Malaysiakini reported in its Coup for MCA as PKR founder-member joins up that a founding member of PKR Ng Lum Yong has joined MCA. But the item that caught Hartalmsm Reconsecrated’s eye was on the report of what MCA’s president Chua Soi Lek had said.
Malaysiakini reported: The MCA president continued to harp on the issue of Islamic state, citing the previous Perak Pakatan Rakyat state government as an example of PAS dominance of the opposition coalition.
He pointed out that PAS had only won six state seats in Perak in 2008 compared to DAP and PKR, which controlled 18 and seven seats respectively. Yet, the mentri besar was selected from PAS.
While Malaysiakini no doubt was only reporting what Chua had said, it failed to make mention of the fact that Chua was disingenuous, deliberately misrepresenting the situation.
Every adult who read a newspaper in March 2008 knows that it was not PAS which demanded Mohd Nizar Jamaluddin to be MB when Pakatan won rule of the Perak State. In fact a PKR ADUN had been chosen by Pakatan to be MB.
It was the regent, Raja Nazrin, who ignored the ruling party's recommended candidate for the MB's position and went on to personally appoint Nizar to the post.
Hartalmsm Reconsecrated’s job is not to comment on the constitutional correctness and intention of Raja Nazrin's action at that time, but to point out that Malaysiakini, while reporting faithfully what Chua Soi Lek had said, should be obligated to make a comment on the misinformation by Chua Soi Lek.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Thursday, January 20, 2011
Bernama's credibility
Sometimes the blogger needn't write anything, because, as in this post, the editorial from The Malaysian Insider titled Bernama’s credibility says it all.
***
JAN 20 - Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim took exception to state news agency Bernama’s coverage of his speech in Alor Star yesterday in which it reported that he wanted a discussion with Datuk Seri Najib Razak instead of a debate.
This after the letter the PKR de facto leader had sent to the prime minister inviting him to debate about the Pakatan Rakyat PR 100-day programme.
Whether Najib will eventually take up the challenge and make Anwar break into a “fever” is another question.
What is in question is Bernama’s coverage of Anwar’s comments.
The state news agency did not skip a beat and reported Anwar’s objection to the reporting but made no attempt to say its report was wrong.
Unlike the July 24 2010 article that made Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng livid when the national news agency filed a story with an incomplete quote and suggested when it was not so that he had accepted in good faith a reproach from the prime minister and deputy prime minister.
Bernama later apologised for the mistake.
Is there a pattern to Bernama’s reporting that upsets only one bench in Parliament
After all it is a federally-funded news organisation that must serve Malaysia not just the government of the day. Its duty is to report accurately and impartially not to favour the ruling government over its political foes.
Bernama has to be careful about its role. Its reporting is used by almost all media organisations in Malaysia and also by foreign news agencies and newspapers such as Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Kyodo and Bloombery to name a few.
And it counts The Malaysian Insider and other news portals as its clients.
If any of its reporting raises doubts then its credibility is at stake. And it will lose clients and only report the news that Putrajaya wants to hear which is not what any good media organisation is all about.
Malaysians have punished news organisations which abdicate their roles of reporting fairly by boycotting several newspapers and driving down their circulations and ability to make money.
Bernama should not tempt this fate It won’t just lose money - or get the government to top up its deficit - but it will lose its name pun intended.
As a client and more so as a Malaysian we expect Bernama to report accurately and fairly And if mistakes are made to correct them swiftly and apologise appropriately. Keep to professional standards and don’t go the way of some media outlets in the country.
***
JAN 20 - Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim took exception to state news agency Bernama’s coverage of his speech in Alor Star yesterday in which it reported that he wanted a discussion with Datuk Seri Najib Razak instead of a debate.
This after the letter the PKR de facto leader had sent to the prime minister inviting him to debate about the Pakatan Rakyat PR 100-day programme.
Whether Najib will eventually take up the challenge and make Anwar break into a “fever” is another question.
What is in question is Bernama’s coverage of Anwar’s comments.
The state news agency did not skip a beat and reported Anwar’s objection to the reporting but made no attempt to say its report was wrong.
Unlike the July 24 2010 article that made Penang Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng livid when the national news agency filed a story with an incomplete quote and suggested when it was not so that he had accepted in good faith a reproach from the prime minister and deputy prime minister.
Bernama later apologised for the mistake.
Is there a pattern to Bernama’s reporting that upsets only one bench in Parliament
After all it is a federally-funded news organisation that must serve Malaysia not just the government of the day. Its duty is to report accurately and impartially not to favour the ruling government over its political foes.
Bernama has to be careful about its role. Its reporting is used by almost all media organisations in Malaysia and also by foreign news agencies and newspapers such as Reuters, Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, Kyodo and Bloombery to name a few.
And it counts The Malaysian Insider and other news portals as its clients.
If any of its reporting raises doubts then its credibility is at stake. And it will lose clients and only report the news that Putrajaya wants to hear which is not what any good media organisation is all about.
Malaysians have punished news organisations which abdicate their roles of reporting fairly by boycotting several newspapers and driving down their circulations and ability to make money.
Bernama should not tempt this fate It won’t just lose money - or get the government to top up its deficit - but it will lose its name pun intended.
As a client and more so as a Malaysian we expect Bernama to report accurately and fairly And if mistakes are made to correct them swiftly and apologise appropriately. Keep to professional standards and don’t go the way of some media outlets in the country.
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