[Opinion] Pressroom

The White House just finished renovations of its pressroom. The cost was 80 billion dollars. The White House pressroom, which is regarded as a hub of world news, first opened during President Nixon’s term. President Nixon had to resign from his post because of the press and, at that time, the press was considered to be abominable. President Nixon did not like the idea of the pressroom existing in the White House, and reporters interviewing White House officials and writing articles.

President Nixon renovated the swimming pool, which was constructed to cure former President Roosevelt’s polio, as a pressroom as well.

The White House pressroom is used for news briefings by White House representatives, and for press conferences for presidents. During regular briefing sessions, the representative and the reporters usually have an intense argument. After the briefing sessions were broadcast live starting from 1995, reporters started to ask sharper questions because they were aware of the camera. There were no questions that could not be asked since the questions were directly linked to the right of the public to get accurate information. Sam Donaldson, Sam Donaldson, a former ABC News White House correspondent, once said, “There is no bad question. There is only a bad answer.”

Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer had to go through wars with reporters from January 22, 2001 to July 14, 2003. However, on his last day as spokesman, he said, “In the 225 years of U.S. history, the fact that there is freedom of the press and a government that takes responsibility is what makes our country strong and free.”

When I read that the White House pressroom finished its renovations, one of the lawyers associations in Korea, named, “The Lawyers for Citizens,” made a petition about the “agenda for advanced reporting” The pressroom at Cheong Wa Dae is shutting down because of the president. He thinks that the pressroom is “a place where reporters stay all day goofing around to criticize the government” As a result, 5.5 billion won is being spent to coordinate and shut down the briefing room. I wonder if it is right to say that Korea is a free democracy where the people in power do not understand the freedom of the press.

Gwon Sun-taek, Editorial Writer, maypole@donga.com