Who Gets to be Press?

Lately I've been thinking about three things: legitimacy politics in the era of TikTok, who "gets to" report on things, and why we don't trust the legacy media anymore.

I never meant to become an online persona. Posting felt like a private sanctuary, somewhere I could exist outside of my presentable form. When I first opened up my social media accounts, I posted because it was my own personal diary. A way to keep track of who I was and what I did. Before I had a following or was a part of any communities, I used my pages as a historical record of the cool things I ate and the funny things I saw. It was not about social capital, or political commentary, or establishing influence. It was not even meant for others’ consumption, but my own, in retrospect. There was no rhyme or reason to it. I’d post a blurry, under-lit photo of a slice of avocado toast at 8PM on a Monday with zero expectations but that it would still be there when I logged on the next day.

My view on what the internet can be shifted greatly when I first stumbled onto the fandom side of the internet. The k-pop fandom was still very small, and even more so niche. Most of our community existed within the confines of websites like Twitter and Tumblr. At first, I was stunned by how resourceful everyone was–because we had to be. It wasn’t just about trading pictures and fun facts, although it may have looked like it on the surface. There were a lot of things we, as foreign fans, didn’t know how to navigate, as many of us didn’t know how to speak Korean or had only just begun learning. Official fanclubs, which clued you into events and allowed you to stay up-to-date, required an address in Korea to join, so we had to form our own coalitions and keep each other in the know.

We befriended people who could help–those who had been fans for even longer than us and had the lived experience. We taught ourselves to at least understand, and eventually learned to navigate Korean websites and portals with VPNs. We became translators and made guides for each other. We stayed up all night to stream performances and interviews to international audiences. We did what the American media had not yet caught onto doing: covering k-pop happenings in our own language to spread the Hallyu wave, not make fun of it like they had when Gangnam Style went viral. It would take many years for the American press to catch on and start reporting on k-pop in a… semi respectful manner.

Unlike the media, fansites gave support in many ways, like providing food for the idols and staff and doing promotion for albums with fan funded billboards and events. It was not just a way to spread awareness and help out fans abroad, but a way to give a boost to the bands we loved and to spread the culture we had been operating within to a country that was still very much adverse to it. Most of the time, we didn’t even see any benefit from this work. And man, was it a full time job. Other than finally convincing bands to tour in the USA, we were still being bullied while k-pop became more mainstream.

But we filled a niche that the media could not have ever fulfilled, as the media was (and is) focused on reporting the news in a sensationalized way. Even now, as k-pop has become mainstream, reporting around k-pop is better but still confined to certain narratives. However, I do not think k-pop could have amassed the huge success that it has now had us first and second generation k-pop fans not put in the work and endured the scrutiny that we did. That experience changed the way I understood disseminating messages, especially when it came to supporting a community. We paved the way for the popularity k-pop enjoys now. And it has come to inform me greatly with the work I do in my advocacy, funnily enough.

It’s important to note: those that sought out the reporting of fansites were, quite obviously, supporters. We seek out what we want to consume, and the algorithms do the rest. Just like someone with conservative views might subscribe to the Free Press and make their decisions based off of the lens their media conglomerate of choice utilizes, everyone has some agency over which outlets they choose to support and if they want to block out those that they don’t. Regardless, it is good practice to not just consume the media that confirms your biases, but also all the other sides, to stay informed of what is being bought into by other people.

Media literacy, especially in the age of social media, is a muscle we have no other option than to train, for our own sake. You’d think people would be even more wary about this, given how AI’s advancements have made it harder to distinguish what is real and what isn’t. But more than ever, whenever an interview of mine is spliced up to give me the most simplified edit possible, I see people fall for the bait and immediate jump to attack me, as if the editor wasn’t fighting for his life trying to get me at an angle that fits the narrative his boss told him to adhere to. Instead of remaining critical of the structures in place that manufacture and disseminate media in a biased manner–reminder that a few billionaire owned conglomerates control every channel and what you hear/read and even how it is disseminated to you–audiences seem to fall for it every time, especially if it fits into their inherent bias. I believe we can be better than this. But in order to do so, we must be open to questioning a claim that justifies something you might already strongly believe in, even if it is irrational or untrue.

