Pinnochio

Yes, I know. It seems like I'm an avid K-drama viewer. It's just that once in a while I would come across an interesting drama when I channel surf. I had seen the ads for Pinnochio and thought it was another typical coming-of-age story with a dose of romance in it. I mean let's be honest here, what would a K-drama be without the obligatory love story? The intro of Pinnochio seemed interesting because it was premised around young adults joining the workforce as broadcast reporters. This caught my attention because I used to be a business reporter for a local newspaper. I would have watched because of this but because it seemed more like a love story I decided to give it a pass.

Some days later, I came across an episode which showed the main characters covering the story about a man caught stealing a luxury backpack for his son to use at school. The employees had asked the department store owner to let the guy go as a goodwill gesture since he was only doing it for his son and it was the Christmas season. The store owner refused and the man was arrested. This prompted the main characters to investigate the story. From then on, I was hooked.

I don't know how realistic Pinnochio is in terms of conveying the day-to-day activities of broadcast journalists but it seems pretty realistic to me. In the beginning, it showed how the new recruits had to deal with their punishing schedules in order to obtain stories for their strict editors (I can relate to that). It was quite traumatic watching that. While my schedule as a newbie reporter wasn't as punishing, I could empathise with them.

The main strength of this show, in my opinion, is how it portrayed media manipulation and how it affects everyone involved. I found it insightful and thoughtful. It has made me more aware of how the media portrays issues to push a certain agenda to the public. Media manipulation is nothing new and most people including myself are aware of it but what this show does is elevate your senses to these instances.

Unfortunately, I suspect that this is not the reason most people watch the show. For them, the main strength of the show is the love story. I admit it's not bad but that's not what got me hooked to the story. Shady dealings, media manipulation, investigative journalism, corruption, camaraderie, perseverance, dedication and love is what I like about it. I hope to see more K-dramas like this :)