The irony of a biased media Anisah Shukry | February 23, 2013
Politicians lose out on votes, journalists lose out on credibility, and the rakyat loses out on information. In the end, we’re all losers in this toxic game. COMMENT
Have you ever felt like doing a karate chop on your television when watching Buletin Utama? Or suffered high blood pressure just after glimpsing the front page of Utusan? Or choked on your morning coffee when surfing Malaysia Chronicle?
Last night, my apolitical sister told me she actually felt like puking when watching Buletin Utama. Apparently, they were reporting how a prominent PAS leader likened recipients of the Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) vouchers to animals.
“What rubbish! As if Nik Aziz would be stupid enough to say such a thing!” cried my usually mild sister.
“Obviously a spin,” I agreed automatically, rolling my eyes. Typical Buletin Utama, feeding lies to the masses, I thought.
But then my journalistic instincts, on a brief reprieve after failing to get analysts’ responses for my article for the day, kicked in.
What if it isn’t spin? I mulled. What if this time it’s actually true, bona fide news, and I’m dismissing it, before even verifying if the report is true, because I know TV3 is biased?
And therein lies the irony of the biased media. What blatantly biased news agencies don’t get is that the more they hit out on the other side, the more sympathy people feel towards the “victims”. It’s reverse psychology 101.
Take for example BN-controlled media like Utusan, TV3, NST. Every time they give the opposition bad coverage, most of us from the middle ground automatically assume its spin or, at the very least, not telling the whole story. Immediately, the opposition become martyrs in our eyes – the underdogs that we should root for.
And the same applies for pro-opposition news portals like Malaysia Chronicle, and even, to a certain extent, FMT. Honestly, another sister of mine, who is absolutely determined to vote for the opposition in the coming general election, actually shook her head and sighed “poor Najib” when reading the article ‘PM missed a beat on drummer ad’ on FMT.
As for me, every time Malaysiakini/FMT/Malaysia Chronicle columnists wax lyricals about what a “failure” our prime minister Najib Tun Razak is, I can’t help but sympathise with him and feel like reminding the world that ‘hey, if it weren’t for BN, we’d still be an agricultural society.
Blatantly biased
But then I pick up a copy of NST and feel nauseous at the sight of the bum-kissing headlines plastered above Najib’s face, and the cycle of sympathy-hate continues…
It’s just really ironic, because these news companies, journalists and columnists are bending over backwards to please their political masters, yet they are inadvertently doing these people a disfavour. Because while these news companies can keep the party’s staunch supporters feverishly happy with their one-sided, sugar coated, liberally-censored news, the politicians are definitely not winning any new fans.
And that’s a huge goldmine they’re missing out on. According to a survey by Yayasan Ehwal Siswa in two public universities, more than 50% of the 2,000 students interviewed were fence-sitters when it came to deciding which party they would support for in both parliamentary and state seats.
So what’s the solution? Obviously not blatantly biased news media that censors any unflattering reports – because then the middle ground will just see this as a propaganda machine akin to Harry Potter’s The Daily Prophet.
No, the only solution that works out for all politicians, journalists and the rakyat is to get rid of political intervention in the media. Exorcise the bias. Go back to fair and balanced reporting. Stay loyal only to the facts.
I feel like taking our BN leaders by the shoulders and telling them “if you think that you’re doing the right thing, then let the media freely report everything you’re doing. Let the media provide the rakyat with all the facts so that they can conclude for themselves that, yes, you’re doing the right thing.”
The end result of a free and fair media is that once it gains the rakyat’s trust, every time it reports on a politician messing up or doing a good thing, we the rakyat can accept it as facts to take into consideration when voting, rather than mere progaganda or lies. Dudes, it’s a win-win solution!
So please, no more spinning gasing headlines like “Najib wins over crowd in Penang” or “What a Joker! Adnan sure of clean sweep seats for BN in Pahang” and get back to reporting plain facts.
Even the handling of security in lahad datu is suspicious and poorly observed with th home minister only coming after one week standoff and better still army no news or announcement.... if there is a war I can assure you all the weapon, artillery, arms etc we bought may not work and we may not be properly trained to use them!! Becoz they were bought for kick back purposes and not the actual intent......
