PREAMBLE
The press conveys facts to the public through print and media and makes public opinion. Thus, the press has a powerful influence on society. However, there have been various problems in the past with the press with great power. Typically, in 1960s military dictatorship in Korea, authorities and capitalists suppressed the press and information to reinforce and maintain their power. Under such condition where press freedom was being tramples upon, in March 1974 journalists at the Dong-A Ilbo recognized the need for collective unity and the union was formed by them. Following this, more than 180 journalists from the Dong-A Ilbo gathered on October 24, 1974, and announced the Declaration for the Practice of Free Press. In the declaration, the journalists declared that “the way to overcome the unprecedented difficulties facing our society today lies in the free activity of the press,” and that “the free press cannot be suppressed under any pretext and cannot be interfered with by anyone,” and that “we will not yield to any pressure against the free press and will make every effort to practice the free press, which is a basic requirement for the existence of a free democratic society.”
Today, although the importance of freedom of the press is well known, there are still places where freedom of speech is not protected and responsibility for this freedom is not taken. Accordingly, we, Tribune and Herald, hope to raise awareness of the problems of press freedom in society: the yellow press, gatekeeping, language power, use of euphemisms, excessive foreign press coverage, concealment of information, and absence of professional ethics for journalists. Therefore, we intend to raise awareness of the issue of free speech and bring about change by examining the problems of the modern press and writing a 'Declaration of Free Press Practice' that fits the modern situation.
<Society and education>
Article 1
- The press must maintain impartial and objective, fully aware of one’s occupational duties and prioritize factual coverage of the information concerned.
Article 2
- The press is obliged to identify information of public interest, enhancing the trustworthiness of cyberspace and to prevent the spread of disinformation through the process of rigid censorship.
<Language>
Article 3
- The press pays special attention to the prevention of the use of language by power as a primary tool for information control, and to this end, it solidifies the internal and external verification of the article's language.
Article 4
- Press must not use euphemistic language that diminishes or distorts the severity of a situation when writing articles. A regulatory organization shall be established to set clear standards for distortion, preventing discrepancies between countries.
<Press and media>
Article 5
- Journalists and news outlets should rigorously maintain fairness and objectivity in their gatekeeping and beware not to permit personal bias or external pressure to compromise the impartiality of their coverage.
Article 6
- Introduce a community rating system to evaluate the factuality and reliability of articles before they are published and make it mandatory for the public to see the assessments.
Article 7
- Provide certification marks to posts on social media that are accompanied by reliable sources or evidence to ensure the public has access to accurate information.
Article 8
- Everyone is entitled to the right to correct misled press activities and the derived production of unethical information which conflicts with the essence of objectivity and equity within the morals of press and journalism as well as to perceive the truth, and the right to contribute to a just press culture.
<International>
Article 9
- The press should strive to deliver fact-based, transparent, and fair information by balancing the proportion and content of foreign news coverage for each country and providing in-depth analysis and diverse perspectives.
Article 10
- The government should ensure the public's right to be informed of international issue reporting by agreeing to disclose information requested by civil society organizations and strengthen regulations against misinformation.
Tribune Kim Dowon, Kim Jihoo, Kim Soeun, Kim Soomin, Kim Sua, Kim Taeyeon, Kwon Seorim, Lee Nayeon, Lee Jua, Lee Yueun, Moon Daekwon, Shin Jiho, Shin Seohyun, Song Daeum, Youn Chanhee, Yun Seohyeon, Choi Yunseo
Herald Kim Hanbi, Na Eunkyung, Ryu Jihyo, Park Minseo, Park Iseo, Song Seoyeon, Oh Heeju, Yun Chaewon, Yi Seorin, Jang Minseo, Jeon Eugene, Chae Yuan