MBC Needs to Acknowledge Its Mistakes

The MBC news program “PD Diary”, which broadcast the report on mad cow disease showing a staggering cow being dragged into a slaughterhouse and an American woman in her 20s said to have died from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease -- the human form of the bovine disease -- has been ordered by the Press Arbitration Commission to air a statement saying the two key points made by the program are untrue. The report spread fear among the Korean public that consuming American beef causes CJD and triggered nationwide protests against imports of U.S. beef. The commission said it is no evidence of mad cow disease if cattle stagger, while the U.S. Department of Agriculture announced the interim finding that the woman did not die from CJD.

“PD Diary”, which aired on April 29, consolidated the belief among Koreans both young and old that U.S. beef equals mad cow disease by showing horrific images and featuring shocking incidents for 10 straight minutes. The images broadcast by the program were fresh in the minds of people across the country who came out into the streets to take part in candlelight vigils. Now it turns out that the main points made by “PD Diary” were false.

The unscientific nature of “PD Diary” became a controversial topic immediately after the program was aired. Staggering and falling down, also known as “downer cow” symptoms, are not the main symptoms of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The symptoms can come from problems with metabolism, fractures, and weakness due to disease. But “PD Diary” inserted the caption “BSE-infected cow” as it showed a downer cow. Authorities are still investigating the cause of the woman’s death and interim findings showed the cause was not CJD, but “PD Diary” insisted it was the fatal human variant of mad cow disease that killed her. Another key claim made by the program was that Koreans were genetically more susceptible to CJD. But the scientist who conducted research on that subject denied that claim, saying it was difficult to state that a particular gene makes a person more prone to contracting CJD.

After it was cited numerous times for inaccuracy and was referred to the Press Arbitration Commission, “PD Diary” on May 13 belatedly and grudgingly acknowledged at the end of a follow-up program on U.S. beef that all downer cows were not infected with mad cow disease and aired the U.S. Agriculture Department’s announcement regarding the cause of the woman’s death. It’s as if MBC had virtually set the entire country on fire and was trying to hide the matches. Yet the network is refusing to abide by the decision of the commission, saying it had already aired the clarifications.

MBC must learn the basics of common sense -- to be able to acknowledge what it needs to and to know how to apologize for its mistakes.
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FROM THE MARMOT'S HOLE.........................................


In a great editorial in yesterday’s Chosun Ilbo, MBC and their PD Notebook was roundly criticized for basing their findings on false information for purely sensationalistic purposes.

Per the editorial:

The images broadcast by the program were fresh in the minds of people across the country who came out into the streets to take part in candlelight vigils. Now it turns out that the main points made by “PD [Notebook]” were false….

Staggering and falling down, also known as “downer cow” symptoms, are not the main symptoms of bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The symptoms can come from problems with metabolism, fractures, and weakness due to disease. But “PD [Notebook]” inserted the caption “BSE-infected cow” as it showed a downer cow….

After it was cited numerous times for inaccuracy and was referred to the Press Arbitration Commission, “PD [Notebook]” on May 13 belatedly and grudgingly acknowledged at the end of a follow-up program on U.S. beef that all downer cows were not infected with mad cow disease… It’s as if MBC had virtually set the entire country on fire and was trying to hide the matches.

(Emphasis mine) You can read the rest here.