The most intense demonstrations in decades continue in South Korea, over

the issue of the safety of U.S. beef. And all of it due to a distortion in a TV

program produced by South Korea's public broadcaster.

JoongAng Ilbo, South Korea

Dong-A Ilbo, South Korea

Prosecutors Investigate TV Show Linking U.S. Beef and Mad Cow Disease

"Many things lead to downer cows. Mad cow disease is only one of them - and it's the least likely of all possible explanations. If PD Notebook would have mentioned how slim the chances of this happening are, it would have put things in context and most people would have approached the issue more rationally.”

--Jeong Ji-min, translator and editor for the program American Beef: Is It Really Free of Mad Cow Disease?

By Ser Myo-ja and staff

June 27, 2008

South Korea - JoongAng Ilbo - Original Article (English)

South Korea - Dong-A Ilbo - Original Article (English)

The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office yesterday launched a probe into the Ministry for Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Fisheries' claim that the Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation TV journal, PD Notebook, caused excessive public fear about American beef and mad cow disease with its April 29 episode.

[Editor's Note: Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation is South Korea's public broadcaster, and the largest of the nation's four major networks].

The task force is composed of four prosecutors and will be headed by senior prosecutor Lim Soo-bin. Lim has been exclusively in charge of food safety cases and he say's it's almost unprecedented to put four prosecutors on a single defamation case.

“Considering that PD Notebook’s report on U.S. beef has created such an uproar in society, it's necessary for us to verify the truth,” said an official at the prosecutors’ office.

The Korean Communications Standards Commission also announced Thursday that it will review the content of PD Notebook’s episode American Beef: Is It Really Free of Mad Cow Disease?” during its general meeting on July 1.

“We convened a subcommittee meeting on Tuesday to deliberate on the key issues of contention regarding PD Notebook, and make a ruling on the fairness and objectivity of the program at out general meeting,” a Commission official said.

Prosecutors have begun examining Internet message board postings by 26-year-old translator Jeong Ji-min and her interviews with media, including the JoongAng Ilbo.

Earlier this week, [producers] of MBC’s PD Diary blamed translators for mistakes that exaggerated the risk of the disease and helped trigger public anger over American beef imports. Jeong, who worked on the controversial April 29 broadcast, said she warned producers that their conclusions were "a stretch."

“What Jeong revealed about the production of the program is vital to our investigation,” a senior prosecution source said yesterday. Prosecutors have formed a five-person team to conduct the high-profile probe.

The Ministry for Agriculture, Food, Forestry and Fisheries has argued that PD Diary defamed its officials, who were responsible for the April deal with Washington to reopen the Korean market to American beef.

Yesterday, investigators examined the broadcast and other materials that provided the basis for the program.

Jeong, who was in charge of both editing and translating the episode, refuted the producers' claim on PD Notebook’s online message board. She said that the problem wasn't the translation but the producers' intention to distort the facts by linking downer cows with mad cow disease. [a downer cow is one that - for whatever reason - cannot walk ].

PD Notebook counter-refuted Jeong’s claim on its message board Thursday, saying that her argument is beyond reason. “Downing is a common symptom of mad cow disease. Downer cows seen on the program might have been suffering from other diseases, but now that they've been slaughtered, there's no way to tell whether they were infected with mad cow disease or not. Which is why 64,000 tons of beef, the largest amount ever, was recalled in the United States,” reads PD Notebook’s posting.

To this, Jeong again rebuked PD Notebook. Her reply reads, “I was convinced that relating (sick cows) with mad cow disease was improper, considering how Americans responded when previously aired video footage of a downer cow created such a stir in the United States. Many things lead to downer cows. Mad cow disease is only one of them - and it is the least likely of all possible explanations. If PD Notebook would have mentioned how slim the chances of this happening are, it would have put in context and most people would have approached the issue more rationally.”

PD Notebook also said, “During the program, we didn't specifically say that a downer cow is a cow with mad cow disease. We simply reported the possibility that a downer cow could be a cow with mad cow disease. When she took part in the translation at the end of April, Jeong may not have had knowledge about downer cows and mad cow disease.”

SOUTH KOREANS BATTLE RIOT POLICE ON JUNE 3

“We will listen carefully to the positions of PD Diary producers about their intentions and how they created the program,” the Prosecutor Office source said.

In PD Notebook’s June 24 episode dealing with the additional beef talks with the U.S. and the controversy over the prior broadcast, it was reported said that the content of its contentious April episode was essentially correct, although some of the translation was poorly done.

Jeong said, “Although the program didn't actually say that downer cows necessarily have mad cow disease, except when the host made a mistake, it should have been more careful about pointing out how unlikely it is for a downer cow to be infected with mad cow disease. Many viewers took PD Notebook’s report as more than slim possibility.”  

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

Finally, Jeong added that she very clearly asked two assistant writers to inform the producer of the show about the problem with associating downer cows with mad cow disease. She said that if the writers told the producer about the issue, he should have consulted with her.

[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US June 27, 12:29am]