What would Obama have done over the reporting on leaked documents

During his term in office, former President Roh Moo-hyun published "Cheong Wa Dae Briefing," a newsletter of the presidential office. As the newsletter, which covered updates on the 2002 presidential election, enjoyed popularity, his administration published Cheong Wa Dae Briefing as a PR material, and which included explanations on policy and media commentaries. Presidential office correspondents would fret about it among themselves, saying, “Is the administration even running a media company?”

Pro-Republican media Fox News`s reports strongly reveal its hostility toward President Barack Obama. They sometimes include expressions seemingly cursing Obama. The Wall Street Journal, a conservative business daily, also frequently criticizes the administration, but the White House disregards such criticism, saying that they are a broadcaster and a newspaper with such characters. President Obama says that a president should be ready to endure acts of such magnitude. The White House spokesperson seeks "vengeance" against these media outlets by denying them a chance to ask questions at media briefings or blocking them from interviewing the president.

Reporters and senior staff of the Segye Times have been sued by the presidential office for defamation charges in connection with reports on documents leaked from the office of principled officialdom at the presidential office. It has become confusing whether leak of documents from the presidential office or the news outlet that obtained and reported on the documents is the problem here. The presidential office could request the media outlet to carry a correction, and seek arbitration from the Press Arbitration Commission. But instead, it submitted a written complaint to prosecution on the very day of reporting. The complaint was signed by eight presidential secretaries, but considering the president’s infuriation at a meeting of senior presidential secretaries, the president seems to have spearheaded the move.

This situation causes us to imagine what would have done, if it were President Obama. He would come to the press room, and apologize by saying that as chief executive, he feels sorry that such an absurd situation is happening, before pledging to get to the bottom of the suspicion. President Park mentioned “disorganizing of national order," and “punishing someone as a warning to others” regarding the documents involving Jeong Yoon-hoi on Monday. It does not look desirable to see the chief executive submit a compliant without hesitance to the public prosecutors’ office, saying, “Let’s resort to law to sort things out.” Of course, if the Segye Times carried a false report, it should take corresponding responsibility. Maintaining tensions between the presidential office and the media is desirable to both those in power and the media.