'Trust and connection is essential': Media leaders discuss future of journalism at JoongAng conference
Published: 18 Sep. 2025, 20:25
Updated: 18 Sep. 2025, 20:30
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- CHO JUNG-WOO
- [email protected]
![JoongAng Holdings Vice Chairman Hong Jeong-do, left, and CNN CEO Mark Thompson speak during the JoongAng 60th Anniversary Global Media Conference held at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul on Sept. 18. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/09/18/56e15b82-edf5-4963-b717-69e451f452e2.jpg)
JoongAng Holdings Vice Chairman Hong Jeong-do, left, and CNN CEO Mark Thompson speak during the JoongAng 60th Anniversary Global Media Conference held at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul on Sept. 18. [JOONGANG ILBO]
Empathy, trust and human connection are essential for journalism and media to endure in a rapidly changing world.
That was the underlying message at the JoongAng Ilbo’s 60th Anniversary Global Media Conference in Seoul on Thursday, where CNN CEO Mark Thompson stressed the importance of trained human beings in news organizations — something AI cannot achieve in journalism.
Thompson, who previously led The New York Times as president and chief executive and served as director general of the BBC, said AI can assist news organizations but cannot replace the human qualities that define reporting.
Speaking in a dialogue with Hong Jeong-do, vice chairman of JoongAng Holdings, Thompson outlined how journalism can survive the age of AI as the conference entered its second day at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul.
One of the defining qualities of human journalists is that they "go into the field and experience things on behalf of the audience," Thompson said. "Reporters talk to them, try to empathize with them and then share that experience with the person watching at home."
The second day of the event, held under the theme “In an Age of Chaos, Hybrids Beyond Boundaries,” brought together global voices from journalism, media and entertainment.
Thursday’s speakers included Oscar-winning director Bong Joon-ho, Lee Soo-man, founder of A20 Entertainment and SM Entertainment, “KPop Demon Hunters” director Maggie Kang and Jeon So-yeon of the girl group i-dle.
Human connection in the age of AI
At a time when many fear AI will disrupt many industries, including news, Thompson argued that journalism itself is not under threat — so long as it stays true to its mission.
"The point is, people are searching for the truth," he said.
"A lot of people are worried about the state of the world — their country, the economy, jobs, children, health, the environment, war and conflict, disease. What they want is reliable, reassuring news."
While some believe AI will replace reporters, Thompson countered that journalism can harness AI to better serve audiences.
"A lot of people talk about how AI is going to mechanize you," he said. "You don’t need to. Because AI will be able to just write journalism for you."
![CNN CEO Mark Thompson, right, speaks with JoongAng Holdings Vice Chairman Hong Jeong-do during the JoongAng 60th Anniversary Global Media Conference held at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul on Sept. 18. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/09/18/ac9d2dad-3ac0-4832-aa19-82fc6bd666f0.jpg)
CNN CEO Mark Thompson, right, speaks with JoongAng Holdings Vice Chairman Hong Jeong-do during the JoongAng 60th Anniversary Global Media Conference held at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul on Sept. 18. [JOONGANG ILBO]
Quality, depth and originality, he added, will keep audiences coming back.
Hong agreed, noting that while technical elements can be replaced by AI, emotions and empathy cannot.
"People ultimately trust people, not things," Thompson said, comparing it to the world of influencers, where followers are drawn to personalities because they trust them.
To win younger readers, Thompson argued, news organizations must build stronger connections.
"We have to get closer to our audience than we used to," he said.
"Not to give them exactly what they want, but because it's by understanding how they live their lives, we can know what they need from us and how we can serve them."
He added, "If you want young people, how many young people do you employ? And how many of them are in positions where they can make decisions?"
AI meets cinema
AI was not only a topic in journalism but also in filmmaking.
Bong Joon-ho, the Oscar-winning director of "Parasite" (2019) and "Mickey 17," noted that conversations about AI dominate the film industry as well.
"There’s excitement and joy in AI, but also fear," Bong said.
“Not only about jobs, but because AI shakes the very foundations of images we’ve trusted or believed in. It stirs both fear and excitement at once.”
In "Mickey 17," Bong said, he used AI technology to replicate two versions of the protagonist when they appear in the same frame. For filmmakers, he added, the technology has opened new possibilities.
