I like the fact that the Korean government is taking action against MBC for their fraudulent mad cow story, but I don’t know if throwing these guys in jail is the answer:

Prosecutors have arrested three producers and two writers who were involved in the production of MBC investigative journalism program “PD Notebook”’s episode on Mad Cow Disease.

Investigators also seized computers and documents from their homes.

Needless to say, the remaining producers, the media workers’ union, and civic groups are not happy.  [Marmot's Hole]

Click the link to see how Robert Koehler feels about this issue.   Tom Coyner from the Korean Economic Reader weighs in with his own thoughts on this issue as well:

The PDA Notebook prosecutions may be a bit much if journalism is simply another form of entertainment for the masses.

Albeit, much of journalism has in fact sunk to that level in the past two decades.  But if we are to aspire that journalism is meant to accurately inform and enlighten, then PD Notebook, etc. should — and must — be held to a higher standard than game shows.

Furthermore, if the PD Notebook producers knowingly lied to the public for political purposes, which whipped up mass hysteria, and in so doing damaged S Korea’s political and economic interests for the sake of a cynical political faction’s interests, I think we have some serious issues that need considered responses to discourage any group from repeating this kind of political stunt again.

Korea needs to raise its ethical standards of journalism, if only because in the long run it cannot afford not to do so.  Korea is too small of a country to engage in this kind of intramural activities as the world watches on with amusement and sometimes disgust.

It is one thing to face retribution for publishing the truth or even broadcasting errors, if done in good faith.  But this is a case of smear tactics taken to the national televised level, which was taken to be credible by the masses, without apparent sense of ethical responsibility by the producers.

As much I consider myself a staunch free speech advocate, I don’t think free expression rights cover cynical liars and slanderers.  As such, I hope the producers are prosecuted to the fullest if only to set an example for more responsible journalism, regardless of the subject or political slant of the coverage.

I think throwing these guys in jail will be interpreted as being politically motivated and make martyrs of these people instead of exposing them as the corrupt journalists that they are.  It would seem to me a defamation suit that exposed their lies followed by a hefty fine on MBC would have been sufficient to help deter other journalists from intentionally publishing out right lies instead of making martyrs of these guys.