South Korean broadcasters were criticized for their breaking news coverage of the worst rainfall in 115 years in and around Seoul.
The record-breaking rain overnight caused hundreds of flood victims and put citizens in the capital area at risk on their commute after work. Roads and sidewalks in the capital area were flooded, causing some people to leave their cars on the road. Several cars and buses were stuck for hours on Seoul’s expressways in Gyeonggi Province due to traffic controls. Some regions of Seoul suffered blackouts.
Broadcasting companies aired breaking news programs late at night and streamed news live on their YouTube channels. Breaking news broadcasts by the country’s leading news companies about the rain recorded a viewing rate of 7.8%, 2.9% and 4.7% for KBS1, MBC and SKS, respectively. higher than any other television program in the time slot. YouTube channels broadcasting breaking news about the rains attracted thousands of viewers who wanted information about the flooding and how it affected their travel routes.
“There was not enough information during the breaking news coverage, such as what to do in an urgent situation like a power outage at home,” a 34-year-old resident who raises two told The Korea Herald children in Bundang, Gyeonggi Province.
Citizen complaints about the content of the coverage were shared on social media. A tweet on Twitter said: “Breaking news coverage repeatedly shows images of the flooding across the city, gathered by citizens. I wish I could see more tangible information like a safety manual or a map of specific flooded regions. What’s the point of a disaster broadcast?” The tweet was shared by more than 9,100 people as of Tuesday afternoon.
“I fell asleep last night after watching the breaking news coverage spinning on the major news companies but it was no use as they replayed similar flood footage over and over again,” said another tweet .
The rains will continue until Wednesday, according to the Meteorological Administration. The rainstorm dumped up to 141 millimeters of water per hour on parts of Seoul on Monday night.
By Park Yuna (yunapark@heraldcorp.com)
