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NSK News Bulletin Online
November 2004
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*	National Convention Pledges to Meet Readers’ Trust
*	Powerful quakes hit Niigata, Newspapers Track Essential Utilities

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*Topics
--Magazine Ordered to Pay Record 20 Million Yen for Libel
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Story of the Month>>>
Prof. Hamada: Reconsidering the Newspaper's Role
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National Convention Pledges to Meet Readers’ Trust

A total of 491 officials of NSK member companies attended the 57th National Newspaper Convention held on Oct. 15-16 in Toyama City.

NSK President Shinichi Hakoshima spoke at the opening ceremony on the morning of the first day. The delegates then adopted the annual convention resolution and conferred the 2004 NSK Awards.

In the afternoon, Prof. Junichi Hamada of Tokyo University opened a study meeting with a lecture that was followed by a panel discussion. Journalist Kiyofuku Chuma was the panel moderator, and four top executives from four different newspaper companies served as panelists.

NSK Vice President Kensuke Kosaka gave a speech to begin the working session of the annual convention. He said that the responsibility of newspapers in Japan’s media industry is increasing in light of events related to the Iraq War and moves to revise the Constitution. “Our challenge is to appropriately respond to readers’ needs and to meet society’s expectations, while maintaining stable management. I hope that the convention participants explore new challenges for the future of the newspaper industry from many points of view and discuss those views among themselves,” he said.

On behalf of local newspaper companies in the host prefecture, Naomasa Umezawa, president of the Kita-Nihon Shimbun, said he hoped that the meeting would extend the horizon for the future of the newspaper industry.

The annual convention adopted a declaration:

“The world is full of uncertainty and tension, from the chaos in Iraq to terrorism around the globe. Japan faces a mountain of tasks for its future. Under the circumstances, the newspaper's role as a main pillar of the media is increasingly important.

“A peaceful and vibrant society relies upon us to provide accurate and fair news, based on our long history and experience, as well as to offer a forum for diverse and responsible opinion.

“On the occasion of this 57th National Newspaper Convention, we in the newspaper industry renew our pledge to strengthen bonds with our readers and to live up to their trust through the principles of the Cannon of Journalism.”

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Powerful quakes hit Niigata, Newspapers Track Essential Utilities

Several powerful earthquakes hit northwestern Japan, around Niigata Prefecture, on Oct. 23, peaking at an intensity of six-plus on the Japanese scale of seven.

The quakes and aftershocks killed 25 people and injured more than 1,200. More than 85,000 people were evacuated.

Some branch offices of newspaper companies and news agencies in the area suffered property damage such as broken windows, but newspapers still came out as usual.

Delivery was suspended to some hard-hit areas like Ojiya, Toka-machi and Yamakoshi. The companies delivered newspapers and extras to temporary shelters. Many copies could not be delivered, but figures are not yet available to determine the extent of the problem.

The Niigata-Nippo, the largest local newspaper, and the five national newspapers also provided details on the damage via their Web sites. Some set back their editorial deadlines, issued extras, or used special delivery to distribute newspapers to evacuation centers.

Since the first quakes, all newspapers have been covering quake-related news, damage reports and reports by the central and local administrations. They also carry information on the method of sending relief materials and for the acceptance of volunteers for relief activities.

Many newspapers are using their Web sites to provide information in a special corner of quake-related articles and information or by providing links to public organizations.

Some newspapers are using a bulletin board in their Web sites so users can post information. For instance, the Yomiuri Shimbun opened a special bulletin board on its Web site on Oct. 25 to provide information related to the survivors and relief activities. It is also accepting messages by fax or e-mail. On Oct. 24, the Mainichi Shimbun opened bulletin board on its Web site, to exchange information about safety or current conditions. The Niigata-Nippo is posting related articles in PDF format on its Web site.

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Topics.......Topics.......Topics........

Magazine Ordered to Pay Record 20 Million Yen for Libel

The Supreme Court on Oct. 1 ordered magazine publisher Shinchosha Co. to pay about 20 million yen in compensation for libel, when it rejected an appeal from the publisher.

