SBS "I Want to Know" accused of bias in FIFTY FIFTY case as whistleblower revealed?
In August, the SBS current affairs program "I Want to Know," which holds considerable credibility in South Korea, faced criticism for biased reporting in favor of the members during its coverage of the FIFTY FIFTY incident. The show was accused of attempting to sway public opinion, which led to mass viewer protests. Ultimately, the program's producers issued an apology and promised to provide follow-up reports. However, several months later, it was revealed that person A, who made the initial report, was actually a stand-in. On the 15th, the party from "I Want to Know" stated to the Korean media "Edaily": "We can only protect the informant now; we knew from the beginning that we had to use a stand-in for the program." In the episode of "I Want to Know" aired on August 19, focusing on "Billboard and Girl Groups," a male individual A, claiming to be an insider of the company, revealed allegations against Representative Jeon Hong-joon, stating: "After the song suddenly became popular, he only thought, 'I need to make some money,' and has never attended the end-of-month evaluations," among other accusations. However, ATTRAKT has filed a lawsuit against A for defamation, claiming that A's statements in the interview were not consistent with the facts and that even the facts about their work were unclear. Upon verification, it was confirmed that A was a stand-in actor representing the situation at the time, and it has been reported that A is not male, but female. However, the Korean media Dispatch showed the photos of the related female staff member to Keena, a member. Keena, however, said she has never seen that staff member before. It's worth noting that Keena is one of the longest-serving members of ATTRAKT, and most of the company's staff also expressed their curiosity, saying, "I'm also wondering who it could be." SBS has stated that there is no issue with using body doubles for actors, but has not taken a stance regarding the false claims made by person A. Additionally, concerning the claims made by a family member of a certain member, which alleged that staff from the affiliated company discarded side dishes, the program team merely stated that they "will verify" the matter. Keena went on to directly mention, "This is an unheard-of incident." Furthermore, as reported by Dispatch, the items thrown away were actually snacks, and it wasn't ATTRAKT staff who did so but rather a director from The Givers, and photos were provided as evidence. Before "I Want to Know" was accused of biased broadcasting, major domestic performing arts organizations also issued statements demanding an apology and correction of the program. Five days into the controversy, the program team issued a formal apology and promised additional follow-up interviews. However, SBS has said regarding the follow-up segment, "It has not been decided yet."
