Trigger Warning for mentions of suicide and depression.As many of you might already be aware, a popular Korean singer by the name of Kim Jonghyun from the K-pop group SHINee has passed away this week. ONTD members have been talking about his death in posts
here and
hereJonghyun's passing made international news as fans across the world mourned. However, many large western news outlets have published reports on the singer's death with inaccurate information and downright offensive mistakes that have caused some people to wonder why western news outlets are seemingly incapable of accurately reporting on the death of a Korean pop star. Is it racism, laziness, or downright incompetence (or perhaps a combination of all three)?
Below, you will find several examples of the media making egregious mistakes regarding relatively easy to verify information.
1) NBC Chicago plays footage of BTS while talking about SHINeeNBC Chicago received a lot of heat from fans after they reported on Jonghyun's death by playing footage of RM of K-pop group BTS being interviewed on
The Ellen DeGeneres Show. Many wondered if it was simply a mix-up or if it was a disrespectful decision in which the two K-pop groups were lumped together since they are both Korean. However, in the footage they played, you can clearly hear RM introduce himself as such, and the interview BTS did with Ellen is clearly labeled on
The Ellen Show Youtube channel as,
"Ellen Makes 'Friends' With BTS!"At no point is SHINee or Jonghyun mentioned in the video that NBC uses to report on the late singer and yet they clearly have the two confused since they say SHINee appeared on
The Ellen Show and
The American Music Awards (they didn't - that was BTS). They also mispronounce Jonghyun's name during broadcast.
Video of the mistake taken by a viewer:NBC Chicago's apology tweet:2) The Guardian refers to Jonghyun's grieving sister as an "overwrought fan"While The Guardian reported on Jonghyun's December 21 funeral procession, they captioned a photo of the singer's grieving sister as an "overwrought fan". The mistake has since been corrected.
Screenshot taken by![]()
lunadonna.
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They have since fixed the caption to correctly read that it is his sister (although they could have included her name, Kim So Dam). However, as of making this post, they are still reporting that he was found dead in his apartment (it was not his home, he rented a separate apartment).
3) The NME seemingly makes stuff upWhen music site, NME, reported on the passing of Jonghyun, their article was filled with bizarre inaccuracies that left some wondering where they got their information from since it was beyond incorrect and seemingly made up.
They report:
"After a four-year hiatus began in 2013, the band reformed earlier this year, with Jonghyun being the only original member in a new line-up."
SHINee released 3 albums in 2013 (2 Korean and 1 Japanese), a Japanese release in 2014, and another Korean album in 2015 which contained their hit song, "View," with lyrics penned by Jonghyun. There was no "four-year hiatus."
SHINee has also had the same original line-up since their debut in 2008 - there have been no member changes at any point in their career. Jonghyun, Minho, Taemin, Onew, and Key have always been the five members to make up the group. This isn't disputed and it's easily available information, so how did NME get it so wrong?
They, too, are reporting that Jonghyun was found in his home despite the fact that he rented a separate apartment and was not found in his primary residence. The BBC seems to be one of the few outlets making the distinction between "his apartment" and "an apartment".
It is also of note that there are only 2 comments on the article, both of which point to the author's mistakes. NME apparently can't be bothered to correct their story as the mistakes still exist as of making this post (4 days after NME initially published their inaccurate story).
4. Philip DeFranco uses someone else's photo when discussing Jonghyun's passingWhile Philip DeFranco is not a reputable major news outlet like The Guardian or NBC, there is no doubt that many young people these days get their news online from sources like DeFranco's YouTube channel. With 5.8 million subscribers, it can be argued that he has a duty to do his research to accurately report on the situations he's covering.
Screenshot taken by ![]()
shittysoup![]()
The photo in the upper left-hand corner of DeFranco's video is not SHINee's Jonghyun and is instead a singer by the name of JR (whose real name is also Kim Jonghyun), a member of another K-pop group called Nu'est. DeFranco has seemingly made a similar error as NBC Chicago in mistaking one Korean for another.
While international media outlets have been following the story, many have failed to get simple details correct. It raises the question: Why are western media outlets struggling to accurately report on the death of a Korean pop star? Thoughts, ONTD?
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