My point is, everyone has an inherent bias when they make choices and navigate life. Even the media–and especially the media–has been proven to be biased. The age of objective journalists is long gone, although this is really the only age I’ve ever known when it comes to the media, despite my own wishes (how cool would it be to see more real, fearless journalism exposing the facts?) I’ve seen their shortcomings with my own eyes: Luigi simply speaking up for himself is reported as a violent outburst towards a quaking little judge. Or the lack of reporting on how he was given a cavity search on the grounds of a false ID charge–which is not something normally done. They instead opted to report on supporters. Most importantly, the way the media has continued to report on me and others who advocate for Luigi’s case has been the most biased thing I’ve quite literally ever seen. You guys are lucky I can take a joke at my expense, that’s all I can say.

I understand, from what I have been told by journalists off the record themselves, that even if they were to report fairly on the case or even favorably on supporters, their bosses would make sure the final edit did not appear that way. Journalists, especially the ones that are lesser known and thus do not have leverage, are puppets. They are given a brief to fill and are not allowed to have much creative freedom. If they were to write something complimentary of me or what I do, their bosses would undoubtedly either scrap the piece or re-edit it themselves without even needing the permission of the journalist who originally wrote it. I’ve seen articles written in support of what I do (or even just reporting more objectively) be rejected in favor of reactionary cuts or deleted altogether. Regardless of this, I have always been respectful to journalists and collaborative with them. As a content creator and a supporter, I understand firsthand the importance of reaching audiences across the state and the nation in general, and so I can respect the position of the media, in that sense. And as a former… entertainer (?) I know first hand how much it sucks to have to hold your real views back to pay the bills and get work, so I can empathize on that level.

However, it goes without saying that the media relies on people like me for their stories, no matter how horrified they pretend to be by my presence. It is no secret that the legacy media, independent journalists, and even supporters-pretending-to-be-just-a-journalist have used me for LOTS of content. No matter what, I’ve always spoken to any journalist who approaches me kindly, and they know this now.I think you all know it by now, but I strongly believe that the support should be documented on the record, and in a way that we will be proud to look back on one day.

I don’t blame some supporters for staying anonymous. The manner in which the press approached us at the start was extremely absurd and cartoonish. I remember a distinct interaction I had when I attended the first hearing I went to for Luigi’s case, on December 23 2024. I came around 4am, and was one of the first on line. I met some really lovely, motivated and inspiring people that day, while freezing our asses off. I brought a book to read and didn’t even open it because I had such amazing talks with the people there. Mid conversation, a woman with a huge camera in one hand shoved her iPhone at me with the other: “Is this why you’re here?!” she demanded. On the screen was a zoomed in photo of Luigi’s face. I laughed at her and carried on with my exchange, but I couldn’t fathom being the sort of journalist who thinks they can bully a headline out of someone exercising their right to observe a hearing.

I do maintain that as long as we can have a respectful conversation, even those who disagree with me deserve to see how Luigi inspires people and what change those people aim to create. I see my relationship with the media as oscillating between parasitic and symbiotic because of that–while they can suck me dry for whatever narrative they want, I have to hope my message still falls through the cracks and inspires someone in their audience. The media platforms me on their terms; meanwhile I’ve given them countless hours of content, provided transportation, been asked to record b-roll footage for them to use when they don’t want to wake up early to come do it themselves, done whole day shoots without food being provided, and kept them constantly up to date with the next court appearances and times that they don’t even seem to be in the know about. These have all very real requests that journalists have made to me. If relying on someone who is a supporter for information is dangerous, then why is the media constantly relying on me for things that they should be able to do with little to no effort?

Don’t get me wrong, I am more than happy to help. I want as much coverage on the case as possible. I want as many people talking about Luigi as possible. And I would support anyone who wants to cover this case in any sort of manner to utilize their capability to get a press pass and do it. At the end of the day, when you are focused on your own goals and projects, other people showing up in your space shouldn’t change things for you in the slightest. Regardless, I will always be cordial and professional. But after last week’s hearing, I felt the need to say my piece. You see, after weeks of no one batting an eye lash, I was interviewed by a journalist about how some of them were angry that supporters were getting approved for press badges. I did notice that day a handful of those I knew from the public line had come with badges. But it was only a handful. And if they are going to report on the case, then they have every right to be there.

