Journalist Jeff Benjamin Shares Insights on HYBE and Min Hee-jin Coverage During NewJeans Controversy

On September 26, 2024, acclaimed journalist and K-pop columnist Jeff Benjamin shared new insights into the ongoing NewJeans controversy and the coverage surrounding HYBE and Min Hee-jin via his official X account.

For those unfamiliar, the Billboard journalist disclosed that he reached out to ADOR for a statement regarding the NewJeans Guerrilla livestream, which the girl group hosted on September 11, 2024, through a now-deleted, newly created YouTube account.

Jeff Benjamin expressed his surprise at seeing his name mentioned in recent articles and statements. He clarified that his role was focused on obtaining facts from both parties involved, stating:

“I was surprised to see my name mentioned in recent articles and statements. My role is just to get the facts from every side, which I’m doing. Anyone adding emotions to my standard fact-checking is adding their personal feelings or biases.”

Jeff Benjamin’s Communications for Transparency Regarding HYBE and Min Hee-jin Coverage

During the NewJeans Guerrilla livestream, the group called for HYBE to reinstate Min Hee-jin as the CEO of ADOR, emphasizing her significant role in their career and shedding light on issues with the current management structure.

Subsequently, Jeff Benjamin published screenshots of his communications with both Min Hee-jin and HYBE to illustrate transparency. He emphasized that he aimed to avoid personal involvement in the story and, therefore, shared these screenshots.

The journalist admitted feeling uncomfortable revealing these communications. To protect the privacy of those involved and minimize any potential confusion, he redacted sensitive information, such as names and emails. He shared three screenshots of his conversations with Min Hee-jin via Kakao Talk.

In the Kakao Talk conversation, he reached out to Min Hee-jin regarding the ongoing NewJeans controversy, using both English and Korean. His message included:

“Hello CEO Min Hee-jin! This is Jeff Benjamin, a columnist at Billboard. Sorry to send an abrupt message. Billboard has received new claims from HYBE regarding (censored words) claims within ADOR. I feel it’s very important to hear from you directly on these claims if you can speak with me or provide your own statement.”

Moreover, the communication revealed Min Hee-jin questioning whether the content was provided by HYBE. In response, Jeff clarified that it was sent by the HYBE U.S. PR team. Min Hee-jin further inquired if the identity of the PR person was disclosed, to which he responded by providing the names of TAG PR and The Agency Group PR.

Additionally, in one screenshot, he included an email sent to HYBE (@hybecorp.com) where he wrote:

“I’m checking in for any reaction or statement regarding the Guerrilla live stream that the NewJeans members hosted late last night or if there are any responses to any of the allegations made. If there’s anyone at ADOR who may want to weigh in or you’d prefer I contact them, more than happy to do so as well.”

Jeff Benjamin concluded his post by asserting that nobody has lied, expressing gratitude for any clarifications provided. He reiterated his commitment to his role as a journalist tasked with investigating the story.

Source