Jan 22, 2024
世界平和統一家庭連合（旧統一教会）へのバッシング報道を続けるメディアについて検証するシンポジウム「報道はなぜ暴走したのか－ジャーナリストによる徹底検証『旧統一教会報道』－」（主催・ＵＰＦ―Ｊａｐａｎ）が２０日、東京都内で開かれた。パネリストとして、ノンフィクションライターの窪田順生氏、ノンフィクション作家の福田ますみ氏、著述家の加藤文宏氏の３人が出席し、それぞれの見解を述べた。
Report on the former Unification Church: Unbalanced and unilateral pursuit investigated by a journalist: A symposium examining the media that continues to bash the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church), ``Why did the reporting go out of control? A thorough examination by journalists of the ``former Unification Church coverage'''' (sponsored by UPF-Japan) was held on the 20th. It was held in Tokyo on Sunday. Three panelists, non-fiction writer Juno Kubota, non-fiction writer Masumi Fukuda, and author Fumihiro Kato, participated and expressed their views.
source link : https://www.worldtimes.co.jp/japan/20240122-178301/
click here for raw Google English translation below
世界平和統一家庭連合（旧統一教会）へのバッシング報道を続けるメディアについて検証するシンポジウム「報道はなぜ暴走したのか－ジャーナリストによる徹底検証『旧統一教会報道』－」（主催・ＵＰＦ―Ｊａｐａｎ）が２０日、東京都内で開かれた。パネリストとして、ノンフィクションライターの窪田順生氏、ノンフィクション作家の福田ますみ氏、著述家の加藤文宏氏の３人が出席し、それぞれの見解を述べた。
窪田氏は報道が「暴走」する要因として、情報源への過度な依存や同業者の報道を無条件に信じやすいなどの問題を、メディア側が抱えていると指摘。一方で、教団を厳しく追及するメディアの立場を尊重しつつも「バランスを欠くのは問題だ。戦時中ではないのだから、信者たちへのインタビューも載せるべきだし、それをするのがメディアの役目だろう」と訴えた。
福田氏は教団信者への拉致監禁問題について触れ、監禁による脱会者の証言が解散命令請求につながったと強調。さらに「霊感商法はこれまでかなり報道され、『巨悪』とも言われたが、拉致監禁問題のことは全く報道されてこなかった。一般の人々はその悪質性も実態も知らない。日本社会における大事件であり、それを言い続けるのは当たり前のこと」と語った。
加藤氏はグーグル検索で、「統一教会」が検索された回数の推移を発表。２０２２年７月に検索数が激増したものの、その後急降下し、翌２３年には安倍晋三元首相の銃撃事件前より検索数は多いものの、低調なままだった。このことから「（報道では）絶え間なく教団と政治の関係が取り沙汰されたが、熱狂していたのは一部の層にすぎない。教団追及は社会に差別と被差別を伴う分断を与え、信者だけでなく日本社会も大いに傷つけた」と結論付けた。
Raw Google Translation as follows
note: there maybe dicrepancies in the English translation
A symposium examining the media that continues to bash the Family Federation for World Peace and Unification (formerly the Unification Church), ``Why did the reporting go out of control? A thorough examination by journalists of the ``former Unification Church coverage'''' (sponsored by UPF-Japan) was held on the 20th. It was held in Tokyo on Sunday. Three panelists, non-fiction writer Juno Kubota, non-fiction writer Masumi Fukuda, and author Fumihiro Kato, participated and expressed their views.
Mr. Kubota points out that media outlets have problems such as over-reliance on information sources and the tendency to believe unconditionally the reports of their own peers as factors that cause reporting to go "out of control." On the other hand, while respecting the position of the media that strictly pursues the cult, he said, ``The lack of balance is a problem.We are not in a wartime, so we should include interviews with believers, and that is the role of the media.'' "I guess so," he complained.
Mr. Fukuda touched on the issue of abduction and confinement of members of the cult, emphasizing that the testimony of those who defected due to confinement led to the request for a dissolution order. Furthermore, ``Spiritual marketing has been widely reported and has been called a ``great evil,'' but the issue of abduction and confinement has not been reported at all.The general public is unaware of its malicious nature and reality. It is a huge problem in Japanese society. "This is an incident, and it's only natural that we keep saying that."
Mr. Kato announced the trend in the number of searches for ``Unification Church'' on Google. The number of searches increased sharply in July 2022, but then dropped sharply, and by the following year in 2023, although the number of searches was higher than before the shooting incident of former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, it remained sluggish. For this reason, ``Although the relationship between religious groups and politics was constantly talked about (in the press), only a certain segment of the population was enthusiastic about it. "It has caused great damage not only to believers but also to Japanese society."
