Controversy Sparks Suspension of “Government Advertising Index

Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and Korea Press Foundation Suspend Use of “Government Advertising Index”

The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the Korea Press Foundation have decided to suspend the use of the “Government Advertising Index” starting from the 28th of this month. The decision comes in response to controversies over the appropriateness of segmentation criteria and a decrease in result reliability.

Background

The “Government Advertising Index” was introduced in 2022 and targeted print media, combining reader-centric effectiveness and reliability indicators. However, concerns have been raised regarding the appropriateness of segmentation criteria and the reliability of results in the reader survey.

Controversy over Manipulation of “Newspaper Readership” Statistics

The controversy surrounding the manipulation of “newspaper readership” statistics was discussed during the parliamentary audit in October. The ruling party claimed that there was statistical manipulation to adjust rankings, while the opposition party denied any manipulation during the special audit period. The discrepancies between the readership numbers of top-tier newspapers and progressive-leaning media outlets, despite a significant difference in readership, raised questions about the fairness of the rankings.

Suspension of the “Government Advertising Index”

As a result of the controversy and concerns raised, the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the Korea Press Foundation have decided to suspend the use of the “Government Advertising Index” to rank media outlets.

Ministry’s Aim for Transparent and Reliable Media Selection

The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism aims to support advertisers in making autonomous media choices while maintaining market trust. To ensure transparency and reliability in the media selection process, the ministry plans to continuously gather opinions and monitor the situation.

Conclusion

The suspension of the “Government Advertising Index” by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism and the Korea Press Foundation is a response to concerns about the appropriateness of evaluation criteria and a decrease in result reliability. The government’s practice of ranking media outlets based on this index has faced criticism, particularly regarding the manipulation of “newspaper readership” statistics. The Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism will strive to effectively support advertisers’ autonomous media selection and maintain market trust through continuous monitoring and stakeholder participation.