On media and muckraking

In the last month or so, I had the opportunity to attend the Global Economic Summit (GES) which was held in Kuala Lumpur, and one session that struck me was the role of the media in today’s world, moderated by Anya Schiffrin.

It was an eye opener because even the panel, made up of lecturers from China and even South Africa, was reading about the Sedition Act and asking what the media in the country was doing about it.

Other points highlighted were the role of the media in combating and highlighting corruption, and abuse by governments and corporations.

In her book “Global Muckraking: 100 Years of Investigative Journalism”, Schiffrin highlights how people took to not only becoming writers, but opening entire publications to fight against injustices in the world, from slavery in Africa to the exploits of human capital by Foxconn in China.

The media’s role is to highlight corruption and dangers, either in the form of a columnist in Utusan highlighting the would be sale of Asia e-University to a Pakatan Rakyat sympathiser, or even Malaysiakini through KiniBiz on the shady deals of 1Malaysia Development Bhd (1MDB).

And, while there are failures to launch, such as the case of TheSun and Zahid Hamidi, it is imperative that the media continue to highlight the abuses of public officials and institutions. But at the same time, we have successes like The Heat highlighting the dubious deals behind the Human Resources Development Corporation.

And, yes, there are times where the investment does not pay off such as the case with Off The Edge, but it is imperative to have a bustling media industry to highlight all opinions to ensure all voices have a say, in physical paper publications or on the internet.

And, these investigative pieces are not without peril or repercussions. In the case of Malaysiakini, somehow writing an article quoting a person in remand can be said as “seditious”. In the case of The Malaysian Insider, constructive criticism has now resulted in a lawsuit filed by former Selangor Menteri Besar Tan Sri Khalid Ibrahim.

For Focus Malaysia, reporting in its first issue that Audi would no longer be under DRB-Hicom got them into threats of a lawsuit from the company, even after being vindicated more than a year later. The list of those who wish to silence public opinion using lawsuits and arrests are aplenty.

And in the case of Radzi Razak and other journalists covering protests, it even led to the physical abuse by authorities, even after acknowledging themselves as members of the media. These actions do not reflect well a government with a Prime Minister which boasts we are a “moderate” nation and those which reside and do business in it.

The media have every right to dig where it has to dig, and journalists should be encouraged to investigate further. After all, did this government not promise that it would be more transparent?

Did our prime minister not go out on air and said that the era of government knowing best was over? If so, how can it deny the freedom of the press?

Furthermore, when a news portal publishes comments posted by the general public, it is not defamatory or seditious if the public explains why they think it was wrong. In fact, such news portals would usually give the right of reply to all those mentioned.

This is what makes the media an important tool; it is to provide interaction within the view of the general public. The fact that our own Prime Minister instead chooses a court of law instead of the court of public perception clearly shows that he may be cowed into silence by his naysayers, which is never a good sign.

And the media itself needs to evolve as well. While the Malaysian market is relatively loud about politics, it is not equally loud on discussing social issues unless mentioned by politicians. We need more investigative pieces of news.

The Edge managed to highlight one piece talking about how RM6,000 monthly was not enough for a household, while The Malaysian Insider highlighted similarly with a five-figure salary in Penang. In The Heat, we saw an entire issue this week discussing housing, the impending implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and even wage inequality, quoting a Nobel prize winner no less.

The Keretapi Tanah Melayu Bhd (KTMB) union busting of the Railwaymen’s Union of Malaysia (RUM) was not fully covered, nor were there any details on what such a move meant. Does this mean that KTMB is gearing up for privatisation, for instance, is a question worth answering.

The media will always be inquisitive and, if we are in the wrong and highlighted as such, admittance works better than denial and the abuse of shutting it down. After all, a more mature society such as the one we claim to be should always be openly discussing topics and airing the views of the general public.

As long, of course, as the general public is equally well informed by the media. – October 1, 2014.

*This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of The Malaysian Insider.