Don’t deal with mainstream media, corporations urged

Global Bersih, the coalition of overseas Bersih supporters, urged corporate citizens in Malaysia to stop their business dealings with the mainstream media for their grossly unethical reporting of last Saturday’s Bersih 3.0 rally.

Describing some media organisations as “being totally detrimental to the future of democracy in Malaysia”, the coalition called upon advertisers and sponsors helping tofund these organisations to pay heed to their moral compass and ask themselves, “What are we doing to Malaysia?”

“Businesses that advertise or enter into sponsorship with these groups must realise that they are supporting blatant distortion and misrepresentation of the Bersih 3.0 rally.

“It is morally and ethically wrong. This practice must stop if Malaysians are to progress and save our democracy from further damage,” said the group in a statement issued today.

Commenting on the United Nations-designated World Press Freedom Day, Global Bersih said the continuing failure of Malaysia’s mainstream media to accurately reflect Malaysian society is a tragedy that must end.

“The scandal behind censorship of the BBC report of last Saturday’s events is only the tip of the iceberg. The vague and inadequate excuses given by Astro for censoring the BBC’s and Al Jazeera’s reports on Bersih 3.0 only serve to betray the trust of their audience and customers.”

Global Bersih also directed its criticism at state-owned TV station RTM, private TV station TV3, and newspapers Utusan Malaysia, The Star and The New Straits Times (NST) as “clear examples of an apparently orchestrated programme of gross distortion and manipulation of events using long-discredited methods that echo the censorship programs of the Nazis’ Goebbels and others”.

Absolute zero for professonalism

“Put together, their coverage of Bersih 3.0 represented the total failure of Malaysia’s licensed mainstream media to provide a professional, accurate and fair news service,” Global Bersih said.

“When a quarter-million Malaysians rallied for free and fair elections, NST could only headline their report with ‘Day of Shame’.

“The day after Malaysians risked life and limb in the name of democracy, The Star would only report ‘Big mess after Bersih’.”

Although Bersih 3.0 is a chapter in Malaysia’s history that will resound for generations, Global Bersih said, it is also Malaysian journalism at its most evil.

“Journalism is the first draft of history, and these media companies totally failed the nation when they abdicated their responsibility to record these events truthfully.”

…more
Don’t deal with mainstream media, corporations urged
May 3, 2012 – Malaysiakini

TV cleansing to a fault

…
The BBC was rightly incensed that its coverage was snipped off so that its reportage appeared unbalanced and unfair to the parties concerned in the rally, namely Opposition Leader Anwar Ibrahim and certain protesters who voiced their anger towards unclean electoral rolls and what they alleged to be the police force’s disproportionate response to the breaching of the barricades at Dataran Merdeka.

In other words, the BBC is concerned that the cut footage adversely affects the quality and credibility of its reportage as well as the professionalism that the British institution strives to achieve. If this isn’t clear enough to Astro, this means that journalistic professionalism, which is a standard operating procedure for any news organisation worth its salt, demands that reporting be fair and balanced.

As if this editorial intervention isn’t enough of a problem, Communication, Information and Culture Minister Rais Yatim came to the defence of Astro, which essentially constitutes a further insult to our collective intelligence. He insisted that Astro should instead be given credit for having shown the “best parts” that were newsworthy. Besides, he added, “each broadcasting house is at liberty to exercise its own style of eliciting the best news items for its station.”

Informed Malaysians know that the mainstream media, and these include TV stations that are owned or controlled by people close to the powers-that-be, do not have enough room to manoeuvre so that biased reporting (towards the ruling party and the federal government) becomes a rule and not an exception. It is sheer, if one could borrow a word used by well-known writer Kee Thuan Chye in his latest popular book, “bullshit” to suggest that the mainstream media are free to decide on their own, especially at a time when the hegemony of the ruling elite is under threat from the ordinary people and other social forces.

To cut to the chase, what has happened at Astro is a crude application of censorship procedure based on some questionable guideline crafted by the authorities. This is to say that the kind of censorship that is meant to conceal things that may cause eventual shame and culpability to the parties concerned especially the authorities — and consequent indignation of members of the general public.

As intimated earlier, this state of the Malaysian mainstream media indeed only underscores one of the demands of the Bersih 3.0 steering committee as well as other concerned Malaysians, which is to have fair and balanced reporting as well as independent and accountable media.

