공영방송 거버넌스와 보도 공정성

Abstract

The reporting fairness of public broadcasting is recognized as a mechanism of checks and balances in a democratic society. Nevertheless, there are many factors that make it difficult to maintain reporting fairness in terms of structure and operation in current public broadcasting governance. In analyzing these factors, this paper analyzed the characteristics of domestic media unions and problems caused by specific dispute behaviors, which have been overlooked in public broadcasting governance studies. First of all, from the structural aspect of public broadcasting governance, the paper considered negative impact of the identity of the media union, which is pursuing political power through a specific political color and union principles, on the implementation of reporting fairness, along with the structural problem of regular intervention of political forces through the right of appointment and dismissal. In particular, the paper examined how the issues in the area of social debate that should be balanced were reported with a tendency under the structure of the ‘progressive government - progressive management composed of ex-media union members - progressive media union under the Democratic Confederation of Trade Unions’. In the operational aspect of public broadcasting governance, the focus was on aspects where collective agreements between labor and management can put a burden on the realization of reporting fairness. Particularly, the paper saw that the fairness of public broadcasting reporting could be disturbed in that the possibility of conflict between labor and management may increase or the gatekeeper, who is a senior on duty, may become aware of the union due to the provisions of a collective bargaining agreement that allows subordinates on duty to engage with superior personnel and impose disciplinary punishment. This was considered to be a problem in the system of ‘conservative government - conservative management - progressive media union’. In this paper, looking at these problems as a result of broadcasting governance structure and operating system being tailored to the pursuit of hegemony between camps rather than the “checks and balances” principle, I explored the solutions. First of all, as a measure to improve governance in terms of structural aspects, as part of a plan to minimize the involvement of various political forces in the composition of public broadcasters’ boards, a legal mechanism to limit solidarity between the boards and political forces was proposed. In addition, I suggested the necessity of coordinating the identity of the media union as a governance agent in order to realize the fairness of public broadcasting reporting. As an operational improvement measure, I reviewed the institutional mechanism that protects journalists in the field who operate according to journalism principles and beliefs regardless of camp logic.