The Star trumpets BN win in Kelantan prematurely

The Star has allowed the BN to "claim victory" in Kelantan even though the final outcome was in doubt. In a front page report, "the people's paper" this morning uncritically allowed the BN to claim victory without mentioning that the result was still not conclusive.

This morning, on the Star Online, a latest report states that "The Election Commission ordered a recount for Gaal, Selising, Kota Lama, Pulai Chondong, Temangan, Kemuning, Manek Urai and Melor. The Machang parliamentary seat is also involved in the recount.

"Results so far showed PAS had won 19 state seats while the Barisan Nasional has 18. There are 45 state constituencies in Kelantan."

In its haste to play up the BN "landslide" and meet its press deadline, The Star has fallen victim to its own unquestioning, fawning journalism. The honest thing to do would have been to report that the outcome was still not known and that it would only be known this morning.

Additionally, the paper also displayed a picture of Wan Azizah on page 3 as one of the losing candidates under the heading "Out", even though two recounts showed her winning by small margins and a final recount would be carried out this morning. It looks like The Star is anxious to get rid of Wan Azizah, even before the outcome is known.

With all these recounts still in progress, it is amazing that Bernama has already reported that the BN's share of the popular vote is 64.4 per cent.

In the end, PAS has retained power in Kelantan while Wan Azizah retained her Permatang Pauh seat

Blog visitor Quest adds: "The Star has lost its credibility in its reporting. A lot of its reporting is to satisfy its political master. There is more spin than reporting."