It’s not for Rais and his merry men to decide what is “good” for ordinary Malaysians especially in an era where, as Prime Minister Najib Razak himself once asserted, the government no longer knows best. In this case, Malaysians should be shown the entire BBC video footage of Bersih 3.0 — apart from other video clips by other parties — before they make their informed judgment.

Only then would we know who got themselves dirty.

…more
TV cleansing to a fault
May 03, 2012 – TMI

‘Najib, Taib must apologise for embarrassing us’

The fiasco involving government-hired UK consultants FBC Media and television networks BBC, CNN, and CNBC has compromised the integrity of our leaders, claims PKR.

KUCHING: Sarawak opposition has called on Najib Tun Razak and Taib Mahmud to resign following British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) apology for allowing its widely viewed ‘World News’ programme to be used to air “ego-boasting” propaganda material paid for by the Malaysian government.

“Now that the shameful truth has come to light, we call upon the Prime Minister and Chief Minister to also apologise to the people for squandering our money in this delusional ego-boosting exercise.

“They should resign immediately if they possess even an ounce of integrity and self respect, ” said Sarawak PKR chief Baru Bian.

He added that it was difficult to believe that Najib and Taib “do not realise that good reputation and respect are to be earned and cannot be bought even if one is wealthier than the Queen of England”.

Bian was commenting on BBC’s apology for airing public relations driven spins on Malaysia which were produced by UK-based FBC Media Ltd.

In August last year, BBC suspended all programming contracts from the FBC, after it was ‘confirmed’ that FBC had received payment to produce and air, as genuine content, at least four documentaries on Malaysia’s palm oil industry and its “treatment of the rainforest and indigenous people”.

BBC in a statement to UK daily The Independent had said that “FBC has now admitted to the BBC that it has worked for the Malaysian government” and received “almost £6 million” (RM28 million) from the Najib administration.

Bian said BBC’s apology was a result of the investigations by online portal Sarawak Report (SR).

…more
‘Najib, Taib must apologise for embarrassing us’
February 15, 2012 – FMT

The Prostitution of the Mainstream Media

A few days ago, a friend remarked that he hasn’t read the Utusan Malaysia for almost 2 years. When I asked the reason why, he answered simply by stating Utusan Malaysia has become the extended mouthpiece of UMNO and BN. Especially the former. Its editorials are nothing more than patronizing dictations by an officious Guru Kanan in charge of discipline. He finds the editorials insulting to the intelligence and nauseatingly overbearing. Who wants to read a paper that says Nik Aziz is delusional, while Dr Mahathir who hasn’t made peace with the new political realities, isn’t?

For substitute he now reads Sinar which has surpassed Utusan in circulation and credibility. I am inclined to believe many others share his revulsion for not only Utusan Malaysia but other members of the mainstream media too. The citadel for the shameless media partisanship has shifted from Jalan Riong to the HQ of Media Prima.

For many years now mainstream media has become increasingly partisan and more overt in promoting the policies of UMNO and BN. This evolutionary process by which the MSM became literally the mouthpiece of partisan politics, reached its zenith in 2008 when the media were instrumental in getting Abdullah Badawi kicked out. It was helped further by the existence of some nebulous and often secretive cells in the New Media, helmed often by equally publicity-shy media assassins cloaked under various aliases and pseudonyms. Their obsession for coward secrecy is surpassed only by the intensity of their vitriolic and penchant for ad hominem attacks.

These conclaves of media assassins in the new media are also said to be headed by banished journalists who thought they were legends in the own right. Once upon a time, they thought the world revolves around them and people worshipped at their feet. Some still do and are willing to pay these media witch doctors hefty sums of money.

Many journalists both in the official MSM and in the satellite new media dropped any pretense of objectivity and became not only cheerleaders but active de facto members of the campaign. What has their newfound loyalty and prostration achieved for the journalism community?

During the past two decades no other sector of the economy has experienced such overwhelming financial and employment devastation and severe loss of credibility. In a scathing reference to NST Malaysia, Lee Kuan Yew the former Singapore PM simply said that it has lost credibility. What do people read? They read Harakah, Roketkini and of course, the Internet.

