Shukan Bunshun Violates Reporting Ethics in Nakai Scandal

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Weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun has aggressively reported on a scandal involving former popular singer and media personality Masahiro Nakai. The scandal involves allegations of sexual misconduct, affecting the reputation of any parties involved. Meanwhile, print and broadcast media have codes of ethics and legal provisions that constitute a strong warning to the industry. They also demonstrate pride in the profession of journalism.

The Canon of Journalism adopted by the Japan Newspaper Publishers & Editors Association (Nihon Shimbun Kyokai) stipulates that when a publication has made an error in reporting, it shall promptly correct it. Furthermore, if it has damaged the reputation of another party without a legitimate reason, it shall take appropriate measures. Those include providing an opportunity to reply.

Likewise, the Japan Magazine Publishers Association has a code of editorial ethics. It says that a magazine article must accurately convey the truth and must not without good reason damage the reputation or privacy of anyone discussed in the article.

The Broadcasting Act has similar provisions. It states that if a broadcaster discovers it has made an error in the contents of a broadcast, "it must broadcast a correction or a revocation using an appropriate method through the same broadcasting equipment as the broadcasting equipment used in the broadcast within two days of the day of making the finding." (Article 9)

In today's way of speaking, these standards differentiate "old media" from statements made on social media and the like.

Ethics and Reporting

Weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun was among the first to cover the scandal. It reported that a programming executive at Fuji Television Network Inc had invited the woman to dine with Nakai on the day of the incident.

Further reporting revealed that it was Nakai himself who had invited the woman, not the Fuji Television executive. On that point, the magazine issued a correction and apologized.

However, the correction only appeared about one month after the facts were ascertained. Shukan Bunshun published the "retraction" on its free website page on January 28. The correction then appeared in the magazine's print edition on January 30.

Arguably, the retracted points from the original article were the core allegations of the scandal. Those points engendered a string of suspicions and made a big difference in the public impression of whether Fuji Television executives were directly or indirectly involved in the affair.

On January 27, Fuji Television held a marathon press conference that lasted more than 10 hours. There, too, reporters spent an enormous amount of time pressing for answers to that question. Were company executives directly involved in arranging the meeting or not? If Shukan Bunshun's "retraction" had been common knowledge before this, the press conference would have likely unfolded differently.

Throughout this controversy, Shukan Bunshun has acted contrary to the code of ethics of the Japan Magazine Publishers Association. It has a duty to clarify how this shoddy reporting came about.

*Fuji Media Holdings and Fuji TV executives bow in front of reporters on January 27. (©JAPAN Forward by Hidemitsu Kaito)*

Fuji's Corporate Governance Issues

This "retraction" did not do away with all criticism of Fuji Television, however. Many points still need clarification.

The company's corporate governance issues include that the incident involving an employee was not even reported to the company's compliance department. Instead, it was handled by a small number of executives. Fuji Television must also coherently explain the decision-making process that allowed Nakai to continue to appear in network programs even after the trouble affecting the woman came to light.

Fuji, Shukan Bunshun, and in general media organizations should strive to clarify the truth in a timely fashion on their own. According to the journalism codes of ethics, they must not simply sit back and wait for a report from an independent committee investigating a scandal.

Author: Editorial Board, The Sankei Shimbun

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