Virtual Foreign Bureaus and the New Ecology of International News Soomin Seo This dissertation in... more Virtual Foreign Bureaus and the New Ecology of International News Soomin Seo This dissertation investigates the phenomenon of the digitally native production of foreign and international news in Anglo-American media. The focus is on the news startups I am calling "virtual foreign bureaus" (VFBs), independent, professional and niche news outlets that carry out much of the reporting remotely. These news startups have increased in numbers and importance with the shutdowns of foreign bureaus in traditional news organizations. Using newsroom visits, interviews, and content analysis, I compare and contrast journalistic routines and norms of VFBs with those of traditional foreign correspondence. As organizations, VFBs are more networked and less hierarchal than traditional foreign bureaus. I find a different use of sources, with opensource Web databases, crowdsourced material, and social network sources taking precedence over traditional "human" sources, because the former are more accessible to VFBs and also seen as more verifiable than the latter. Despite these differences, I note an increasing convergence of the norms of VFBs and traditional foreign correspondence, working toward the creation of a hybrid professional identity. As organizations, VFBs are entrepreneurial, seeking to combine multiple funding streams to achieve financial independence and sustainability. They rely heavily on foundation grants and partnerships, but such relationships rarely constitute a sustainable business model. I argue that any meaningful solution to the financial woes of foreign reporting should include policy interventions and an infusion of public funds.
Based on interviews and newsroom visits, this study explores an epistemological hierarchy of sour... more Based on interviews and newsroom visits, this study explores an epistemological hierarchy of sources and sourcing channels that differs substantially from the norms of more traditional forms of journalism. Two niche outlets covering North Korea and Iran are chosen for analysis. Because these countries are notoriously hostile to foreign correspondents, trustworthy news is often difficult to come by. Journalists working for these new outlets prefer digital platforms to firsthand observation, arguing the former are more capable of fending off misinformation prevalent “on the ground.” Also, there is extensive global collaboration that takes advantage of distance and time differences in order to produce more credible news about Iran and North Korea. Without having to worry about getting their access revoked, journalists can focus on issues that they consider important. Findings are consistent with what journalists have long known: It can be advantageous to see things with the added persp...
ABSTRACT South Korea had a Watergate moment in 2016, when a corruption scandal led to an impeachm... more ABSTRACT South Korea had a Watergate moment in 2016, when a corruption scandal led to an impeachment of the president. Two media outlets in particular, the progressive newspaper Hankyoreh and JTBC, a TV station with roots in Samsung, first broke and then sensationalized the scandal that motivated the candlelight protests. Using textual analysis and oral history interviews, this article critically examines news institutions and journalistic culture to derive three main findings. First, the democracy movement of the 1980s provided institutional and cultural foundations. Second, commercial desires facilitated higher-quality journalism, rather than undermining it. The economic liberalization and the precarity of the economy as a whole influenced both the media industry at large and the specific business strategies that motivated JTBC. Third, there is an Americanization of journalistic norms and culture. While the two outlets were outnumbered by better-funded pro-government outlets, the duo ultimately prevailed with an irreverent culture of truth-seeking.
ABSTRACT Foreign correspondents are often required to work with government-appointed fixers or mi... more ABSTRACT Foreign correspondents are often required to work with government-appointed fixers or minders in authoritarian regimes. This article is a case study of these frequently overlooked journalistic workers in North Korea and the structure of surveillance and social control they work within. Interviews with foreign journalists show that many of these locals are much more than mere government spies. The competing desires Pyongyang has for its fixer-minders—to both control and woo the correspondents—and a news environment increasingly open to Western media have led to a further diversification of roles among these journalistic workers. While minders from the State Security Ministry surveil journalists without directly interacting with them, English-speaking locals who work as photographers or writers contribute by taking pictures and writing stories. Foreign correspondents gradually form collegial rapport with the locals, which in turn makes them suspect in the eyes of the North Korean state despite the impeccable ideological credentials that earned them the posts in the first place. This makes the locals “Marginal Men” (Park 1926), people who belong to multiple cultures that are at odds with each other, people who have “one foot in and one foot out of prison.”
