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The Korean Society for Journalism & Communication Studies (KSJCS)
[ Article ]
Korean Journal of Journalism & Communication Studies - Vol. 67, No. 6, pp.256-297
ISSN: 2586-7369 (Online)
Print publication date 31 Dec 2023
Received 12 Apr 2023 Accepted 22 Nov 2023 Revised 27 Nov 2023
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20879/kjjcs.2023.67.6.008

저인지(低認知) 과학저널리즘과 관행적 뉴스 담론 : 포항지진과 지열발전에 대한 보도를 중심으로

주재원** ; 김창욱***
**한동대학교 커뮤니케이션학부 부교수 jwjoo@handong.edu
***한동대학교 글로벌리더십학부 부교수 ricky147@handong.edu
Hypocognitive Science Journalism and Conventional News Discourse : Focusing on the Reports of the Pohang Earthquake and Geothermal Energy
Jaewon Joo** ; Changwook Kim***
**Associate Professor, School of Communication, Handong Global University, first author jwjoo@handong.edu
***Associate Professor of Sociology, Global Leadership School, Handong Global University, corresponding author ricky147@handong.edu

초록

2017년 11월 15일, 포항에서 지열발전소의 물주입에 의한 촉발 지진으로 진도 5.4의 지진이 발생했다. 포항지진 이전 한국사회는 지열발전소가 지진을 촉발할 수 있다는 위험성에 대해 심각하게 인지하지 못했다. 이 연구는 지열발전에 관한 한국 사회의 위험인지 부재를 ‘저인지(低認知, Hypocognition)’로 명명하고, 이 현상과 한국언론의 지열발전에 대한 관행적 뉴스 담론의 관계를 탐구하였다. 이를 위해 본 연구는 1957년 7월부터 2019년 12월까지 총 7개 주요 언론사들 - <경향신문>, <국민일보>, <동아일보>, <조선일보>, <한겨레>, <한국일보>, <매일경제> - 의 기사를 분석했다. 분석 결과 한국언론은 지열발전에 대한 논의가 장시간 지속적으로 축적되어 이루어지기보다, 지진이라는 센세이셔널한 이벤트를 중심으로 생산되는 과학저널리즘의 ‘사건 기사화’ 양상을 띄고 있었다. 또한 한국 과학저널리즘의 문제로 지적되어온 받아쓰기 보도 관행, 전문성을 결여한 과학저널리즘, 그리고 정파성에 근거한 보도 관행 역시 발견되었다. 이러한 관행적 뉴스담론은 지열발전이라는 과학기술에 대해 균형 잡힌 정보를 공중에게 제공하지 못했고, 이로 인해 지열발전에 대한 사회적 담론은 거의 부재했다. 이러한 분석에 따라 본 연구는 지열발전에 대한 한국의 과학저널리즘에는 ‘과학’도 ‘저널리즘’도 부재하다는 사실을 결론으로 제시하였다.

Abstract

A magnitude 5.4 earthquake triggered by a geothermal power plant occurred in Pohang city, South Korea in 2017. Before the earthquake, Pohang and Korean society were unaware of the risks associated with geothermal energy. Based on the concept of ‘hypocognition’, this study explores the relationship between this lack of risk perception at the social level and the conventional news discourse on geothermal energy in the Korean news media. This study analyzes news articles from seven major newspapers from July 1957 to December 2019 and shows that the Korean news media tends to report on geothermal energy by focusing on sensational events such as earthquakes rather than continuously discussing geothermal energy for a long period. Using a combination of media news frame analysis and critical discourse analysis, it is demonstrated that, prior to the Pohang earthquake, Korean media coverage on geothermal energy consisted of: 1) economic effectiveness of geothermal power as an alternative energy source (economy frame), 2) scientific and technological advantages of geothermal power and differences from existing energy sources (science and technology frame), 3) environmental sustainability of geothermal energy (environment frame), and 4) the way to develop geothermal power from an energy policy perspective (politics frame). However, after the Pohang earthquake, the Korean media's news frame on geothermal energy shifted toward the cause of the earthquake triggered by the geothermal power plant (science and technology frame), compensation for earthquake damages to citizens, and the controversy over who was responsible for the earthquake (politics frame). Due to this news frame shift, news reports emphasizing the economic benefits of geothermal energy as an alternative energy source, as well as its eco-friendliness, are decreasing. To put it simply, the Korean media discourse on geothermal energy changed from ‘geothermal energy as economic and eco-friendly science and technology’ to ‘geothermal energy as a problematic science technology that causes earthquakes and creates a political dispute regarding who is responsible for the earthquake’ before and after the Pohang earthquake. It is noteworthy that, prior to and even after the earthquake, media reports regarding geothermal energy still rarely include frames on ‘morality/ethics’, ‘scientific/technical uncertainty’, and ‘uncontrollability’ that can arise when certain sciences and technologies are introduced socially. It is doubtful that geothermal power plants could have been installed so easily in regions susceptible to earthquakes if these aspects of social discussion existed in the media frame. Accordingly, Korean society was in a ‘hypocognition’ state, in which the absence of systems of frames relating to the potential problems associated with geothermal energy, and the insufficient and biased reporting of geothermal energy by the Korean media, contributed greatly to this social hypocognition. In addition, this study illustrates that chronic journalistic malpractices in Korean science journalism, including ‘He said/She said journalism’, ‘science journalism lacking professionalism’, and ‘partisan reporting practices’, are also prevalent in geothermal energy reports. By analyzing media discourse as well as journalistic practices on reporting geothermal power, this research ultimately argues that there was neither ‘science’ nor ‘journalism’ in Korean science journalism.

Keywords:

Hypocognition, Geothermal Energy, Pohang Earthquake, Science Journalism, Journalistic Malpractice

키워드:

저인지, 지열발전, 포항지진, 과학저널리즘, 언론 관행

Acknowledgments

This study is based on a presentation that was delivered at the Korean Association For Communication And Information Studies (KACIS) Annual Conference in November 2022. This study was conducted with the support of the '11.15 Earthquake Geothermal Power Research Group' of Pohang, Gyeongsangbuk-do. We would like to thank Isaac Im and Minseon Shin for their assistance with the research(이 논문은 2022년 한국언론정보학회 가을철학술대회에서 발표한 발제문을 수정 및 보완한 결과물입니다. 본 연구는 경상북도 포항시 ‘11.15 지진 지열발전 공동연구단’의 지원을 받아 수행되었습니다. 연구 과정에서 도움을 준 임이삭, 신민선에게 감사를 전합니다).

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