* Editor’s Note: The Malaysian Insider apologises for misrepresentation and errors made in its report of the forum after checking with the reporter’s notes and recording. The news report has been corrected with the full quotes made by Dr Bridget Welsh in the forum to the question that was asked. Once again, our apologies to the speakers in the forum. Thank you.
A call for a more constructive media ― Bridget Welsh
September 24, 2012
SEPT 24 ― Too much of the reporting on political
events within Malaysia is based on fabrications, rather than analysis anchored
in research and responsible journalism. There has been noticeable decay in the
professionalism of journalists, either from selling out their principles to
engage in partisanship, or through the lack of proper mentorship or training.
Some of this is a product of the growing
competitive political environment, where formerly more reliable mainstream
papers have compromised their integrity for their political masters, while in
other cases, the drive to publish the story first and make it the most
sensational has comprised the due diligence of proper reporting.
Simple things, such as checking facts and quotes,
have gone by the wayside. Worse yet, it has become acceptable for some to
publish shoddy work, and rather than be chided for this practice, it is openly
encouraged and financially rewarded.
Readers sometimes take what is published at face
value, rather than adopting a more discerning approach to what they are
reading. Too much of the discussion of politics is tied to misrepresentation
and misunderstanding.
It is a time of political transition in Malaysia.
The incumbent party that has held onto power since 1957 ― 55 years ― is facing
the most competitive polls in history. At a public forum on Monday September
17th in Kuala Lumpur, I explained why based on polling trajectories and
fieldwork, the Barisan Nasional (BN) has not regained significant ground since
March 2008.
I suggested, however, that voters alone will not
decide the electoral outcome. Concerns involve the fairness of the elections.
The impact of a widening unlevel electoral playing field is not yet known. We
have also seen over the last three years since the March 2008 polls that the
situation is very fluid, as Najib Razak’s administration reached a high in
support last November and has been declining in popularity since the April
Bersih rally, although at varied levels among different communities.
While most Malaysians have decided how they will
vote, the middle ground is in flux and has the potential to move again as the
campaign evolves.
As such, the election is difficult to call. My own
analysis indicates that a third of the seats are extremely close. I pointed to
the states of Sabah, Pahang, Perak, Johor and Selangor as the states with
highly competitive seats, but argued that every seat will matter in the
upcoming General Elections.
The campaign, candidate selection and use of state
resources will also shape the final outcome. The majority of my other remarks
focused on new trends in voting behaviour, issues that will be presented in
future articles.
The quality of the media coverage of the forum raises
concerns and provokes a call for greater constructive and responsible dialogue
as Malaysia enters new uncertain political terrain. When the forum began, we
asked the media to check quotes with speakers and to operate with
professionalism.
Instead, a reporter from The Malaysian Insider
(TMI) and subsequent media reports by journalists who were not at the event,
have distorted the discussion, misquoted remarks and acted irresponsibly. None
of the reports on the event have followed the request to check their facts and
most of the reports of the event are second- and third-hand reports made from
the original flawed report TMI report.
Initially, there were two areas of concern. First
of all, the TMI media report of the event focused on the response to the last
question of the night in the two-and-a-half hours of discussions, rather than
covering the discussion in the meeting as a whole.
The mischaracterization of the forum as a
discussion of “casting doubts about Pakatan” was from the onset a distortion.
The article’s headline was misleading and not reflective of the proceedings.
This is a troubling trend in Malaysian reporting ― a focus on sensationalism
rather than substance.
The issues that were discussed covered a range from
human rights concerns and Sabah politics to the rising environmental movement
and the role of morality in voting.
Second, the TMI report had a number of factual
errors. For example, my position to the question whether “Can Pakatan Rule?”
was not reported. I clearly stated that “Malaysians voters should decide.”
Subsequent interpretations of this inaccurate reporting of my response have
been misconstrued to imply that I support one side or another.
My remarks in the forum highlighted the challenges
both sides will face in governing. I noted that whoever won the election would
face a trust deficit among a share of voters, as Malaysian voters are
polarized.
In another example of error, the TMI reporting
completely misconstrued the discussion of Dr Mahathir’s legacy on Malaysian
politics. My remarks discussed the challenges Umno as a party faced to reform,
pointing out that it has not reformed since 2008, and arguing that this had to
do in part with the legacy Mahathir left on the party.
I argued that both Tun Abdullah Badawi and Datuk
Seri Najib Razak faced difficulties in carrying out reforms due to pressures
from this legacy of constraint. The overall context of the discussion was left
out of the report and mistakenly interpreted as praise for either Mahathir or
Najib. The irony of the errors in the report by TMI is that they completely
missed the key points of analysis.
To compound the original problems in the reporting
of the forum, other journalists who were not at the event and also did not
check their facts used it for their stories. In one column for The Star
newspaper by columnist Baradan Kuppusamy, elements in the original article were
embellished with such partisan gusto and mischief that it had evolved away from
misconstrued reality to fantasy.
To suggest, for example, that the speakers
buttressed “Najib’s reformist credentials” is factually incorrect. This is a
complete fabrication. My own remarks centred on public concerns with corruption
and public perceptions of the lack of substantive reforms. I never used the
word “reformist” or “reformer”.
The focus of my remarks was on factors affecting
voting behaviour and their possible impact on the next polls. The column is
embarrassingly riddled with multiple factual errors, as the columnist was not
present at the forum nor did he follow due diligence in checking the facts. It
is a sad day when this sort of reporting is paid for.
In the initial TMI report, the reporter was
inexperienced, and my original tack was to have a quiet word to encourage
better practice. Also some of the original report did accurately account some
of the issues that were raised, even if the context was not provided and the
headline misleading.
The situation became even more egregious when
reporters who did not bother to do any homework opted to use a flawed report as
the basis of a story or in at least one case a fable. I understand that in the
Malaysian context misreporting is common. It is unfortunately clear that
fabrications are also becoming more common as well.
This does not take away from the reality that these
practices are wrong and destructive. Media integrity and low standards of
professionalism are serious problems and those that are hurt by them are
ordinary readers. They are undermining the constructive discussion that is
needed to strengthen Malaysia as it moves toward a better future. Malaysians
deserve better.
(face saving acts) * Dr Welsh asked that this comment be appended
following the publication of her piece. “Thank you, TMI, for your
professionalism, graciousness and constructive response.”
http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/sideviews/article/a-call-for-a-more-constructive-media-bridget-welsh/
... and now the million dollar question, WHO is the Malaysian Insider 'journalist' who cooked that controversial piece?
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