How do traditional and new media outlets cover North Korea? This article analyzes content at NK N... more How do traditional and new media outlets cover North Korea? This article analyzes content at NK News – a US-based niche news site – and the AP in 2014. I look at the ‘softness’ and ‘hardness’ of content as well as thematic diversity. Methodologically, I use quantitative content analysis as well as in-depth interviews. I find the AP coverage to be softer in theme than NK News and also find more diversity of perspectives at the latter. Although the AP is one of only five international media outlets with Pyongyang bureaus, it was short-staffed, with most of the articles written by a single person in the capital. In contrast, NK News had 26 people writing from three continents, including people with expertise in diplomacy, the military, and technology. Despite the advantages of having physical presence in Pyongyang, AP coverage did little more than to cover just the basics, with stories limited to a handful of themes like sports and the arrests of Americans in North Korea.
ABSTRACT Using 55 oral history interviews from the corporate archives, this article illuminates t... more ABSTRACT Using 55 oral history interviews from the corporate archives, this article illuminates the group culture and identity of photographers at the Associated Press from the World War II through the Vietnam War era. The nature of the news agency made AP photographers an important interpretive community, with front-row access to news scenes like the two at the heart of this study: Vietnam and the White House. The photojournalists stood out for their blue-collar backgrounds and culture, which can be traced back to their roots as messengers and other non-reporting staffers. But the same working-class ethos manifested very differently in two very different beats. At the White House, the photographers used their “everyman” image to form intimate bonds with presidents, while at the same time risking undue deference to power. In contrast, photographers in Vietnam actively used their blue-collar credentials to escape bureaucratic conventions and expand the boundaries of photographic coverage, producing pictures that are among the most iconic of the twentieth century. While the difference in physical and organizational settings of Vietnam and the White House was significant, both cases demonstrate how the blue-collar identity of the photographers impacted their work routines and coverage.
Although North Korea is increasingly in the limelight of international news, a systematic review ... more Although North Korea is increasingly in the limelight of international news, a systematic review has yet to offer an accumulated body of knowledge regarding North Korea and its related communication scholarship. This study assesses the current state of research on media and communication in, around, and about North Korea from 2000 to June 2019. It examines a total of 85 research articles published in 57 journals. Overall, it finds an explosion in research after 2009. Findings reveal that research overwhelmingly deals with content analysis of Western media coverage, which indicates a strong influence of Cold War binaries. Findings also show that North Korea’s media environment has been moving toward more openness and better connectivity. Ultimately, this study finds a need for more comparative research to examine not only content, but also audience and producers—to include those inside North Korea, for which innovative, interdisciplinary approaches are called for.
Virtual Foreign Bureaus and the New Ecology of International News Soomin Seo This dissertation in... more Virtual Foreign Bureaus and the New Ecology of International News Soomin Seo This dissertation investigates the phenomenon of the digitally native production of foreign and international news in Anglo-American media. The focus is on the news startups I am calling "virtual foreign bureaus" (VFBs), independent, professional and niche news outlets that carry out much of the reporting remotely. These news startups have increased in numbers and importance with the shutdowns of foreign bureaus in traditional news organizations. Using newsroom visits, interviews, and content analysis, I compare and contrast journalistic routines and norms of VFBs with those of traditional foreign correspondence. As organizations, VFBs are more networked and less hierarchal than traditional foreign bureaus. I find a different use of sources, with opensource Web databases, crowdsourced material, and social network sources taking precedence over traditional "human" sources, because the former are more accessible to VFBs and also seen as more verifiable than the latter. Despite these differences, I note an increasing convergence of the norms of VFBs and traditional foreign correspondence, working toward the creation of a hybrid professional identity. As organizations, VFBs are entrepreneurial, seeking to combine multiple funding streams to achieve financial independence and sustainability. They rely heavily on foundation grants and partnerships, but such relationships rarely constitute a sustainable business model. I argue that any meaningful solution to the financial woes of foreign reporting should include policy interventions and an infusion of public funds.
Based on interviews and newsroom visits, this study explores an epistemological hierarchy of sour... more Based on interviews and newsroom visits, this study explores an epistemological hierarchy of sources and sourcing channels that differs substantially from the norms of more traditional forms of journalism. Two niche outlets covering North Korea and Iran are chosen for analysis. Because these countries are notoriously hostile to foreign correspondents, trustworthy news is often difficult to come by. Journalists working for these new outlets prefer digital platforms to firsthand observation, arguing the former are more capable of fending off misinformation prevalent “on the ground.” Also, there is extensive global collaboration that takes advantage of distance and time differences in order to produce more credible news about Iran and North Korea. Without having to worry about getting their access revoked, journalists can focus on issues that they consider important. Findings are consistent with what journalists have long known: It can be advantageous to see things with the added persp...
