Rethinking Asian values in journalism: the case of the pressroom in the South Korean presidential office

Abstract

The present study explored how Asian values are reproduced in South Korean journalistic practices. In-depth interviews were conducted with journalists covering the Korean presidential office. The results revealed that Asian values prioritizing harmony, authority, national interests, and order influence the pressroom of the presidential office. The reporters run dozens of mobile messenger-based groups, called kumis, with fellow reporters to share information and jointly contact officials. This practice embodies an Asian value – in-group harmony, derived from Confucian communalism. The beat (areas covered by reporters) and pressroom system institutionalizes Asian values by allowing only registered reporters to access the presidential office. The president’s staff abuses off-the-records and embargoes, but the reporters accept them out of respect for the president’s authority. The reporters often make headlines on the president’s national security agenda. We also found the hybridity of Asian values and watchdogs in the Korean reporters’ practices. Partisan bias is a mediator determining whether to activate Asian values or watchdog roles. Asian values are in excess between ideologically homogenous reporters and presidents, while government watchdogs are stimulated between heterogeneous pairs. As press freedom grows in Asia, the model of blending Asian values with other journalistic attributes is likely to be found often.