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

Reporting a Black Hole: Access to the Worlds Most Closed Country

Reporting a Black Hole: Access to the Worlds Most Closed Country CCC6September 22nd 2014North Korea In 1945, Korea divided into two occupied zones, north occupied by Soviet Union, south by USIn 1948, two separate governments formed1950-1953 Korean War, ended by armistice but peace treaty never signedPopulation: 24 millionNothing to Envy by Barbara DemickPrimary sources: defectors Secondary sources: photographsnews articlesvideosWhat narrative techniques does Barbara Demick use? Context and historyComparisons to the familiarIntricate detailsForeshadowingFaade of Perfection Slips Occasionally in North Korea (NPR, Oct 2009)

AP In North KoreaOpened bureau January 2012There 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 cant think of another place in the world where that is the case. Jean Yoon, AP NK bureau chiefWe do work with the local news. Its quite amazing to be included in the local press corps with the local media, and to be invited to state press conferences alongside them. Its a real coup to be the first Western news organization there. Jean Yoon, AP Pyongyang bureau chiefDavid Guttenfelder: North Korea in widescreen

AP: a pact with the devil?Employing two journalists from KCNA state news agencyLack of transparency over MOUs with KCNAGovernment permission needed to travel outside the capitalCo-sponsored exhibition A Joint Exhibition by the AP and KCNA Marking 100 years Since the Birth of Kim Il Sung 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 city under choreographed conditions (Blogger Joshua Stanton) The price of access?On display at the exhibition under the theme True Picture of Korea are photos of undying revolutionary exploits PresidentKim Il Sung, leaderKim Jong Iland the dear respected Kim Jong Unperformed for the building of a thriving nation, peoples happiness, independent and peaceful reunification of Korea and global independence. Photos also deal with their revolutionary activities and great personalities. KCNA, March 16, 2012.

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

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

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 Paks say that after hearing of her sons relocation, she became despondent and wondered aloud if she would live or die if she returned to the North. Her daughter-in-laws 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 sons safety. (Washington Post)

Students at North Koreas premier university showed Googles 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)

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)

It might not get weirder than this

Questions for DiscussionWas 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?

WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 24thREADING: 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.

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