Yet the vast majority of the media do not understand why theirs is a declining and failing business model. They are still in denial and cannot accept the reality of the marketplace, as their actions have prompted the Malaysian public to lose all confidence in their objectivity and integrity.

…more
The Prostitution of the Mainstream Media
5 February 2012 – Sakmongkol

In Malaysia, Freedom of the (Virtual) Press – NY Times

KUALA LUMPUR — When thousands of protesters calling for electoral reform took to the streets here July 9, Malaysiakini, one of Malaysia’s most popular news Web sites, received 5.2 million hits, making the day one of the site’s busiest since it was established in 1999.

An increasing tendency to seek news online is hardly unique to Malaysia. But here, it is not just technology driving readers to news Web sites. It is also that — by design, and in contrast to countries like China, with its infamous Great Firewall — in Malaysia the Internet operates outside the stringent laws that regulate the traditional media.

So while newspapers, radio and television can operate only with a government license and books and films must be approved by censors, who insist that controls are necessary to avoid social problems like inflaming religious sensitivities in this predominantly Muslim country, the Internet has remained largely free of government interference.

But now that disparity — between media restrictions so stringent that Reporters Without Borders ranked Malaysia a low 141 out of 178 on its 2010 Press Freedom Index, and a relatively unfettered Internet that allows citizens to easily circumvent those restrictions — has called into question whether the censorship laws are worth upholding in the digital age.

Last month, Prime Minister Najib Razak called for a re-examination. “I have decided the old ways of censorship needs to be studied,” he said. “It is no longer effective and should be reviewed.”

His announcement followed the blacking out of parts of an article in the print edition of the British newsmagazine The Economist about the July protests and a court ruling upholding a ban on a book of cartoons critical of the government. Meanwhile, all the material remained available online.

Mr. Najib acknowledged that censoring The Economist had brought more harm than good. “The very act of censoring it made a bigger story than the article itself,” The Star newspaper quoted him as saying.

The Internet exception stems in part from a pledge by former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad in 1996, when he established the Multimedia Super Corridor. The aim of this government-designated zone near the capital was to help catapult Malaysia into the ranks of advanced nations by attracting foreign investment with inducements like tax incentives and high-speed Internet access.

But one, perhaps unanticipated, result was to clear the way for the rise of local news Web sites, many of which published critical stories and commentary rarely seen in the mainstream news media. Where once Malaysians eager for independent news coverage might have looked to foreign newspapers, now they could simply log on to homegrown sites.

…more
In Malaysia, Freedom of the (Virtual) Press
By LIZ GOOCH
September 8, 2011 – NY Times

Mercy mission – populistic, Security preparation – wantonly rustic!

SEPT 4 — I refer to your report dated 03 September 2011 on: Fatal Somali mission not a publicity stunt, say Umno MPs

Firstly, my most sincere commiserations to the family of the late Allahyarham Noramfaizul Mohd Nor, the BERNAMA TV Cameraman killed by a “stray” bullet in Mogadishu, Somalia while on an “aid” mission. Condolences to the Family and Al Fatihah for the departed soul.

Irrespective of who fired the deadly shot and why it was so fired, I am of the view that the organisers of this trip should have taken serious cognisance of the probability of such an occurrence happening and should have taken all necessary precautions to minimise such dangers.

It is universally acknowledged that security is the forte of military/police forces, as such, in my mind, their expertise, acumen and advisories should have been sought out and, possibly, the physical presence of some within the team would have been appropriate.

These professionals could have acted as a very reliable “in-house” security guide, supplementing those provided by the local militias in Mogadishu itself.

Was this sought? Had it been thought out? Or, do the organisers assume that having Malaysian flags draped/stuck somewhere on vehicles carrying these well-intentioned Malaysians have the same effect as they do in Malaysia?

Was the Team aware of the security consequences when lunging themselves into the wretched wave of pitiful humanity whose plight were massively caused by the dastardly acts and misbehaviour of their own political masters plus some help from the Almighty in the form of an extended drought?

Noble though this charitable act appears to be, the way it was carried out makes one wonders whether it is the “publicity” generated that counts or the aid provided. The leader of the Team would definitely basked in glory should there be no mishap after this mission.

Based on similar presumption, one should hold the leader of the Team responsible for this dastardly act leading to the untimely demise of a Malaysian carrying out his duties by unconcerned snipers somewhere in Mogadishu!

