The Internet Newspaper Ethics Committee said Feb. 24 it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Health and Welfare Ministry-commissioned National Center for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities on Feb. 23 at the center’s meeting room.
The committee said it is the first media-related organization to sign an agreement with a disability rights advocacy body. The MOU aims to improve and prevent coverage involving abuse of people with disabilities and to foster a more responsible reporting environment among online news outlets.
Planned cooperation includes joint monitoring and review work related to abuse coverage, collaborative research to improve reporting, related training and publicity, and joint seminars and campaigns.
Lee Jae-jin, the committee’s chair, said, “With this agreement as a turning point, we will take a closer look at disability-related coverage, which has received relatively limited attention, and work to expand advocacy for the rights of people with disabilities.”
Park Jeong-sik, director of the national center, said a 2023 revision to the Welfare of Persons with Disabilities Act provided a legal basis for establishing and ensuring compliance with recommended standards for reporting on abuse. He said the need for cooperation with media organizations and related institutions has grown since the standards were distributed in the second half of last year.
“This agreement with the Internet Newspaper Ethics Committee will be an important opportunity to ensure the standards are implemented effectively,” Park said.
The National Center for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is a specialized agency commissioned by the Health and Welfare Ministry and established under the Welfare of Persons with Disabilities Act in 2017 to respond to abuse. Working with 19 regional centers nationwide, it carries out advocacy efforts including abuse prevention and support for victims with disabilities.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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