricted to 60 percent. Laws related to the media mustn't be aimed at certain media or take on a coercive character."
(englishnews@chosun.com )
Gov't Media Bill Sparks Controversy over Press Freedom
http://english.chosun.com/media/photo/news/200410/200410150033_00.jpg
The Uri Party announced a media bill Friday that included provisions to limit the market percentages of major newspapers and to create a newspaper development fund under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism to support a joint-newspaper delivery system.
According to the ruling party's "Law to Guarantee the Functions of Newspapers and Protect the Rights of Readers," the designation of monopolistic businesses as defined by the Fair Trade Commission -- 50 percent for one company, and 75 percent for the top three -- would be strengthened in the newspaper market to 30 percent for one paper and 60 percent for the top three. If these papers were to collude in pre-arranging prices, the Fair Trade Commission could hand down disciplinary measures like heavy fines.
The bill also calls for the formation of a newspaper development fund through government contributions to support newspaper distribution and Internet promotion. Newspaper companies deemed monopolistic would be excluded from support through the fund.
The bill would also ban newspaper companies from making forced subscription contracts or freely distributing the newspaper, and calls for fines to be placed on daily papers should over 50 percent of page space be taken up by advertisements. Moreover, newspapers would have to report their yearly circulations and accounting reports to the Ministry of Culture and Tourism.
It appears the bill was aimed at Korea's three largest newspapers, the Chosun Ilbo, Dong-A Ilbo and Joongang Ilbo. It is unprecedented for the ruling party to launch an offensive through the law on several particular papers. The core of the bill is to artificially lower the market shares of major newspapers such as the Chosun Ilbo, while supporting Internet media and the remaining newspapers with country's money. That the ruling party took the Fair Trade Commission's designations of monopoly (i.e., 50 percent for one company, 75 percent for the top three) and lowered them to 30 percent/60 percent in the case of newspapers alone seems to have been calculated based on the current market shares of papers like the Chosun Ilbo.
The ruling party said it did this "to prevent the monopolization of public opinion." Given how the influence of broadcasting is growing relative to newspapers, however, the explanation that the ruling party was moving to prevent the monopolization of public opinion could be interpreted as being an excuse, the real reason for the bill being the "newspapers' tone critical of the administration." The three public broadcasting companies -- KBS, MBC, and SBS -- also monopolize their respective market, so one would have to apply these same standards to them as well. In the ruling party's broadcast reform bill, however, no such provisions could be found.
Lawyer Bak Jun-seok said, "The bill is unbalanced and an illegal violation of the freedom of the press. The excessive restrictions on market shares were figured according to the Fair Trade Commission's own tastes so they could target certain newspapers." Prof. Lee Jae-jin of Hanyang University's Journalism and Mass Communications Department said, "This groundless concept of preventing the monopolization of public opinion couldn’t answer why only the newspapers were restricted to 60 percent. Laws related to the media mustn't be aimed at certain media or take on a coercive character."
(englishnews@chosun.com )