47-Day Countdown to 13GE – Royal Commission of Inquiry into the RM100 billion losses from financial scandals in the 22-year Mahathir premiership
Quote .....Let me assure Mahathir that I do not want to see him suffer the fate of Mubarak or Gadafi.
I do not even want to see Mahathir in jail but there must be full accounting for the RM100 billion losses from the financial scandals during the 22-year Mahathir era, a dark era in Malaysian history which saw key national institutions in the country like the Judiciary, the civil service, Attorney-General’s Chambers, the Police, the Anti-Corruption Agency , the Election Commission compromised and subverted to serve the behests of one man, the Prime Minister and from which disaster Malaysia has not yet fully recovered.
....I am on public record as sayin that if Pakatan Rakyat is to capture Putrajaya in the 13GE, we should re-open investigation not only on the RM30 billion Bank Negara forex scandal of 1992, there should be a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the RM100 billion losses suffered by the country in the financial scandals of the 22-year Mahathir era.
I will vote adun BN and parlimen PKR,since my MAS still below 1.00.Let us get the bad ass rules by someone they don't like,let them taste the suffer that feel by workers.
hahaha YB ingo...u should contest for parliamentary seat...y offended by my presence here?..u can talk whatever u want but y upset by my presence here??? hahaha
minitrader , why should I be upset by your presence here. The more you write the more I will bantai you, got it?
You last said you will miss this topic a miss and will not look into it again...now why the gostan?? They said that people who talk NOT THE TRUTH are really useless & idiotic, hee hee hee
For the past 5 years under BN ruling, the market can't even move up. Look at the SEA market. Ours is totally screw up. What is C.So Lek taking. Still want to frighten us? He taught all of us tak ade baca buku ?
stupid idiotic minitrader , you can make money, you looks like as though you lost your underwear already and that's why you are angry with me, you stupid idiotic moron. Next time you may have no underwear to wear, haa haa ha
....and remember when you in shower playing with tool you are not necessarily plumber cause you had no more underwear, haa haa haa Better still you stick foot in your mouth you get athlete's tongue! haa haa haa
minitrader, remember you said this below and now gostan to whack me because you lose money and want to take me as your punching bag, tak malu when you said you make money, don't bullshit, you masuk longkang or jamban I believe.
News: Dr Mahathir: Malaysia's debt still healthy
Feb 21, 2013 11:41 AM | Report Abuse
don't waste your time guys...not reading any...just letting u guys discuss among your good fellows...good luck n have fun arguing...
Just get news from few friends in GLC. Najib ask all GLC pay employee bonus before election and with higher rate. No wonder, why Axiata announce share/capital repayment. Do they now "cashing" out the money? Still wondering why?
Yahoooooooooooooooooooooo........read on please...
Quote.. Armed forces apolitical G Vinod | February 25, 2013
They will back any democratically elected government, including Pakatan Rakyat, claims former army deputy chief, Lieutenant General (R) Abdul Ghaffir Abdul Hamid
SHAH ALAM: The Malaysian Armed Forces is an apolitical institution and will support any government democratically elected to power, said a former deputy army chief.
Lieutenant General (R) Abdul Ghaffir Abdul Hamid, dismissed claims by Barisan Nasional (BN) that there would be chaos if Pakatan Rakyat wins federal power in the 13th general election.
“I assure you that the armed forces is a professional organisation. Their loyalty lies with the Yang di-Pertuan Agong.
“If Pakatan wins, I’m sure that our military will respect the new government,” said Abdul Ghaffir at the fourth Pakatan Rakyat convention in Shah Alam today.
Earlier this month, PKR received a boost when Abdul Ghaffir and three other senior army officials joined the party.
Pakatan has a good chance to win
Defence Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, unhappy with their move, retorted by saying that the former military leaders did not appreciate the armed forces’ contribution to their lives.
Abdul Ghaffir, however, conceded that there may be some quarters who would try to create problems if Pakatan wins but they would be in the minority.
“Only small pockets of people will try to create some incident but we won’t have a revolution here. Malaysians, in general, are law abiding,” he said.
The former army head also said that there was a good chance for Pakatan to take over Putrajaya after the 13th general election.
“The police and army intelligence services work together mostly. Based on our findings, there is a good chance for Pakatan to win the general election,” said Abdul Ghaffir.