ABSTRACT South Korea had a Watergate moment in 2016, when a corruption scandal led to an impeachm... more ABSTRACT South Korea had a Watergate moment in 2016, when a corruption scandal led to an impeachment of the president. Two media outlets in particular, the progressive newspaper Hankyoreh and JTBC, a TV station with roots in Samsung, first broke and then sensationalized the scandal that motivated the candlelight protests. Using textual analysis and oral history interviews, this article critically examines news institutions and journalistic culture to derive three main findings. First, the democracy movement of the 1980s provided institutional and cultural foundations. Second, commercial desires facilitated higher-quality journalism, rather than undermining it. The economic liberalization and the precarity of the economy as a whole influenced both the media industry at large and the specific business strategies that motivated JTBC. Third, there is an Americanization of journalistic norms and culture. While the two outlets were outnumbered by better-funded pro-government outlets, the duo ultimately prevailed with an irreverent culture of truth-seeking.
ABSTRACT Foreign correspondents are often required to work with government-appointed fixers or mi... more ABSTRACT Foreign correspondents are often required to work with government-appointed fixers or minders in authoritarian regimes. This article is a case study of these frequently overlooked journalistic workers in North Korea and the structure of surveillance and social control they work within. Interviews with foreign journalists show that many of these locals are much more than mere government spies. The competing desires Pyongyang has for its fixer-minders—to both control and woo the correspondents—and a news environment increasingly open to Western media have led to a further diversification of roles among these journalistic workers. While minders from the State Security Ministry surveil journalists without directly interacting with them, English-speaking locals who work as photographers or writers contribute by taking pictures and writing stories. Foreign correspondents gradually form collegial rapport with the locals, which in turn makes them suspect in the eyes of the North Korean state despite the impeccable ideological credentials that earned them the posts in the first place. This makes the locals “Marginal Men” (Park 1926), people who belong to multiple cultures that are at odds with each other, people who have “one foot in and one foot out of prison.”
How do traditional and new media outlets cover North Korea? This article analyzes content at NK N... more How do traditional and new media outlets cover North Korea? This article analyzes content at NK News – a US-based niche news site – and the AP in 2014. I look at the ‘softness’ and ‘hardness’ of content as well as thematic diversity. Methodologically, I use quantitative content analysis as well as in-depth interviews. I find the AP coverage to be softer in theme than NK News and also find more diversity of perspectives at the latter. Although the AP is one of only five international media outlets with Pyongyang bureaus, it was short-staffed, with most of the articles written by a single person in the capital. In contrast, NK News had 26 people writing from three continents, including people with expertise in diplomacy, the military, and technology. Despite the advantages of having physical presence in Pyongyang, AP coverage did little more than to cover just the basics, with stories limited to a handful of themes like sports and the arrests of Americans in North Korea.
ABSTRACT Using 55 oral history interviews from the corporate archives, this article illuminates t... more ABSTRACT Using 55 oral history interviews from the corporate archives, this article illuminates the group culture and identity of photographers at the Associated Press from the World War II through the Vietnam War era. The nature of the news agency made AP photographers an important interpretive community, with front-row access to news scenes like the two at the heart of this study: Vietnam and the White House. The photojournalists stood out for their blue-collar backgrounds and culture, which can be traced back to their roots as messengers and other non-reporting staffers. But the same working-class ethos manifested very differently in two very different beats. At the White House, the photographers used their “everyman” image to form intimate bonds with presidents, while at the same time risking undue deference to power. In contrast, photographers in Vietnam actively used their blue-collar credentials to escape bureaucratic conventions and expand the boundaries of photographic coverage, producing pictures that are among the most iconic of the twentieth century. While the difference in physical and organizational settings of Vietnam and the White House was significant, both cases demonstrate how the blue-collar identity of the photographers impacted their work routines and coverage.
Although North Korea is increasingly in the limelight of international news, a systematic review ... more Although North Korea is increasingly in the limelight of international news, a systematic review has yet to offer an accumulated body of knowledge regarding North Korea and its related communication scholarship. This study assesses the current state of research on media and communication in, around, and about North Korea from 2000 to June 2019. It examines a total of 85 research articles published in 57 journals. Overall, it finds an explosion in research after 2009. Findings reveal that research overwhelmingly deals with content analysis of Western media coverage, which indicates a strong influence of Cold War binaries. Findings also show that North Korea’s media environment has been moving toward more openness and better connectivity. Ultimately, this study finds a need for more comparative research to examine not only content, but also audience and producers—to include those inside North Korea, for which innovative, interdisciplinary approaches are called for.
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