Position Paper 3

 Digital Media Literacy

Many countries are not as lenient with journalism as the United States. “Under Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, everyone has the right to seek and receive news and express opinions” (CPJ). A majority of countries follow these principals and allow opinionated expression through journalism. Some countries, though, are the opposite and defy these international standards and ban or severely repress independent media and intimidate journalists with imprisonment threats, digital and physical surveillance, and other forms of harassment. The media serves as the representative for the country, so media laws are strict. In countries with strict media literacy policies foreign journalists are usually not permitted to enter, and when the select few can, they are closely monitored. There are repercussions against freelance journalists and actions are taken against these people. North Korea is an example of a country that has excessive controls on their media literacy. They are ranked last of the 180 countries ranked in the World Press Freedom Index. It is amongst the most strictly controlled in the world. The North Korean government prohibits the exercise of freedom of speech rights in coming in and out of the country. For example, the death of Kim Jong-il was not released until two days after his death. North Korea also has a history of releasing misleading information. Reports of Kim Jong-il looking positive in his community were also released during his reign, making it seem as though he was helping the workers in his country. These “positives” were released rather than the country’s economic hardships or famines. It was also clouded with information of “technological advancements as a result of the leader’s revolutionary thinking” (BBC). Their media literacy is so controlled that internet is still not readily available throughout the country and mobile phones were banned until 2008. Access to the internet is not available to citizens, but instead only a few trusted individuals and security agencies. Cell phones cannot make international calls. Cell phones are most obviously carefully controlled. Radio and TV sets in North Korea are supplied pre-tuned to government stations and radios must be checked and registered with the police. On top of that one radio station is wired into most residences and workplaces. The amount of control that the North Korean government possesses over its mass media is massive.

Their journalism is highly restrained. “Article 67 of the country’s constitution calls for freedom of the press, but nearly all the content of North Korea’s newspapers, periodicals, and broadcasters comes from the official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA)” (CPJ). The party-state owns the entirety of the press. Their journalism focuses around the political leadership’s statement and activities. This state-owned press devotes a massive amount of time and energy into preventing North Koreans from hearing alternative representations of events. They keep they news as North Korea based as possible. They manipulate the news to present Jim Jong Un in the most favorable light possible, without spoils from the outside world tarnishing his reputation. North Korea as well found a way around the new era of internet reportage. Their internet is restricted to a “handful of approved high-level officials and academics who have received state approval” (Foreign Policy). Social media is not an assistance to journalists because North Korea maintains its own official YouTube and Twitter handles. KCNA rarely reports on foreign news but reported extensively on their visit by President Donald Trump in June 2019. The majority of the outside information that North Korean citizens have access to is bootlegged foreign TV and radio signals and smuggled foreign DVDs. Authorities use radio signal blockers and advanced radio detection equipment to prevent information sharing. Listening to foreign radio or television broadcasts is a severely-punished crime and it is illegal even to own or possess a radio or television set capable of being tuned to any station other than the official North Korean media.  In September 2017 a court in North Korea sentenced two South Korean journalists and their publishers to death for “insulting the dignity of the country.”

It is not by desire of North Korean citizens that there is a lack of media literacy- Kim Jong-Un and his predecessors are to blame for the limited access. It is often debated whether or not the strict media literacy policy is a violation of human rights. North Korean citizens still find a way to access foreign movies, music, television shows, and radio. It is through these outlets that other countries are unconsciously helping North Koreans access outside information. Citizens caught with these outside forms of media risk punishment that range from a few months in a political prison camp to public execution. It is because these citizens risk their lives to find outside sources of entertainment that shows how controlling the North Korean government is with their media policies. Hearing outside sources discuss their country is often a shock to these citizens as they do not understand the depth of the situation their county is in. They not only learn about the realities of their own country though; they also learn about social normality in other countries through illegal media. It is hard to not take all of this information at face value, but this information must be taken with a grain of salt. Outside information about North Korea is often biased and North Korea’s lack of media literacy leads to a lack of knowledge about the country. The unfortunate truth is that it is often to look deeper into outside sourced speculations about North Korea from inside the country as Internet and resources are limited. In addition to that, media that portrays the immaculate lives of other countries should not be taken at face value. They obviously portray the good parts of the country and especially in movies, the lifestyles should not be taken to literally by North Korean citizens.

It is hard for outside help to aid North Korean citizens in expanding their media literacy as North Korea has a strict lock on their outside journalism. It is unsure whether North Korea will ever open its borders to foreign journalists for good, or even expand their media literacy. For now, North Korea remains around the top of the list for strictest media knowledge.