Are those distorted statistics within wrong, biased assertions in Korean newspapers a bit similar to comments like, “South Korean newspapers are full of distorted statistics, racist comments, bias…”?

He says that the Korean media acts in X-fashion and then goes on to self-righteously declare how ashamed and horrified he’d be if such behavior was engaged in by an American media outlet. But the fact of the matter is, that when such behavior is actually committed by an American media outlet, we hear nary a peep. In case you haven’t picked up on it by now, what Mr. Hurt’s doing is spinning outrage and disingenuosness from what is in actuality smugness.

Fact of the matter, when you actually take the time to do a deep reading of BOTH American and Korean presses, your going to find that on the whole neither one is worse or better than the other.

And no, I have no personal bone to pick with Mr. Hurt. How could, I don’t even know him personally. You see, you’re making the same idiotic mistake as Mr. Hurt: just because somebody criticizes what you’ve written, however strongly, doesn’t mean that they have a personal beef with you. Furthermore, there’s nothing “unprofessional” about my criticisms of Mr. Hurt. You or he may not like them, but that hardly makes me “unprofessional”.

Given the position that he has so self-righteously proclaimed for himself, I think that now is the time for Mr. Hurt to put his money where his mouth is. Why? For any of you living in the States who get a subscription to the NYT, there was-albeit below the fold-on the front page, a story about how porn movies no longer have carefully written scripts or intricate plots but-surprise-a cornucopia of sex scenes!!

(Here’s the link: http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/08/business/media/08porn.html)

Now granted, this probably doesn’t reach to the level of bad taste exhibited by the Chosun with its photos of the school girls, but it’s still bad taste nonetheless, let alone “newsworthy”. In the week that we have a major military offensive occuring in Afghanistan, President Obama in Russia, and a G8 meeting, it befuddles me as why the so-called “Paper of Record” would put on its front page a story about the changing or now lack of storylines in adult films. Let me ask Mr. Hurt, do you think this is “newsworthy”? Are you not ashamed that the NYT would so shamelessly throw at its readers such sordid, smutty drivel?

Don’t get me wrong, I’m by no means acting Puritanical. In fact, I found the story to be a rather provocative and a delightful read. But my personal preference aren’t really the point. I’m merely using one of today’s NYT headlines to highlight the inanity of your logic: The very newspaper that you use to criticize another, turns out in fact to publish tawdry material that is equally of questionable “newsworthiness”.

In your quest to point to all the flaws and warts of the Korean media landscape, have you deluded yourself?

And for the 42nd time, no one is trying to break the law and “get away with it.” I also think that if they are guilty of breaking the law regarding private games, they should be punished for it. So, include me in your fictional “90%.” They themselves agree that if they are guilty of breaking laws regarding private gambling, they should be given the proper punishment, which is a fine.

What they are simply saying they broke the minor law of a PRIVATE gambling game, but did not the crime of running an underground gambling operation FOR PROFIT, which is a charge that the police and the media are pushing on them without any evidence in that direction.

I don’t know why people can’t see that very obvious distinction, and I don’t know why my reporting on it is somehow suspect or suspicious. In addition, they are being accused of being a drug distribution RING, which is also a baseless charge that comes from the police’s desire to look good in the media.

This a newsworthy story and a representative case of exaggeration by the media, and if their allegations are true, of police misconduct. I am really bewildered as to why so much ire is directed at me for simply reporting their side of the story.

HarGar, I don’t operate on the “good will” of your kind of vocal commenters. It’s not what motivates me to do these sites. And once this site gets its own momentum going, it’ll be just as self-sustaining and independent of me as Hub of Sparkle (which had to be cleared of haters and trolls just like this one will), as Fatmanseoul, and as successful as Feetmanseoul is among the Korean fashion community. More than gaining the “good will” of the most negative and vocal amongst you — you don’t really listen to what I say as much as react to the fact that they don’t like me personally — I make good content that speaks for itself. This site is off to a good start, and when it gets it’s own rhythm, other stories, and simply keeps documenting and getting the other side of the story out — no matter how unpopular it is or how much people don’t like the presenters — I hope it will be a force to get alternative narratives out there, to keep the Korean media in check, but short of that, at least make them more careful.

And with a little help and luck, it’ll succeed. The reactions of people like you, HarGar, who obviously aren’t even listening to the pertinent points, don’t matter to me. If you’re still stuck on the “do the crime, do the time” thing at THIS point in the debate, it’s obvious you haven’t been listening to anyone but yourself.

And last, if you don’t like me, or this site, then make something better. Please. I’m serious. If someone can make another positive force that helps fix this problem, I’m all for it. But my hunch is we won’t actually SEE anything come from you, HarGar, and in the end, are just a bystander who backseat drives and complains, but isn’t prepared to step up and actually DO anything.

Which is why I don’t listen to negative people like you.

90% or so of the K-bloggers I have read are all in agreement that the gamblers breaking the law should not expect to get away with it. And that this video is a pointless rant, and it should not represent them. I told Mike that he is burning up a lot of good will, and that pool of good will is drying up.

I am not trying to blow this out of proportion, troll, or cause a flame war. In my post (on smokehard), I quoted the following line of text from your above post:

“If you are a Chosun Ilbo photographer, you can publish bikini shots and upskirt photos of teenage girls, but if you’re a brown foreigner, it’s “sexual harrassment?” ”

I then said:

Ok, you say in the article (or was it at the one you linked at KoreaBeat) that in addition to the “brown foreigners” a couple of Koreans were arrested as well. The sentence is clearly sensational. It would have come off much better if the post had said “If you are a Chosun Ilbo photographer, you can……,but if you are a member of the general public, it’s sexual harassment.”

My comment on your flickr was sarcastic, yes. I know it isn’t an upskirt picture, but by the definition in the above post, it is. Again, in my post I said:

“By your definition of upskirt, you too are guilty of taking upskirt photographs, even though I don’t think they are upskirt photographs. The only difference is that you do not work for the Chosun Ilbo, your photos did not appear on their website, and the women you took photographs of were not in middle or high school.”

In your second last comment above, you said:

“did you even READ the other points in the article?”

Yes, I did, and I mentioned I didn’t disagree with them a number of times. I really would appreciate it if you would read what I have written before asking me if I have read what you have written.

I don’t really think there is more to say on this. I agree with what you are trying to say, I just don’t agree with some of the language you are choosing to convey your opinions.