“The reporter doesn't even know what article he wrote”- Industry insiders share insight on toxic celebrity journalism metrics post Kim Sae-ron tragedy

On Monday, March 3, an article on the media insiders commenting on the recent death of Kim Sae-ron landed on the internet. Kim Sae-ron was a 24-year-old South Korean actress and model who died by su*cide on February 16, 2025. The article, released by Media Today's reporter Kim Ye-ri, talks about the existing toxicity of media journalism that affects the perspectives of celebrities taken in by the audience.

The article pointed out that Big Kinds, a news analysis system of the Korea Press Foundation, found out that the number of articles that were posted about Kim Sae-ron after she was charged with DUI in May 2022 was 1.5 times higher in around 80 news broadcasting stations.

These articles weren't just related to Kim Sae-ron's news but also used verbiage, phrases, and comments from the cyberbullying community that were molded to the supposed piece of information. The article also argued that several celebrities in the industry suffer from character assassination at the hands of the media.

However, the article's writer underlined that the individual reporter is not to be blamed but it is the production method and internal self-regulation of the entertainment industry that needs to be changed.

Additionally, the article points out the reward and punishment system in the major entertainment media outlets that continue to feed toxic reporting for the sake of portal views. According to an interview with a reporter (A) with 20 years of experience in the industry, departments like politics and society are strict about the number of views they get from the articles they publish.

Another reporter also commented that despite writing several articles, if the view-count isn't met, the job of a journalist becomes unstable. The third reporter, who also had long experience in the industry, stated that some entertainment magazines would even monitor an article's view count in real time and analyze how it works with the audience. The reporter further stated this,

"The media I work for doesn't put that much pressure on me, but in other media, when I go to production presentations or actor round-up interviews, articles come out during the event. As soon as the actor finishes speaking, the remarks covering his scandal are segmented and sent out in real time. In such a situation, the reporter doesn't even know what article he wrote."

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Industry insiders highlight the existing toxic media journalism qualities following Kim Sae-ron's death

On the topic of the reward and punishment system, the article highlighted how the industry evaluated a reporter's performance through the incentive system. The incentive was mostly based on the number of views he accumulated or the number of articles he was tagged to in a particular year.

Reporters who sat for an interview with Media Today stated the following about this issue following Kim Sae-ron's death. One reporter said,

"If you say that you get incentives by writing a lot of provocative articles, it becomes a culture that it's normal."

Another one expressed,

"A colleague reporter at another company said that during a salary negotiation, he was asked to explain the reason for the slump because the number of views was low during the vacation season. Reporters who stay in such places for a long time are 'gaslighted' so that they cannot think about 'Is this an issue that the media should cover?' It's an atmosphere where talking about reporting ethics itself is considered strange."

Another reporter also stated that at most times, the reporters tend to change according to the company's ideologies, which may or may not be toxic, to survive in the industry. Additionally, the Media Today article also talked about the legal issues behind the invasion of privacy that celebrities face.

The article argued that despite people's 'right to know', the number of reporting for views and monetary benefits have led to problematic articles being released. Additionally, the article also pointed out that celebrities can't always file lawsuits against these defamatory articles as it might tarnish their public image further amidst controversy.

The CEO of a major entertainment media outlet that received criticism for its report on Kim Sae-ron's death also talked about the ongoing issues in journalism. Here's what he said regarding how the company presented Kim Sae-ron's death:

“The media’s criticism was a timely and necessary point of view. Wouldn’t the readers be the ones who create that environment the most? When there are readers, there are parts that reporters have to write about, and sometimes they are criticized for this.”

One of the reporters also explained the increased importance of portals and forums.

"The portals are the ones who control the bread and butter of most entertainment media outlets, and in the current situation, the only ones who can sanction entertainment media outlets are the portals. Also, portals are the ones who make a lot of profit from the problematic articles that entertainment media outlets put out, so portals cannot be free from that responsibility."

The reporter claimed that the pressure to publish "exclusive" reports is causing insincere journalism in South Korea.