Reporting a Black Hole: Access to the World’s Most Closed Country

1. Reporting a Black Hole: Access to the World’s Most Closed Country CCC6 September 22nd 2014

2. North Korea • In 1945, Korea divided into two occupied zones, north occupied by Soviet Union, south by US • In 1948, two separate governments formed • 1950-1953 Korean War, ended by armistice but peace treaty never signed • Population: 24 million

3. Nothing to Envy by Barbara Demick Primary sources: defectors Secondary sources: photographs news articles videos

4. What narrative techniques does Barbara Demick use? Context and history Comparisons to the familiar Intricate details Foreshadowing

5. Façade of Perfection Slips Occasionally in North Korea (NPR, Oct 2009)

14. AP In North Korea • Opened bureau January 2012 • “There are very strict rules for foreign visitors in North Korea, which include journalists. The rules require all cellphones be left at the airport, and foreign visitors must be accompanied by a host at all times. I can’t think of another place in the world where that is the case.” • Jean Yoon, AP NK bureau chief

15. “We do work with the local news. It’s quite amazing to be included in the local press corps with the local media, and to be invited to state press conferences alongside them. It’s a real coup to be the first Western news organization there.” • Jean Yoon, AP Pyongyang bureau chief

16. David Guttenfelder: North Korea in widescreen

17. AP: “a pact with the devil”? • Employing two journalists from KCNA state news agency • Lack of transparency over MOUs with KCNA • Government permission needed to travel outside the capital • Co-sponsored exhibition “A Joint Exhibition by the AP and KCNA Marking 100 years Since the Birth of Kim Il Sung”

18. Criticism of AP reporting in Seoul “.. A conduit for chirpy, upbeat stories rather than real news” (Donald Kirk) “showing a minuscule elite in a privileged cityunder choreographed conditions” (Blogger Joshua Stanton)

19. The price of access? On display at the exhibition under the theme “True Picture of Korea” are photos of undying revolutionary exploits President Kim Il Sung, leader Kim Jong Il and the dear respected Kim Jong Un performed for the building of a thriving nation, people’s happiness, independent and peaceful reunification of Korea and global independence. Photos also deal with their revolutionary activities and great personalities. — KCNA, March 16, 2012.

20. “The content of this image has been digitally altered and does not accurately reflect the scene” AP July 15 2011

21. North Korean claims South Agents Tricked Her to Defect (Jun 29 2012)

22. “It was not possible to immediately verify whether Pak spoke on government orders or of her own volition, but her comments are in line with how NK has tried to rebut recent claims by rights activists and the US that it abuses repatriated defectors.” (Associated Press) • “Friends of Pak’s say that after hearing of her son’s relocation, she became despondent and wondered aloud if she would live or die if she returned to the North. Her daughter-in-law’s parents encouraged her to return, saying that it was the only way to restore their family. South Korean officials suggest that Pak could have been blackmailed by the North Korean government with a threat to her son’s safety.” (Washington Post)

23. Students at North Korea’s premier university showed Google’s executive chairman how they look for information online: They Google it. But surfing the Internet that way is the privilege of only a very few in North Korea, whose authoritarian government imposes strict limits on access to the World Wide Web. (AP Jan 2013)

24. “Looks great, right? All this activity, all those monitors. Probably 90 desks in the room, all manned, with an identical scene one floor up. One problem: No one was actually doing anything. A few scrolled or clicked, but the rest just stared. Of all the stops we made, the e-Potemkin Village was among the more unsettling. We knew nothing about what we were seeing, even as it was in front of us. Were they really students? Did our handlers honestly think we bought it? Did they even care? Photo op and tour completed, maybe they dismantled the whole set and went home.” (Sophie Schmidt Jan 2013)

25. It might not get weirder than this

26. Questions for Discussion Was the Associated Press right to set up a bureau in North Korea or do you agree with Joshua Stanton that the AP is being used as a government mouthpiece? When it comes to access to a country or to government officials, how do you weigh up the moral cost of cooperating with a hostile government? When does the cost of access become too steep?

27. WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 24th READING: Nothing to Envy ps90-159 ASSIGNMENT: Pick one unusual or surprising story that upends popular preconceptions of your country. It could be a profile of an unusual person, or a more upbeat piece, or even a series of photographs or a video about your country. Write a 300-word blogpost about the piece, describing the methods that journalist used to create a different perception of your country from the norm, and how successful they were.