The indemnity is the largest ever ordered against a media company in a libel suit.

A medical corporation in Kumamoto City and its president sued the publisher after weekly photo magazine Focus implicated, in a series of articles, the president in the death of his wife and three others in a traffic accident in 2000. The original claim was for 171.7 million yen in compensation for defamation.

According to rulings by lower courts, the photo magazine carried a total of 12 articles, starting in July 2000, that reported that the four victims of the traffic accident were covered by a large amount of life insurance and implied that the husband deliberately attempted to get the benefits from the four victims.

The Tokyo District Court ruled in April of last year that eight of the 12 articles in question had defamed the plaintiff and ordered the publisher to pay 13.2 million yen in damages, some for publishing his photograph. In its ruling on appeal, the Tokyo High Court backed the lower court. Noting that all the 12 articles amounted to defamation, the high court raised the compensation to 19.8 million yen.

The Supreme Court turned down the publisher's appeal, finalizing the ruling of the high court.

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Story of the Month>>>

Prof. Hamada: Reconsidering the Newspaper's Role

Professor Junichi Hamada, of the Institute of Socio-Information and Communication Studies at the University of Tokyo, gave a lecture on Oct. 15 at the National Newspaper Convention in Toyama City. His topic was the “Newspaper and Its Surrounding Environment.” Here are some excerpts:

The two key elements of a newspaper are its “principles” and its “management”. Its principles can be called its “public nature,” in legal terms.

Article 21 of the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression and is generally interpreted as covering the freedom of the press, with the newspaper expected to exercise its right in a public role. But there has not yet been enough discussion on defining press freedom, except where it has been asserted as a counterpoint to the ruling power.

Up until this era, the freedom of the press has played a leading role in safeguarding freedom of expression. However, the Internet has now become a new tool of personal expression for the general public. People are becoming more aware of the difference between freedom of the press and freedom of expression. As a result, one new idea is to strictly define freedom of the press as a right of corporate entities and let the freedom of expression in general be seen as a natural human right.

Newspapers say they serve democracy and the public good. But as fears for the future of democracy fade over time, the public appears to be losing sight of the need to defend these rights. As people ease off in the defense of their rights, there is a tendency to let those rights drop in terms of priority. If that trend were to continue, the freedom of the press would lose all value. Therefore, it is up to the newspaper itself to redefine and publicize the public role it aims to play through its freedom of the press.

One approach is to define the public interest in legal terms. Court rulings on libel suits have defined the public interest as one entailing not only democracy and the entire community, but also individuals, or the interests of any one individual forming his or her thought and personality. Today, factual public services meeting real requirements are in high demand beyond the structures charged with upholding and imposing principles on the general public.

In my opinion, there are four tasks that the newspaper must address in pursuing its new public role.

First, the newspaper should actively uphold the newly redefined freedom of the press by focusing on the interests of individuals that uphold the principles of democracy, rather than only generally dealing with the common interests of the entire society. Discussion is needed on how self-realization (forming a personal character) and self-governance (democracy) are linked and serve to sustain freedom of the press and of expression.

Secondly, the newspaper should be a medium that can be an intermediary for the value systems of individuals. On the surface, due respect is shown for individuals, yet today, everyone seems indifferent to others. The newspaper needs to incorporate a true respectful function in its redefined public role.

Thirdly, the newspaper must give higher priority to communications with readers. The Internet now allows any amateur to mimic a professional journalist. The authority of journalism is therefore waning. The newspaper must do more of the time-consuming work that is needed to maintain good communications with its readers.

Lastly, it is important that the newspaper reconsider the link between its principles and its management. Problems in newspaper management are generally concealed and are divulged to the public only very occasionally. The newspaper has to make its management an open book, letting the public see in so that it can in turn keep the public's trust.

These requirements are not necessarily particular only to the newspaper industry. They reflect problems in contemporary Japanese society across the board. The bottom line is that we must reconsider the essentials of the public interest, create a system to discuss them, and redefine how to serve them. Any effort to simply stay were we are now would be insufficient. Addressing this challenge is actually the best way to fulfill the newspaper's public role.

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