Despite attempts to move away from the “manipulation frame”, Mnet still struggles with unclear editing.
On the August 29th broadcast of “Street Woman Fighter 2“, there were ambiguous scenes. During the broadcast, MANNEQUEEN earned 2 points. In the first round, Yoonji defeated JAM REPUBLIC’s Kirsten, and in the second round, Jam Republic’s Ling challenged MANNEQUEEN’s Cera, resulting in Cera’s victory. This brought MANNEQUEEN’s total points to 2.
The broadcast introduced a new concept where the aces of each team competed against each other. The winner gained 2 points, while the loser lost 2 points. During this process, the camera focused on MANNEQUEEN, and member Waackxxxy said, “We have 5 battles, 1 win and 4 losses. We can turn the tables with just 2 wins.” Despite MANNEQUEEN already having 2 wins, the editing portrayed them as having only 1 win.
Due to the confusing and disorganized editing, viewers were left bewildered about the production team’s intentions. The editing lacked explanation and seemed unhelpful in enhancing dramatic storytelling.
Mnet has faced multiple controversies related to manipulation. The “Produce 101” series creator, PD Ahn Joon Young, was sentenced to 2 years in prison for manipulating viewer-paid text votes and providing unfair advantages to certain contestants. The “Idol School” viewer voting was also manipulated, leading to an 8-month prison sentence for the responsible producer.
While the production team might dismiss some of these editing choices as being for entertainment, such unexplained instances can accumulate and lead viewers to once again suspect manipulation.
Regarding this, the “Street Woman Fighter 2″ production team stated that the rearrangement of battle order occurred to help viewers’ understanding of the competition. However, they did not provide specific details about how this rearrangement would enhance viewers’ comprehension.
Source: Nate