Some journalists have spoken out publicly and apparently even threatened legal action against the press office for its choices. I find this to be hilarious. The people who are upset and using that energy to call us “fangirls” are the ones that show up an hour before the hearing (did you wake up late girl?) or who are closeted supporters themselves (loved the Luigi toothpaste in your hotel room queen!) Listen, everyone has their right to deal with their frustrations in whatever way they see fit. If you need to go vent online, more power to you. However, I’d like to remind my lovely journalist friends that they may want to stay in our good graces, if they want to get their stories out about us during trial. Also because you’re going to have to see me there…And that’s awkward, right?

I’d also like everyone to remember that in our current media sphere, social media is a very valid form of media, whether you like that fact or not. What makes content creators different from a livestreamer, a podcaster, or a student studying journalism? Are only some members of our nation deemed “legitimate” enough to be able to report on things? Is suppressing someone’ s access to reporting to an audience because of a certain opinion they hold not unconstitutional?

If you ask me personally, I want a world where every citizen speaks up loudly and passionately for what they believe in. Everyone should be able to utilize their free speech and the amazing, tiny little broadcasting device we now hold in our hands at all times of the day and find an audience, no matter what they believe in (at your own risk, of course…consequences still exist.) In fact, many gen z-ers and beyond rely solely on social media to stay informed, my followers included. I think many of us actually prefer it that way. We lost trust with the news a long time ago, and this was not by choice.

Despite this, I do actually want the press to be packing the court. Some of the reporting from the suppression hearings was swaying people I knew outside of all this, because the injustices were that undeniable. And I want the supporters’ pews to be full. That’s why I helped organize the line so more people could find the stamina to come. And it’s why I felt frustrated with the press’ lack of dedication to being present and getting all the facts when they were coming late and leaving early during the suppression hearings, leaving the pews hollow, while supporters were turned away outside.

I’d like everyone to remember because it seems like maybe we forgot: this is a very high profile case. People are going to want to be there (probably more than you sometimes) and more people are going to look into how. There might be a lot of people sometimes and there may be few others. You won’t make it into every single hearing. Everyone who is there is going to have different reasons for it and different opinions about it. Some of them are going to talk to the press and some will not. And you won’t be able to control any of this. None of us can.

This demand to be at Luigi’s hearings has been established from the start, mind you. Does anyone remember the state hearing last February? I do. I saved up all my credit card points and spent them on a round trip flight from Amsterdam for a couple day long trip to attend Luigi’s state hearing. I didn’t tell anyone, and especially not my family, because I wasn’t really openly supporting Luigi yet, until the following summer. Anyone who was there can attest to that day being insane. The courthouse hallway was packed with what seemed like 300 people. We were all sweating as the body heat made it swelter. It was so loud and hectic. When we were nearing the start time, people began to get more desperate. One person even offered me a family sized bag of kitkats for my spot in line, which tickled me endlessly.

Someone must have overheard that I came from Amsterdam and made a whole reddit thread ridiculing me for travelling to show my support. It was a lot of sacrifice, and unfortunately, I didn’t even end up getting in. A few people cut the line and the cops chose to have it in a smaller room at the last minute, narrowing down my chances to a big fat zero. As the line was cut off in front of me, the girl behind me got on her knees, tears in her eyes, and begged the officer to let her stay in the hallway as he walked in as she had waited all day. I felt her pain as I turned to take the elevator down to the ground floor. I went back to Amsterdam on a flight the next day, knowing I’d failed, and ruminating on that. I realized I really had no one to blame but myself, for not coming earlier. I waited 8 months to get another chance to attend a hearing. After that day, I knew I would fight for my place to be there. And I don’t think anyone–even the media–can say that I haven’t. Whether you agree with what I support or not is a different story.

Lastly, I just want to say that if people have any disputes with my career in media, you can also refer to my two whole decades of work in several fields of the media sphere. This has been my entire life. Using the media to reach people was not a choice, but is second nature for individuals of Gen-Z like me, who grew up online and went onto build careers in that sphere. Just like you can get a press pass to push anti-socialist slop, I can also get one to use my voice to platform what I believe in. Trying to censor voices we don’t like is never going to work. I really would like to keep this relationship symbiotic. However, some self reflection is in order. Like myself in February, those complaining only have themselves to blame. Your lack of nuance in matters that clearly resonate with the general public creates a niche that will get filled by those who see its presence and care enough to do something about it. If you’re showing up late, leaving early, or not coming at all and yet still relying on me for content, I think we can all see who’s really doing the work here.