Newspaper or newsletter?

In addition to the clearly overwhelming space given by The Star to the activities of Barisan Nasional component parties, I am particularly struck by the attention to the individual campaign trails of MCA candidates throughout the country.

The slant of these reports is usually upbeat, and purports to offer close-up portrayals of these hardworking candidates. Typically, they are also accompanied by “candid” (mostly colour) photographs of smiling candidates mingling effortlessly with the rakyat ­ drinking herbal tea offered by a hawker, shaking hands with a fish monger at the morning market, carrying a (slightly confused-looking) child in the home of a voter, getting a thumbs up from a pasar malam food vendor, and so forth.

A particular case in point is the StarTwo coverage of Chew Mei Fun, incumbent MCA candidate for Petaling Jaya Utara (18 March). We get to catch a glimpse of her “longest day” as two reporters follow her every step from 6am to late in the night. Here the storyline is of a person who is highly competent, gregarious, hardworking, accessible and gifted with boundless energy.

When she encounters a group of demonstrators in Damansara Jaya, she is unfazed with their “loud protesting.” Moreover, we are told that in comparison to the “loud hailer” campaigning method of the opposition candidates, Chew prefers the “personal approach”, walking around and “talking to people face-to-face.”

Ignoring the question of what the article leaves unsaid in terms of why opposition candidates have to resort to these “loud” methods, one also begins to wonders whether The Star is functioning more as an MCA newsletter rather than as a newspaper offering extensive coverage of the campaign trails of opposition candidates. Surely, the discerning public would like to know what their “longest day” is like as well?