Published on October 17, 2019.
This article republishes a chapter originally sent out on April 22, 2018, in order to clarify once again the essence of the Kansai Electric Power issue.
Through remarks by Eitaro Ogawa, Rui Abiru, and Kadota Ryusho, it argues that the role of the media is not “monitoring power” itself, but pursuing facts and accurately conveying them to the people.
It criticizes the Asahi Shimbun’s reporting on the Moritomo and Kake affairs, its attitude during the Democratic Party administration, and the self-intoxicated journalism that loudly invokes “monitoring power” while remaining silent before other forms of power.

October 17, 2019.
I could understand it if they monitored and fought against every form of power, but it is precisely those journalists who tuck their tails and run away from such things who loudly shout about “monitoring power.”
They are merely suffering from “self-intoxicated shutter syndrome.”
I am republishing the chapter sent out on April 22, 2018, under that title.
The reason is to clarify once again the essence of the Kansai Electric Power issue.
The following is the continuation of the previous chapter.
The pursuit of facts is the real job.
Ogawa.
For the media, what is most important above all is to report on the basis of facts.
As citizens, it is of course natural for us to monitor whether the government, which exercises the power that belongs to us as sovereigns on our behalf, is conducting proper politics.
However, how to judge the result is something the people should decide, not the media.
Therefore, the role of the media comes down to this one point:
whether it is properly conveying the facts to the people.
The proper attitude is to separate straight news from commentary, first report the facts as facts, and then say, “However, this is what we think.”
However, the Asahi Shimbun distorted the facts when reporting straight news, went so far as to do things almost equivalent to fabrication, and led the reporting in that direction.
That is why, with anger, I wrote Thorough Verification of the “Moritomo and Kake Affairs” — The Asahi Shimbun’s Largest Postwar Reporting Crime.
In truth, there are mountains of issues at home and abroad that we must think about much more seriously, and frankly speaking, we have no time to play house with the Asahi Shimbun.
Suda.
The Asahi Shimbun is said to be a media outlet that upholds “anti-power” and “monitoring power,” but what do you think as Mr. Abiru of the Sankei Shimbun, which is presumably called “closely attached to power”?
Abiru.
Is that really what people say? （laughs）.
Many people say, “The media’s job is to monitor power,” but I believe the media’s job is the pursuit of facts.
In the course of pursuing facts, one may end up monitoring power or pointing out problems.
That is all it means.
“Monitoring” or “criticism” itself is not the purpose.
Kadota.
I have the deepest contempt for those who say that the role of journalism is “monitoring power.”
That is because such people, more than anyone else, see things only through their own ideology and assertions.
For example, I would like to ask:
“Then, did the Asahi Shimbun monitor the government during the Democratic Party administration?”
Far from monitoring it, the Asahi Shimbun was so “closely attached to power” that it was even said that the chief editor, who oversaw both its articles and editorials, might become foreign minister.
Reporters and journalists who say that “monitoring power is our job” should be regarded as practitioners of “self-intoxicated journalism.”
Merely by saying that they are “monitoring power and criticizing Abe,” they become intoxicated with themselves and feel as if they have become important.
There are many kinds of power in the world.
There are many pressure groups that are power itself, beginning with huge religious organizations.
I could understand it if they monitored and fought against every form of power, but it is precisely those journalists who tuck their tails and run away from such things who loudly shout about “monitoring power.”
They are merely suffering from “self-intoxicated shutter syndrome.”