Truthful Lies

(Taken from: http://pakarmedforces.com/2012/12/isi-a-big-failure-or-a-symbol-of-success.html/reality-of-pakistani-media-by-pakarmedforces)

                No doubt that most Malaysians read and listen to information that has been censored and changed by our beloved government. Clearly, there is a close relationship between the media press and the political parties in the ruling league. The party-owned media gets to control the media and this allows them to have the power to decide on the scope and nature of the media content. Journalists are facing problems and it is difficult for them as they are working in the government’s propaganda plans, working almost like slaves and not professionals. This situation also makes it difficult for Malaysians to practice their rights to information. With this, government has imposed many laws and acts that instill fear among the media practitioners and obviously, the journalists. This also prevents most of the journalists from playing their role in voicing out the truth.

                In class, it made me realise something deeper that the government is not the only people we are most likely to blame at. Nevertheless, the problem with the media in Malaysia is within, that is the journalists themselves. Lack of self-esteem can be a problem. Journalist plays an important role in the media industry. They consider their vocation just a job to earn a living and they are prepared to sell themselves for a pittance. They would give up on their rights because of the overloaded restrictions and laws that are imposed in the country. When they began writing they were committed and set out to change the world but gradually, most journalists’ belly takes over their brain and mind. Then they stop thinking and produce mediocre articles and reports that are acceptable to their political bosses. They begin to measure success by the figures in their pay cheque.

                If you are a journalist, ask yourself, will there be output without input? The quality of the output also depends on the quality of the input. For instance, if our input is mainly the mediocre speeches of our ministers, then our output must be trash marketable only with the mainstream newspapers.

References:

http://books.google.com.my/books?id=XKyP-8XwuIoC&pg=PA249&dq=ownership,+control+and+malaysian+media&hl=en&sa=X&ei=QyuHU4maM4-48gXMmoHYBg&ved=0CC4Q6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=ownership%2C%20control%20and%20malaysian%20media&f=false

http://mpi.my/ceramah-penerangan-freedom