This book is the result of the author's many years of experience and observation throughout his 26 years in the stockbroking industry. It was written for general public to learn to invest based on facts and not on fantasies or hearsay....
bingo
2,677 posts
Posted by bingo > 2013-02-23 14:31 | Report Abuse
Read this please..
I Quote...
The irony of a biased media
Anisah Shukry
| February 23, 2013
Politicians lose out on votes, journalists lose out on credibility, and the rakyat loses out on information. In the end, we’re all losers in this toxic game.
COMMENT
Have you ever felt like doing a karate chop on your television when watching Buletin Utama? Or suffered high blood pressure just after glimpsing the front page of Utusan? Or choked on your morning coffee when surfing Malaysia Chronicle?
Last night, my apolitical sister told me she actually felt like puking when watching Buletin Utama. Apparently, they were reporting how a prominent PAS leader likened recipients of the Bantuan Rakyat 1 Malaysia (BR1M) vouchers to animals.
“What rubbish! As if Nik Aziz would be stupid enough to say such a thing!” cried my usually mild sister.
“Obviously a spin,” I agreed automatically, rolling my eyes. Typical Buletin Utama, feeding lies to the masses, I thought.
But then my journalistic instincts, on a brief reprieve after failing to get analysts’ responses for my article for the day, kicked in.
What if it isn’t spin? I mulled. What if this time it’s actually true, bona fide news, and I’m dismissing it, before even verifying if the report is true, because I know TV3 is biased?
And therein lies the irony of the biased media. What blatantly biased news agencies don’t get is that the more they hit out on the other side, the more sympathy people feel towards the “victims”. It’s reverse psychology 101.
Take for example BN-controlled media like Utusan, TV3, NST. Every time they give the opposition bad coverage, most of us from the middle ground automatically assume its spin or, at the very least, not telling the whole story. Immediately, the opposition become martyrs in our eyes – the underdogs that we should root for.
And the same applies for pro-opposition news portals like Malaysia Chronicle, and even, to a certain extent, FMT. Honestly, another sister of mine, who is absolutely determined to vote for the opposition in the coming general election, actually shook her head and sighed “poor Najib” when reading the article ‘PM missed a beat on drummer ad’ on FMT.
As for me, every time Malaysiakini/FMT/Malaysia Chronicle columnists wax lyricals about what a “failure” our prime minister Najib Tun Razak is, I can’t help but sympathise with him and feel like reminding the world that ‘hey, if it weren’t for BN, we’d still be an agricultural society.
Blatantly biased
But then I pick up a copy of NST and feel nauseous at the sight of the bum-kissing headlines plastered above Najib’s face, and the cycle of sympathy-hate continues…
It’s just really ironic, because these news companies, journalists and columnists are bending over backwards to please their political masters, yet they are inadvertently doing these people a disfavour. Because while these news companies can keep the party’s staunch supporters feverishly happy with their one-sided, sugar coated, liberally-censored news, the politicians are definitely not winning any new fans.
And that’s a huge goldmine they’re missing out on. According to a survey by Yayasan Ehwal Siswa in two public universities, more than 50% of the 2,000 students interviewed were fence-sitters when it came to deciding which party they would support for in both parliamentary and state seats.
So what’s the solution? Obviously not blatantly biased news media that censors any unflattering reports – because then the middle ground will just see this as a propaganda machine akin to Harry Potter’s The Daily Prophet.
No, the only solution that works out for all politicians, journalists and the rakyat is to get rid of political intervention in the media. Exorcise the bias. Go back to fair and balanced reporting. Stay loyal only to the facts.
I feel like taking our BN leaders by the shoulders and telling them “if you think that you’re doing the right thing, then let the media freely report everything you’re doing. Let the media provide the rakyat with all the facts so that they can conclude for themselves that, yes, you’re doing the right thing.”
The end result of a free and fair media is that once it gains the rakyat’s trust, every time it reports on a politician messing up or doing a good thing, we the rakyat can accept it as facts to take into consideration when voting, rather than mere progaganda or lies. Dudes, it’s a win-win solution!
So please, no more spinning gasing headlines like “Najib wins over crowd in Penang” or “What a Joker! Adnan sure of clean sweep seats for BN in Pahang” and get back to reporting plain facts.
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/opinion/2013/02/23/the-irony-of-a-biased-media/
..Unquote