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Postscript to Japanese Media Deception
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Migration and Multi-culturalism
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Japanese Media Deception
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The Truths
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Japanese Media Deception
: | January 12,2005
My father has a grab bag of aphorisms that he would pull out at appropriate junctures during the education of his children. “No such thing as can’t: won’t” is one that has always stuck.He was often wont to say, “Don’t believe everything you read in the newspaper.” Sure right about that. Americans have paid the price for the media passivity, and even deafening silence, on the real reasons for going to war in Iraq in the months leading up to that fateful invasion.
In Japan deception by the “major” newspaper media is institutionalized. Journalists from the major daily newspapers are assigned to kisha kurabu (journalists clubs), membership to which is denied to foreign journalists. Political journalists, for instance, operate from the Diet kisha kurabu and “cover” the political “news” of the day. They receive “briefings” from bureaucrats and the Chief Cabinet Secretary. If there is a story involving a particular minister and the night is chilly, they may be invited in by the Minister’s wife or his staff for a bowl of ocha-zuke and some chit chat. Bit like a pet really. Little wonder that the lead stories in the major morning newspapers often resemble term papers authored by one student and reworded by the rest to try to fool the teacher.
Don’t be mislead into thinking, however, that Japanese newspapers are not worth reading. They are repositories of factual information. Many stories on little known countries or regions around the world are accompanied by maps to place them in geographic context. Charts and graphs are often used to summarize the facts. Just don’t look to them for intellectual analysis or controversial reporting on THIS country. Scoops and breaking stories are left up to the “yellow press”, the myriad of weekly news magazines that weave fact with rumor but usually are the first to scent a big story in the making and bring it to print, so that the establishment media can then slide gently into the story without appearing to tread on any political feet.
The Asahi Shimbun, which our household subscribes to, offers a special bonus: a unique children’s version of the newspaper, that summarizes the news in simpler language and provides pronunciation glosses for the more difficult kanji (Chinese characters). This is a major stimulus for children to read regularly. And by the way, Japanese newspapers are still delivered to the door every morning and evening (each paper has both a morning and evening edition). A welcome quainticity.
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