For heaven’s sake, please do not assume every “aid” mission organised is similar in terms of security and safety concerns.

Having good and noble intentions only is no guarantee that it will keep one alive in a location such as Somalia, particularly Mogadishu!

Let us hope that a deadly lesson is learnt from this tragic episode.

* Captain Abdul Aziz Abdullah reads The Malaysian Insider.

* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication. The Malaysian Insider does not endorse the view unless specified.

…source
Mercy mission — populistic, Security preparation — wantonly rustic! — Captain Abdul Aziz Abdullah
September 04, 2011 – Malaysian Insider

Umno shows no remorse over mission tragedy

How can it be that by addressing the issues that had led to the debacle of the Bernama cameraman’s death, one was “maligning the memory of the dead”?

To me that is warped logic as public interest overrides all protocols, and Malaysians have a right to know when there is a loss of life because of oversight, stupidity, negligence, callousness, indifference and a lack of detailed preparedness.

And remember post death cheques and the ensuing media spin can never substitute for a lost son, husband, father, sibling and friend slain in a most bizarre fashion.

Something that was lost when some idiot then went on to publicly declare that there has already been a RM200,000 compensation in insurance for the deceased’s next of kin.

How insensitive, how misdirected, how cruel and coarse!

Then a minister chips in saying that a standard operating procedure (SOP) should be created to serve as a guideline for all parties, including media practitioners before embarking on or taking part in any humanitarian mission abroad.

Though late – I welcome this.

In other words, Malaysians are finally told there has yet to be a standard operating procedure (SOP) put in place, the very fundamental necessity and norm before we – for some misconceived and misdirected sense of goodwill or political agenda and expediency – run madly into the wilderness into a conflict zone with amateurs in tow, thinking it is a ‘song and dance’ or a ‘semerak gathering’ routine.

But politics, being such in Malaysia, seem to override common sense, ethics, governance, accountability and transparency.

And thus, the comment that takes the cake is the one none other than Kelab Putra 1Malaysia president Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, who instead of just apologising to all Malaysians, decided to go on the offensive, unable to take the criticism levelled against him.

Abdul Azeez issued a statement in an interview on BernamaTV’s Helo Malaysia programme, that was politically loaded, arrogant, and which showed no remorse when he extended an invitation to Malaysians who questioned this debacle, this misadventure, this stupidity, to join him in their next mission to the war-torn country.

Death in Somalia – What Malaysians say

Selection of comments found on online news portals.

Dr Jacob George:
Whether one wants to entertain this question or not, it will be asked – who should be vicariously held responsible for this unnecessary and uncalled for loss of life?

If indeed there was a callous statement it was this: “Even international journalists get killed… If you don’t want to become a journalist, stay at home.”

Whether it is a trademark response or one’s mistake, it has been carried in the media for others to judge. Perhaps, it is time Malaysian politicians and politician ‘wannabes’ grow up and more importantly, stand up to public scrutiny.

Be a statesman – take responsibility instead of ‘ducking, avoiding and hiding’ under the ‘skirts and trousers’ of their political godfathers and mothers when their mistake, stupidity and negligence have been exposed, and in fact laid bare before all Malaysians and the rest of the world, in this episode.

Lexicon:
PM Najib Razak argues that “even if you wear a bullet-proof vest, there is no guarantee” of safety.

But wouldn’t that have been part of the bare minimum precaution that Umno leaders, and their propagandist managers in Bernama, should have ensured for all the film crew?

By Najib’s logic, wearing a parachute when you jump out of a plane is no guarantee of safety either, but who would want to throw someone out of a plane without a parachute?

Umno has behaved most callously by sending a young father into a danger zone without due diligence.

To respond to the most obvious question about Umno Youth’s responsibility by describing such a question as “unwarranted” shows Umno has no concern for the good of others, and only uses others for Umno leaders’ pathetic political survival.

Paul Warren:
Why is it not the right time to play the blame game? I blame you, Najib, for this man’s untimely death. Is it because you want your narrative to hover over this story rather than the real truth of the matter that you don’t want the blame game now?

You want to have a free reign over the narrative over the next few days so that the family looks at their loss as a sacrifice instead of a totally unwarranted, unnecessary death, only so that Umno Youth scores some brownie points.

