Introduction of four briefing room cameras, will it be the first step towards media reform?

The relationship between politics and the media

Politics is the art of words, and the media is the mirror that records those words. However, if that mirror is often distorted and sometimes manipulated to show only part of the truth, how can we confront the reality? The decision of President Lee Jae-myung to add four additional cameras in the presidential briefing room is a modest yet important answer to this question. This is not just about changing the composition of the screen. It is a signal for reform that alters the functioning of the media and creates fractures in the way power communicates. Surprisingly, this initiative began with a comment from a citizen.

Unilateral Structure of Briefing

The presidential office briefing has long been a symbol of 'one-way communication.' The spokesperson reads a polished script, and even when questions follow, only the presenter is visible on screen. The reporters may be asking questions, but the public could not even see that. This structure ultimately omitted the context and authenticity of the reporter's questions and the reactions of those in power. The Q&A session became an optional appendix, and political communication was reduced to the level of 'reading a statement.' This structure inevitably weakened the role of the media. While the reporters were the ones observing the field, it was the edited video and transcripts that reconstructed that scene. The public could only encounter 'what was reported' rather than 'what had happened,' which was a structural trap that reduced the media to merely an information distribution channel.

Meaning of Additional Camera Installation

President Lee Jae-myung saw a comment left by a citizen and immediately instructed measures to be taken, stating that "it is meaningful." In addition to one fixed camera, four more will be added to live stream reporters' inquiries, the atmosphere at the scene, and the spokesperson's expressions. This is not just an expansion of equipment. By introducing diverse perspectives to the political stage, it is a systemic transition that increases both the transparency of power and the contextual delivery of the media. Reporters will no longer exist merely as "recorders." The attitude and flow of their questions will be captured on video, and the responses of those in power will be conveyed in an uncompressed manner. As a result, briefings will transform from a one-way information drop into a two-way public forum. For the first time, citizens will be able to witness that 'scene.'

Rebalancing Power and Media

The four cameras to be installed in the briefing room are not merely technical equipment they are devices that recalibrate the long-standing implicit balance of power between authority and the media. A representative case demonstrating this necessity was evident when Chief Spokesperson Kang Yu-jung faced public complaints from reporters early in her appointment due to her somewhat rapid speech. Some media interpreted this as 'lack of communication skills' or 'intentional information obstruction,' but in reality, it was almost the opposite. Spokesperson Kang came from outside and took a different approach to media engagement compared to past administrations. Rather than 'appropriate collusion' or 'unofficial background briefings' with the media, she prioritized open communication through official briefings. This approach confounded the press corps, which exerted pressure by demanding unofficial background materials and adjustments in speech speed, citing reasons like 'difficult for reporters to understand.' This scenario raises the question of who was trying to 'tame' whom. Rather, the analysis suggests that as Spokesperson Kang and the Lee Jae-myung administration sought to implement a transparent and new mode of communication with the media, the press corps, accustomed to existing practices and authority, reacted in resistance. While the media's role in monitoring power is central to democracy, it is not the case that power must accept the media's vested operational methods.

Direction and Philosophy of Media Reform

Many regimes talk about media reform. However, most of them have disguised 'media control' as reform. They have opened the door to censorship under the pretext of exerting pressure on critical media or preventing sensational reports. President Lee Jae-myung's approach is the exact opposite. It involves changing the structure to create conditions in which the media can report better without interference. It's about designing a system without controlling the media. The starting point is the four cameras in the briefing room. This is also an operational method already adopted by global political institutions such as the White House, the European Parliament, and the UN. A variety of perspectives constitute the briefing room, questions from journalists remain as 'public records', and the structure allows citizens to evaluate the situation directly. The maturity of democracy is revealed not by the freedom given to the media, but by the environment prepared for the media to function.

Conclusion and the Future of Media Reform

Policy begins with law, but reform starts with philosophy. The beginning of President Lee Jae-myung's media reform was not about coercion or restriction. It was a practice of listening to the opinions of a citizen and improving the flawed system in a way that 'reveals more.' The four cameras in the briefing room are not merely tools for press conferences. They symbolize the connection between transparent power, a living media, and an engaged public. To change the media, we must change the environment in which the media can exist, rather than changing the journalists themselves. The four perspectives that entered the briefing room show how the power in this country views its citizens. I hope that these perspectives continue to function as windows reflecting the truth, and that this marks the true starting point of media reform.