Malay broadsheets outdo each other in being pro-BN

Over the weekend, Berita Harian and Utusan Malaysia tried to outdo each other to provide coverage on the elections, with more than 65 per cent of the 38 news items on elections in Utusan and 84 per cent of Berita Harian's 31 articles skewed towards Barisan Nasional on 16 February and 70 per cent of the 27 articles in Berita Minggu on Sunday, 17 February.

Out of the 27 news items on Sunday in Berita Minggu, four were of outright advocacy by BN ministers, four others on BN promises for development, seven on BN candidacy and seat allocations, and four on BN preparations. Pas was the only opposition party covered in the paper in two news items, but one featured the defection of 20 Pas members to Umno. Among the 27 items, only two discussed the state of the economy but in the tune of approving the BN's performance; “Ramai yakin BN mampu bawa kemajuan Kelantan - ahli professional, pakar ekonomi mahu rakyat beri sokongan penuh” and a small item at the side headlined “Jauh lebih murah”. The former used academics in the public universities, government-linked companies and agencies as primary sources stating that the BN is the remedy for the lack of economic development in Kelantan under Pas. The latter is a local academic's reassurance that prices in Malaysia are still cheaper than in the rest of the region.

Hindraf received front-page attention and a full page in the editorial pages, but it was described as “pengacau” (trouble makers) by the Prime Minister and “dakyah jahat” (evil preaching) by MIC president Samy Vellu, who was interviewed in the editorial page. Balance is again in question as no Hindraf members were featured for comment and rebuttal. This is not surprising as most major mainstream media have not given any significant space to Hindraf supporters.

Berita Minggu seems more like a BN paper, judging by the space provided to the ruling coalition. The paper is also devoid of any public interest reporting or critical discussions on the economy, crime and corruption. The only position it took concerning the economy was very much in line with the establishment: reassuring the public and promising better days to come.

On 16 February, most media focused on the BN's plan to wrest Kelantan through its “Tahun Merawat Kelantan” or “Cure Kelantan Year”, a headline carried by both the papers. The objectivity of the Berita Harian is questionable with its emotionally-charged slant in its report on Najib Razak's promise to Kelantan - ‘Kenyataan Nik Aziz hina Kelantan’. Like Berita Harian, the Utusan front page featured Najib's promise to develop Kelantan.

Utusan’s report on the opposition is a little more generous than Berita Harian's in terms of volume, although three of the 13 articles on the opposition were from the BN's perspectives: “Pas sukar kekalkan Sanglang”, “BN yakin rampas” and “Pas kalah sebelum berjuang”. But like Berita Harian, it carried the claims of BN without subjecting them to critical examination such as the actual strength of the economy. Interesting though is Utusan’s editorial that was concerned about increasing women’s candidacy, compared to outright support for BN in Berita Harian.