Dear Seth Abramovitch and The Hollywood Reporter,
This is how not to write an article.
When logging onto Twitter this Wednesday morning, I didn’t expect my timeline to be bombarded with countless tweets complaining about, yet another, poor cover story about BTS.
Was I surprised? No.
What could have been a prime opportunity to explore BTS’ tremendous global success and each of their unique and talented personalities was overshadowed by another failed attempt by an uninformed journalist to comment on and generalize about BTS and the K-Pop industry’s explosive popularity growth. The article uses tired and bland stereotypes to characterize the Korean entertainment industry’s admittedly sometimes questionable practices, yet seems to not recognize that this system exists to some degree all over the world.
Starting off the article by admitting his relative ignorance to the band and asking "...why they are so appealing to so many millions [of people]" the article continues to display the lack of in-depth research; covering BTS like a group that has just debuted rather than a band who has been around for six years.
Yep. Six years.
The article prefaces the actual interview by depicting K-Pop as an industry where trainees are forced to follow “...dangerous diets, strict social rules (no dating), grueling rehearsal schedules and mandated plastic surgery and skin-whitening procedures.” The journalist then goes on to write an inappropriate, and frankly shameful, comparison between the strength of the successful trainees to the tragic suicide of SHINee member Jonghyun; stating that “only the best of the best wind up in an actual K-pop band - while some don’t survive at all.”
Stalely equating their success as mere pandering to fantasies of teenage and young adult women, (the article cites that the group’s fanbase is 83 percent female before continuing to question how long the fans will stay interested) the article continues on to portray their sold out stadium tours as “gigantic group therapy sessions” where members are free to “[reveal] their deepest fears and desires to 45,000 screaming fans".
How ironic, considering the journalist compares BTS to “Disney animatronic figure[s],” when the members are questioned about certain controversial topics.
The journalist aims to validate this by explaining when asked about returning to America during a heavily politicized time, RM replies that there are certain questions and topics they don’t discuss when interviewed.
From the perspective of a fan and a writer, this question seems wholly irrelevant for the context of an article discussing BTS and their success. The demeaning description that accompanies this shows the lack of understanding of the Korean music industry and the Korean news cycle that surrounds it. It also reinforces the idea that BTS, and K-Pop in general, is merely a materialistic craze where members don't speak about bigger causes.
Among these stand out issues were other overdone and ill-discussed conversations about the band’s future military service, the unnecessary surface level description of the band’s formation, and their lifestyle outside of performing.
While the group undoubtedly has an extremely different lifestyle from the millions of fans that follow them, the article discusses in length trivial details about BTS' life of luxury. Regardless of the distance there may be in lifestyle, providing a section dedicated to describing their "$7 million condo...private jets, legions of bodyguards and armies of personal chefs," that they are provided with when they "aren't touring or vacationing," minimizes BTS' tireless work ethic and careers as idols. This description also depicts the life of every A-list celebrity in the world...not only BTS.
By attempting to draw a wide division between artist and fans, the article fails to adequately show how BTS passionately devote themselves to connecting with their fans, no matter who or where they are. Only providing a small paragraph mentioning their large social media presence.
In full, the article fails to provide a larger perspective on the band and dives into many pitfalls of poor reporting.
Sending a journalist who has no knowledge of the group, doesn’t speak a word of Korean nor knows the Korean music industry, and doesn’t really seem to have any desire to cover the group beyond merely for the click factor, was an extremely poor choice on The Hollywood Reporter's part.
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