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South Korea – (C7) The watchdog and the media’s mission statement

Score in short:

Mission statements exist, but a lack of resources prevents the prioritisation of such missions over routine news production.

Score in detail:

Some major news media have mission statements containing the watchdog role, and it is fair to say that even for others, there is a widespread understanding of this role. But there is a constant lack of time to invest in investigative journalism. There is a generational gap between millennials and their superiors. Younger journalists have stronger motivation and preference for conducting investigative journalism. A focus group interview in 2019 showed that younger journalists have a stronger demand for basic training on investigative journalism and advanced skills, partly due to the decline of the apprenticeship system in the newsroom and lack of opportunities for novice journalists to learn from their veteran colleagues. More experienced journalists, however, find the younger generation to be more resistant to their advice and consultation, suggesting that the generational gap may affect the quality of news reporting in the long run.