It was recklessly stupid of Bernama and the other broadcasters who exposed their staff to this danger knowing very well that real and honest missions carried out by other charities go there without a camera crew.

Here it was more important to have all the nation’s broadcasters present. What does that say? Please call this an ‘expedition’ and don’t violate the term ‘mission’ for all that it is understood to mean.

It was a ‘Shiok Sendiri Expedition’ undertaken by Umno to score brownie points.

JusticeKini:
An untimely and unnecessary death. The organiser Putera 1Malaysia should be fully accountable. In order to ‘bodek’ Umno’s Najib, the club’s head, Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim, took a reckless ego trip which resulted in this death.

It is strange a private NGO mission can have the full support of the RMAF (Royal Malaysian Air Force), Bernama, TV3, etc. How about bringing aid to the marginalised Malays and other races who are all languishing right here in Malaysia?

NGO responsible for Bernama man’s death, says kin

SUBANG, Sept 4 — As Malaysians mourn the killing of a local journalist in Somalia, Noramfaizul Mohd Nor’s relatives want the non-governmental Putera 1 Malaysia Club to be held responsible for his death.

The club — which is headed by Umno supreme council member Datuk Abdul Azeez Rahim — organised a humanitarian mission to the war-torn country that led to the Bernama TV cameraman’s death last Friday.

“They (Putera 1 Malaysia Club) are the ones who organised (the mission). They cannot lepas tangan (evade responsibility),” Noramfaizul’s uncle Abu Bakar Md Yasin told The Malaysian Insider at the Royal Malaysian Air Force (RMAF) base here today.

“They should have done prior intelligence. Don’t just barge in. This is a foreign country,” added the 64-year-old retired civil servant from the Defence Ministry.

International media rights watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF) rank Somalia as the deadliest country in Africa for media personnel, with 23 media workers killed since 2007.

The famine-stricken country has not had a functioning government for more than 20 years.

Noramfaizul was killed in the Somali capital of Mogadishu when African Union peacekeepers allegedly shot at a truck in which six mission members, including the 39-year-old, were travelling.

The cameraman — who worked in national news agency Bernama for 11 years — leaves behind a wife, Norazrina Jaafar, and two sons aged eight and three years.

Norazrina wept when her husband’s body was brought down from RMAF’s C-130 aircraft here today, as hundreds gathered on the tarmac under the gentle morning sun.

Noramfaizul’s other uncle, Md Tahir Md Yasin, said his nephew’s death could have been avoided.

“They should wear bulletproof vests. It’s not a stable country,” he told The Malaysian Insider.

The 69-year-old retired teacher said Bernama should also be held accountable for Noramfaizul’s death, besides the Putera 1 Malaysia Club.

…more
NGO responsible for Bernama man’s death, says kin
September 04, 2011 – Malaysian Insider

Somalia mission went ahead despite warning from recce team

There was sound advice from an advance team that the Somalia aid mission should be put on hold. However, it is said that the advice was not heeded. Now, a family, friends and colleagues mourn a wasteful loss.

JUST three days before the Putera 1Malaysia Club Malaysian volunteers left for Somalia on Aug 28, a seven-member reconnaissance team comprising government officials, a high-ranking military officer and media members arrived in Mogadishu.

Their objective was to check the security situation and secure the safety of Malaysians from the Soma­lis for the humanitarian mission.

Media members were also included as they were supposed to give feedback how best their colleagues could do their job when they arrive in Somalia.

The recce team’s verdict?

It was a risky trip.

Recommendations were also made that if the humanitarian mission wanted to go, it should leave after Hari Raya to make sure all the preparations were in place.

When the team reported back to Putrajaya, the order was to stay put and wait for the team that was coming from Malaysia just a few days before Ramadan ends.

The team in Somalia met their local contacts and went up to the highest level to make all the arrangements, despite the known risks.

Another recommendation made by the recce team was for mission leader Datuk Abdul Azeez Abdul Rahim to concentrate their work and set up a clinic at one selected camp for the refugees.

Unfortunately, this too was ignored. The mission decided to move from one place to another, inadvertently increasing the danger for the members who were travelling.

…more
Failure to listen cost a life
September 6, 2011 – The Star