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South Korea – (E3) Diversity of news formats

Score in short:

The popularity of smartphones to access news while on the move has contributed to the emergence of “card news” as a convenient, visualised news format. New and innovative formats of news presentation have started to take off, especially geared towards younger audiences who are used to the fast-paced and eclectic news available on social media platforms.

Score in detail:

A wide range of media is used to access news. The shift to news consumption on mobile devices has also affected the way news is organised and presented. While the more traditional news formats of straight news, features, and editorials in newspapers are still published, “card news” – or news presented in a series of “cards” – are also popular in South Korea. Card news presents information a piece at a time so that the reader can digest the news as they flip through cards on mobile devices.

From the news-making side, journalists from print and online newspapers, as well as those from news agencies, write straight news the most, writing up to 10.6 articles a week. Feature reports amount to 2.1 articles a week, with editorials or commentary amounting to a mere 0.4 articles. An average of 9.7 online articles were written per week per journalist.

In news broadcasts, it is typical for an evening news programme to cover numerous news items in a straight format rather than provide an in-depth report or commentary. Each news programme includes two to three in-depth issues reported by different reporters. In rare occasions of live coverage or feature reporting, the news announcer engages with the reporters to present information in greater detail. Other news programmes, like investigative pieces, dedicate extended time to track and report a single issue.