포털뉴스가 언론시장에서 차지하는 비중이 나날이 증가하고 있는 추세임에도 불구하고 현행법은 포털뉴스로 인해 발생할 수 있는 각종 인격권 침해 및 명예훼손에 대해서는 아무런 법적 장치를 마련하고 있지 않다. 현재 국회에는 포털뉴스와 관련하여 많은 개정안들이 발의된 상태이다. 신문법을 개정하여 포털뉴스를 인터넷신문으로 취급해야 하다는 의견에서부터, 언론중재법상에 포털뉴스를 포섭하여 피해구제수단을 마련하자는 의견, 아예 포털사이트 전반에 관한 규제법안을 새로이 입법하자는 의견까지 이미 정치권에서는 포털뉴스 규제에 관한 논의가 활발히 진행 중에 있다. 포털뉴스와 관련된 논의의 핵심은 ‘피해구제수단’에 있다. 이는 최대한 표현의 자유 및 언론의 자유를 보장하면서 있을 수 있는 부작용에 대해서는 최소한의 구제장치를 마련하자는 의미로 해석할 수 있다. 이러한 측면에서 독자입법을 제정하여 포털사이트를 포괄적으로 규제하자는 의견에는 찬성할 수 없다. 포털뉴스가 이미 우리사회에서 언론으로써의 역할과 기능을 하고 있다는 면에서 포털뉴스를 신문법상의 언론매체와 동일시하자는 의견도 일명 타당하다고 생각되어진다. 다만, 포털뉴스의 언론성 인정여부와 관련하여 첨예하게 대립하고 있는 시점에서 지나치게 언론의 개념을 확장할 필요성은 없다고 본다. 따라서 포털뉴스를 언론중재법상의 언론의 개념에 포함시켜 언론중재법상의 피해구제수단 및 절차를 적용하는 것이 타당하다고 생각된다. 신문법과 언론중재법은 입법취지나 목적을 달리하는 법률이다. 법의 입법 목적이 다르면 그에 따른 관련 개념도 달라져야 함은 당연하다. 즉, 언론중재법에 의한 언론의 개념에는 사회 여론형성에 기여하면서 언론보도로 인하여 피해를 줄 수 있는 언론매체라면 모두 포함시키는 것이 타당하다. 따라서 포털뉴스를 언론중재법상의 언론의 개념에 포함시켜 정정보도청구는 물론, 손해배상과 기사의 삭제 또는 게시중지청구까지 중재위원회 조정절차를 통해 이루어질 수 있도록 해당 법률을 개정할 필요성이 있다고 생각한다.

Although the weight of portal news on the media market has tendency to increase with each passing day, there is no legal devices about various kinds of invasions of personality rights and defamation actions that can be caused by portal news under current law. Currently, the many proposed reform bills related to portal news are pending at the National Assembly. As many discussions on regulating portal news are already in process in politics, there are opinions such as that portal news should be regarded as internet newspaper by revising the newspaper law, that legal remedies for damages needs to be prepared by bring portal news under the press arbitration law, and that regulatory law for the overall internet portal sites should be legislated. The most important point of discussion related to portal news lies in the 'legal remedies for damage.' Therefore, it seems resonable to include remedies for damage into the concept of media in the press arbitration law and to apply the remedies for damage and its procedure under the press arbitration law. The newspaper law and the press arbitration law have different objects and purposes of legislation. If the objects of legislation are different, it is natural that the related concepts according to objects become different also. In other words, as for the concept of the media by the press arbitration law, it would be proper to include all the media , if they can damage through their news while contributing to forming public opinion. Thus, it is necessary to reform the relevant laws by including portal news in the concept of the media under the press arbitration law, so that compensation of damages and demand for deleting articles or stoppage of posting articles as well as demand for corrected statement could be achieved through the mediation process of Press Arbitration Commission.

Although the weight of portal news on the media market has tendency to increase with each passing day, there is no legal devices about various kinds of invasions of personality rights and defamation actions that can be caused by portal news under current law. Currently, the many proposed reform bills related to portal news are pending at the National Assembly. As many discussions on regulating portal news are already in process in politics, there are opinions such as that portal news should be regarded as internet newspaper by revising the newspaper law, that legal remedies for damages needs to be prepared by bring portal news under the press arbitration law, and that regulatory law for the overall internet portal sites should be legislated. The most important point of discussion related to portal news lies in the 'legal remedies for damage.' Therefore, it seems resonable to include remedies for damage into the concept of media in the press arbitration law and to apply the remedies for damage and its procedure under the press arbitration law. The newspaper law and the press arbitration law have different objects and purposes of legislation. If the objects of legislation are different, it is natural that the related concepts according to objects become different also. In other words, as for the concept of the media by the press arbitration law, it would be proper to include all the media , if they can damage through their news while contributing to forming public opinion. Thus, it is necessary to reform the relevant laws by including portal news in the concept of the media under the press arbitration law, so that compensation of damages and demand for deleting articles or stoppage of posting articles as well as demand for corrected statement could be achieved through the mediation process of Press Arbitration Commission.

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