![Oscar-winning film director Bong Joon-ho, left, and CNN CEO Mark Thompson speak during the JoongAng 60th Anniversary Global Media Conference held at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul on Sept. 18. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/09/18/64ee8eb3-a12a-4ad8-a5a0-492960fbd28c.jpg)
Oscar-winning film director Bong Joon-ho, left, and CNN CEO Mark Thompson speak during the JoongAng 60th Anniversary Global Media Conference held at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul on Sept. 18. [JOONGANG ILBO]
"We’ve always pursued visual fantasy — asking how to create strange, wondrous scenes that will delight audiences," Bong said. "AI helps us do that. It lets us create more spectacular scenes with smaller budgets."
Turning the discussion back to journalism, Bong asked Thompson whether CNN feels threatened by the rise of fabricated videos. He offered a playful example of a clip that may feature Senator Bernie Sanders dancing with penguins, complete with a CNN logo.
Thompson acknowledged the risks but emphasized that audiences are not so easily deceived.
"The fact that something exists doesn’t make it true," he said.
"What matters is the content itself. Audiences are quite clever and a lot of what people call fake news is closer to satire."
The two also discussed genre, a hallmark of Bong’s films, which often come in blend of multiple genres like comedy, horror and drama. Asked whether he worries about the genres, Bong admitted it remains a challenge.
"Genres define the entire film industry," he said. "They dictate how movies are marketed, when they’re released and how much budget they need. I never intentionally resisted being categorized, but I’ve always disliked being boxed in. Sometimes it’s a strength and sometimes it’s a curse."
The exchange ended on a lighthearted note when Bong asked if he could feature the CNN logo in a news scene in his upcoming animated film. "We’ll fix that," Thompson replied, drawing laughter from the audience.
Newspaper industry under pressure
The future of newspapers took center stage later in the day in a panel discussion featuring Earl Wilkinson, CEO of the International News Media Association (INMA) and Juan Señor, president of Innovation Media Consulting, moderated by JoongAng Ilbo CEO Park Chang-hee.
Park opened with sobering statistics: Korea's newspaper subscription rate has plunged from 69.3 percent in 1996 to just 4.2 percent in 2024. He asked the panel how the industry could survive such a collapse.
"The news business has always been in crisis," Señor said.
"It’s been in a permanent state of crisis from the very beginning. But if you stay true to your core, you make it through, because people need reliable information to function in a democracy. As long as there’s democracy, there will be journalism. And as long as there’s journalism, there will be brands that reflect journalism and we will find ways."
Wilkinson argued that digital disruption has forced the industry to be more candid about what gives journalism its value.
"Journalism is context," he said. "That’s something you can charge for. You can’t charge for news, but you can charge for journalism."
![JoongAng Ilbo CEO Park Chang-hee, left, International News Media Association CEO Earl Wilkinson, center, and and Innovation Media Consulting President Juan Señor speak during the JoongAng 60th Anniversary Global Media Conference held at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul on Sept. 18. [JOONGANG ILBO]](https://koreajoongangdaily.joins.com/data/photo/2025/09/18/78444080-9658-417d-aa47-d5537687a23a.jpg)
JoongAng Ilbo CEO Park Chang-hee, left, International News Media Association CEO Earl Wilkinson, center, and and Innovation Media Consulting President Juan Señor speak during the JoongAng 60th Anniversary Global Media Conference held at the Lotte Hotel in central Seoul on Sept. 18. [JOONGANG ILBO]
Señor pointed to "scenario journalism" as a model news outlets could embrace — reporting that looks ahead and anticipates developments, which AI cannot do because it simply repurposes the past.
Wilkinson noted the challenges of Korea’s "portal culture," where most readers access news through platforms like Naver, leaving outlets with fewer direct clicks.
"If I were in your shoes, I’d be looking at ways to reset the relationship with domestic platforms," he said, recalling he heard the same concern during a visit to Korea a decade ago.
Señor was more blunt about Naver's future. "Naver will not be around in the next five years because of AI," he said.
"Good journalism is good business. Only journalism will save journalism."
BY CHO JUNG-WOO [[email protected]]
with the Korea JoongAng Daily
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