Turning Journalism into Moral Storytelling

Faith on trial in the court of public opinion after TV program criminalizing belief: The danger of turning investigative journalism into moral fiction

The South Korean daily Segye Ilbo published 19^th January a religion column titled “Religious Dissolution: I Want the Truth, Not a Novel”. The article is not merely a response to the current affairs program Straight, aired by Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation (MBC), one of the country’s leading TV and radio broadcasters, on 18th January with the title “The Unification Church Gate: Its Corrupt Collusion”.

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The Segye Ilbo piece is a critique of how modern media narratives can slide from investigation into storytelling, particularly when religion, politics, and public emotion intersect. Written by Jeong Seong-su (정성수), a senior religion correspondent in South Korea, the piece challenges what the author sees as a growing tendency to frame complex religious organizations as inherently criminal, culminating in calls ‒ explicit or implied ‒ for their dissolution. For Western readers, the concerns raised here may resonate with familiar debates about media responsibility, freedom of religion, and the dangers of collective blame, even if the specific historical and cultural context differs.

At the heart of the article is a criticism of a recent investigative-style broadcast by MBC. According to the author, the program presents itself as journalism but functions more like a work of fiction: it begins with a conclusion already in place and then selects facts, images, and quotations that reinforce that predetermined outcome. The outcome, in this case, is the suggestion that the legally recognized religious movement the Family Federation ‒ formerly the Unification Church ‒ should be treated as a fundamentally corrupt entity whose very existence is in question.

The author’s central objection is not that religious organizations should be immune from scrutiny. On the contrary, he acknowledges that wrongdoing by individuals within religious institutions must be investigated and punished. What he rejects is the leap from individual misconduct or controversial practices to the conclusion that an entire religious body is criminal in nature and therefore eligible for dissolution. For Western audiences familiar with constitutional protections for religious freedom, this distinction between individual accountability and collective punishment will be immediately recognizable as a core legal and ethical principle.

Wealth, Institutions, and the Myth of Profit

One of the main claims challenged in the article concerns money. The television program allegedly portrays the Family Federation as a powerful financial empire that accumulated vast wealth through close ties with political elites. To support this claim, the program lists various affiliated foundations, institutions, and corporations, implying that they form a coordinated profit-generating machine.

The author counters this portrayal by arguing that it misunderstands how many religiously affiliated institutions actually function. In his account, a significant number of organizations linked to the Family Federation ‒ media outlets, schools, cultural foundations, academic bodies, and peace organizations ‒ are not profit-seeking enterprises at all. Rather than producing surplus wealth, many struggle financially and require continuous subsidies from the Federation’s foundation simply to remain operational. From a Western nonprofit perspective, these entities resemble mission-driven organizations that prioritize ideological or social goals over financial sustainability.

This distinction matters because the accusation of “wealth accumulation” carries moral and legal weight. If an organization is framed as secretly enriching itself, public outrage follows naturally. The author argues that the media narrative replaces careful financial analysis with a simplified story: many institutions exist, therefore there must be hidden profits. In reality, he suggests, the pattern is closer to constant financial drain than enrichment. Calling this “wealth accumulation”, in his view, is not factual reporting but narrative construction.

Donations, Faith, and Coercion

Another sensitive issue addressed in the article is religious donations, particularly in Korea and Japan. The Family Federation has long been criticized for receiving large sums from followers, and this criticism has intensified in recent years. The author does not deny that substantial donations exist. Instead, he disputes the assumption that large donations are inherently exploitative or criminal.

From the author’s perspective, equating donations with coercion reflects a misunderstanding of religious motivation. Donations, he argues, are voluntary acts grounded in belief, identity, and a sense of spiritual mission. In Western terms, this parallels how members of churches, synagogues, mosques, or missionary movements contribute significant portions of their income to causes they consider sacred or morally urgent. Unless coercion, fraud, or abuse is proven in specific cases, the mere size or frequency of donations does not constitute evidence of criminal behavior.

The article emphasizes that many of the projects funded by these donations ‒ international conferences, peace initiatives, and large-scale infrastructure visions ‒ are not designed to generate profit. They are expensive, idealistic, and often impractical from a purely economic standpoint. This matters because, in the author’s view, judging religious projects solely by business logic strips them of their religious meaning and transforms incomprehension into suspicion.

Visionary Projects and Media Skepticism

A particularly striking example is the Korea-Japan undersea tunnel project, which the television program reportedly depicts as unrealistic and manipulative ‒ a symbolic project used to justify continued fundraising. The author reframes this initiative as part of a broader religious worldview held by the movement’s founders, who envisioned physical infrastructure as a means of promoting peace and unity across national and cultural divisions.

To a Western audience, this may resemble other religiously inspired megaprojects: cathedrals that took centuries to build, missionary hospitals in remote regions, or ambitious humanitarian visions that never fully materialized. The author’s point is not that such projects must be accepted uncritically, but that dismissing them as scams simply because they defy economic rationality ignores the role of belief, symbolism, and long-term aspiration in religious life.

Politics, Influence, and Overreach

The article also addresses allegations of improper ties between religious leaders and political figures. The author acknowledges that some leaders within the movement may have pursued power or influence inappropriately. However, he argues that engagement with political elites is not, in itself, evidence of corruption. Historically, religions across cultures have sought to influence rulers and policymakers to advance moral, social, or ideological goals.

The danger, he warns, lies in conflating individual ambition or misconduct with the inherent nature of an entire religion. When media narratives erase this distinction, they encourage collective blame and justify extreme measures such as dissolution.

Legal Principles and the Risk of Collective Punishment

Finally, the Segye Ilbo article underscores a key legal development: investigators are reportedly focusing on specific individuals rather than the religious organization as a whole. For the author, this affirms a fundamental principle familiar to Western legal systems ‒ that crimes are committed by individuals, not abstract institutions or belief systems.

The call to dissolve a religious organization based on the actions of a few, he argues, represents a dangerous escalation. It shifts judgment from courts to public opinion and from evidence to emotion. The author concludes by urging restraint, due process, and respect for religious freedom, emphasizing that justice must be grounded in law rather than media-driven narratives.

In essence, the article is a warning. It cautions against allowing investigative journalism to become moral storytelling, against allowing outrage to substitute for evidence, and against allowing individual wrongdoing to justify collective punishment. For non-Korean readers, the specifics may be unfamiliar, but the underlying concerns ‒ media power, religious liberty, and the boundaries of accountability ‒ are deeply familiar and increasingly relevant.

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Text: Knut Holdhus, editor

Featured image above: TV coverage of Mother Han’s case on a large screen in Seoul’s Yongsan Station. Photo: Massimo Introvigne / Bitter Winter

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