MBC Reporters' Tactics Spark Fresh Outcry Hwang Staff ‘Bullied’ Into Smearing Stem Cell Research Cloning Pioneer 'Just Wanted to Leave It All Behind' MBC Journalists Charged With More Strong-Arm Tactics Hwang Team Members Seek Urgent U.S. Residence Watchdog Could Punish MBC Over Hwang Expose A Witch Hunt of Ordinary People by Kim Dae-joong

“Even though the reporters worked on behalf of the people’s right to know, if the process was carried out in a wrongful way, then the result cannot be justified,” MBC said during “New Desk.” It said the fact that “PD Diary” producers threatened members of Hwang’s team with a criminal investigation was clear coercion and thus violated both the ethics of reporting and the public broadcaster’s own code of conduct.

An MBC "News Desk" anchor apologizes for the methods of an investigative program that questioned the integrity of stem cell research by cloning pioneer Hwang Woo-suk on Sunday night.

An MBC executive said if the expose turned out to be false, it would deal a fatal blow to one of Korea’s largest terrestrial broadcasters. Another executive said many within MBC were skeptical about the “PD Diary” allegations, but all MBC staff were now being tarred with the same brush. He agreed that the company would not be able to bounce back if the allegations are disproved, but added he still had faith that the “PD Diary” team would not have done what they did without evidence.

A producer in MBC’s drama department said he feared “PD Diary” was impetuous in its reporting on Hwang’s research. “When I take a taxi these days, I’m afraid to tell the driver to go to MBC because of the public outcry,” he added.

(englishnews@chosun.com )