Tsunami alert: ntv7 shines as other stations snore
Our television stations never learn.
Tremors were felt along the west coast of the peninsula just after midnight last night following an 8.2 earthquake off the coast of Sumatra at 12.09 am today. It triggered a tsunami warning across the region.
As usual, our television stations – with the notable exception of ntv7 – were either sleeping or in a world of their own.
By 2 am, TV1 was showing a Malaysian football match (Kedah vs MK!), TV2 had gone to sleep, TV3 was showing American basketball (though it later had scrolling news headlines of the quake at the bottom of a programme about polo!) while 8tv was screening its after-hours music videos-cum-SMS chat. All these stations were either sleeping or living in a world of their own. Shame on them!
To its credit, ntv7 was the quickest to go on air to begin continuous live news transmission. By 2.30 am, it was screening live footage from Banda Aceh. (Ironically, video footage of the situation in Malaysia was only screened from 3.00am)
Most Malaysians had to once again resort to foreign television news and websites to find out what was going on.
In fact, all programming on local television should have been immediately interrupted to break the news and advise the public about the situation and what they should and should not do.
It is a sad reflection of Malaysian television journalism that only one television station saw it fit to report comprehensively about the tsunami warning in both Malay and English. Surely this is a matter that is specific, urgent and of public importance (to use parliamentary lingo); so where were the other TV stations when the people needed them most?
Obviously, some television stations still have not learnt the lessons of the 26 Dec 2004 tsunami – maybe they were once again waiting for “approval/confirmation” from the “official gatekeepers of the breaking news” before reporting the news to the public.
posted by Media Monitors @ 2:30 AM
2 Comments
2 Comments:
Well, almost all the TV stations' programmes are sponsored and scheduled well in advance. So who is going to pay for them if these were upluged? But a News Flash of the quake would have been accepatble and appropriate
NTV7 probably was at the end of the transmission and can afford to carry the news.
Earth tremors and quakes are occuring almost evry second and unless we have a direct hit (which has never happened below it would be a waste of resources to have all the TV stations monitoring the situation.
And what about all the Radio stations? Were they also snoring or chirping in the news?
hmmm... even this is not a huge problem faced by all malaysian, but what about government keep on promoting knowledge based society?? to be a k-based, information is the most important tools, infomations should deliver to each other in the first place.
what is the requirement of being a k-based?? plz think it!!!
none of the TV stations will facing lost from the sponsors, since it is a nature dissaster!! if we have to wait a direct hit to our country, we can see the incident on 26 december 2004!! tsunami hit malaysia without any news, while many suffer in the tsunami... do we have to wait a direct hit??
radio stations, should also be the first to deliver the news... it really dissapointed to all media in malaysia!! how come CNN can get the latest news?? while local TV stations just stay on their business!!
don't think profit! safety first!!
and i saw many people in my condominium, they are lack of knowledge about the quake!! they just staying inside the condo... until the policeman come and warn them to come down!!
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