The start of December 2021 signaled a new beginning for BTS and ARMY. The first two days of the month, the band played two sold-out shows at Sofi Stadium following two more sold-out shows just a few days prior. It was the first time BTS and ARMY had been able to meet since the start of the pandemic. But the happiness was not to last, as the month ended with Omicron rapidly spreading around the world, and the diagnoses of three members with Covid-19.
Unfortunately, while ARMY sent well wishes to the members, Western media outlets saw the announcement as an opportunity to get clicks and views. Sadly, this is not an isolated incident. Over the past few months, there have been at least three different instances, in the United States alone, where the media has linked BTS with COVID, not only misrepresenting the band, but also occasionally spreading dangerous misinformation about a deadly disease.
Round 1: Suga, Jin, and RM are diagnosed with Covid-19
On December 24th and 25th, Hybe announced that Suga, Jin, and RM had all been diagnosed with Covid-19. All concerts and official group-related events had ended 21 days earlier, and all three members were fully vaccinated and went through the required quarantining procedures upon re-entering Korea. Jin had actually already finished his required quarantine before testing positive. Disregarding all of this, CNN, one of the supposed unbiased and preemptive news sites in the United States, begins their article covering the diagnoses, “Three members of the K-pop supergroup BTS have tested positive for Covid-19, according to BIGHIT MUSIC statements published on global fan community platform Weverse. The group had recently returned to South Korea from the US, where it kicked off its first tour in two years since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.”
While on the surface, this comment may seem innocuous. The article never clarifies that the concerts took place three weeks prior to the first positive test, a time period seven days longer than the longest incubation period for Covid-19. Readers who have no knowledge of BTS’ schedule are then naturally inclined to think that the concerts and the diagnoses are connected. In a time period in which misinformation is being spread about Covid-19 and vaccinations, it is important that prominent news sites present facts. However, CNN did not prioritize this mission in their article.
Not all coverage was clearly good or bad. Another outlet, Digital Music Trends, also front-loaded their story with “The infections follow the seven-piece’s return from the United States – where they played a series of decidedly well-attended concerts in early December.” This statement is slightly better as it at least contextualizes the distant time between the concerts and positive test—although you could argue that its inclusion is still misleading and unnecessary. The article goes on, though, to share tweets from ARMY demonstrating their frustration with the media for linking the concerts with Covid-19. The best coverage came from NPR, which clearly explained the facts of the situation and reaffirmed BTS’ accomplishments while making no mention of the concerts.
Round 2: The Jimmy Kimmel Incident
The Western media didn’t even make it through January before they started connecting BTS with Covid-19. This time, it came in the form of an American late-night talk show host. Sadly, BTS and ARMY are no strangers to being disparaged on American late-night TV. In 2021, James Corden came under fire after making distasteful jokes about BTS’s presence at the UN. Jimmy Kimmel apparently learned nothing from the incident. Only four months later, he too made an offensive joke about BTS as a cheap attempt to get laughs, which you can see for yourself as the video has not been taken down.
It started out as a great interview. Emily in Paris star Ashley Park and fellow ARMY was explaining how overjoyed she was to have V and RM post a clip of her singing “Dynamite” on the show. She then goes on to explain that she later discovered she had the omicron variant at the time of the posting. Jimmy Kimmel then interjects that the symptoms of being noticed by BTS and Covid-19 are similar. It’s an off-handed joke, but it’s also an incredibly dangerous joke to make in a time when anti-Asian hate crimes are growing. Making a joke linking one of the most popular Asian artists to a deadly disease in a time where Asians are being targeted for that exact bigoted idea is a bad move.
But the discrimination didn’t end there. ARMY were further appalled to find that a Billboard article about Ashley Park’s interview incorrectly attributed the racist statement to her. The original article said, “According to Ashley Park, the symptoms of interacting with a BTS member are eerily similar to those of Covid-19.” The article was later changed, but the damage was done. The article further exacerbated the problem as it made it seem as though an Asian- American was confirming the link between Asians and Covid-19. Again, though, not every outlet dropped the ball. Both Buzzfeed and Teen Vogue released articles exposing xenophobic behavior.
Round 3: Jimin diagnosed with Covid-19
Only a few days after the Jimmy Kimmel incident, BTS and ARMY were hit with another blow: Jimin had emergency surgery for appendicitis and while receiving treatment also tested positive for Covid-19. Once again, Western news outlets were quick to pick up the story, but this time there was no concert to blame it on, yet that didn’t prevent them from exploiting his diagnosis. Analyzing the news from five major Western outlets, CNN, Forbes, Rolling Stone, Reuters, and People, reveals the differing narratives presented.
To start with, all five headlines mention his appendicitis before they mention the Covid-19 diagnosis. However, two outlets – CNN and Reuters – mentioned the positive test before the appendicitis in their opening sentences. It may seem arbitrary as to what is mentioned first, but one of the primary rules of journalism is to keep the reader’s attention. This means always leading with what you feel is most interesting, as two out of five felt more people would be interested in his Covid-19 diagnosis than his appendicitis.
From there, the coverage of the event differs widely. By far the best is the Forbes article by Bruce Y. Lee who breaks down for readers what it means to have appendicitis and commends Jimin for getting his Covid-19 vaccination. The Forbes article is also the only article that doesn’t feel the need to remind readers that three members of BTS have already had Covid-19. Furthermore, both CNN and Reuters again establish a link between the three members’ positive tests and the concerts in Los Angeles. All five articles comprise a spectrum from good coverage to bad coverage and show that it is all up to the intentions of the writer.
In a time of turmoil for Asians around the world and the continuous spread of a global virus, it’s irresponsible for the media to make false implications, exaggerations, or poorly thought out jokes. Furthermore, twice the Western media has taken advantage of the BTS members while they were ill simply to get more clicks on their page. Borasaek Vision is committed to ensuring that the truth is disseminated. So if you only remember two things after reading this, remember that BTS’ concert was three weeks before their first positive Covid-19 test, and Ashley Park did not compare BTS to Covid-19, Jimmy Kimmel did.
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Written By: Rachel
Edited By: Aury
Checked By: Juju