Aliran Monthly invited a few prominent journalists to comment on what they see as the major issue or problem facing the Malaysian media and what action can be taken to address it. The following are their responses:

Guts Needed to Call a Spade a Spade By Abdar-Rahman Koya The problem with the media in the country is within: the journalists themselves. It is not so much the control of the press by the government but their lack of self-esteem. They consider their vocation just a job to earn a living and they are prepared to sell themselves for a pittance. When they began writing they were idealistic and set out with some commitment to change the world but gradually, their belly takes over their brain and mind. Then they stop thinking and produce mediocre articles and reports that are acceptable to their political bosses. They begin to measure success by the figures in their pay cheque. Journalists must remember that there will be no output without input. The quality of the output also depends on the quality of the input. For instance, if our input is mainly the mediocre speeches of our ministers, then our output must be trash marketable only with the mainstream newspapers. Some of the best journalists in this country are financially very, very poor, but they can walk with their heads held high. An analytical mind, clear thinking acquired from an early age and the moral courage to call a spade a spade, these are the qualities which make a journalist a journalist. In a democratic system, journalists play a similar role to the role of ulama (religious scholars) in an Islamic system, that is to speak for the people. In Islamic parlance, such ulama who support the government while distorting Islamic principles are called ulama-e-sultan (court ulama). Similarly, journalists who disregard democratic principles are `court journalists’. Abdar-Rahman worked as news editor of Harakah’s English Section before he resigned last December. He now writes for a London-based Islamic political newsmagazine.

Media Freedom Our Collective Responsibility By Jacqueline Ann Surin The call for press freedom in Malaysia must be the collective responsibility of journalists, editors, political parties, MPs, social conscious groups and citizens alike. Without this convergence of ideals and efforts, the call for press freedom and ethical journalism will continue to be a muted one that can be easily ignored. It is just as important for journalists and editors to challenge the undemocratic boundaries within the profession as it is for the public to hold the media accountable for bad reporting. Media companies can be made accountable for their news products just as other profit-based businesses are by dissatisfied customers. Certain organisations however, must take the lead in raising the call for press freedom and ethical journalism. On top of the list would be the National Union of Journalists (NUJ) which was set up with the expressed objective of defending press freedom, dealing with the professional conduct of its members, and maintaining high ethical journalism standards. Without NUJ's lead, journalists themselves would feel little compulsion to challenge the unprofessional practices triggered by the undemocratic conditions that arise from restrictive legislations such as the Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA). The NUJ's stand must be consistently clear and strong in order to provide a rallying point for journalists who cherish their profession's credibility. In fact, delegates to the NUJ's Biennial Delegates Conference in September last year, reiterated this point when they passed a resolution calling on the executive committee to play an active role in an independent signature campaign by journalists to abolish the PPPA. Journalists themselves must be consistently vigilant against violations against press freedom, and must speak up. To remain silent is to condone and acquiesce. Criticisms of the national press must also start being constructive and must build bridges instead of widening the divide. Critics from within and without must work together instead of alienating each other with repetitive rhetoric that has proven ineffective in changing anything. It is only with sustained collaboration and steady leadership that the struggle for press freedom will bear some fruit. Jacqueline is a working journalist based in Kuala Lumpur

Wake Up By A Journalist WHILE there is great interest in bringing about press freedom in Malaysia these days, I feel that inculcating responsible journalism is a task that cannot and should not be forgotten. There are many countries where laws guaranteeing the right to a free press exist and yet the journalists there fail the public also because they too write one-sided reports. Very often, journalists use the draconian licensing provisions under the Printing Presses and Publications Act and the even more draconian Official Secrets Act and Internal Security Act as an excuse not to work on many issues. But we all know that it is only when we touch on politicians and their cronies that the screws are applied. Journalists must wake up and realise that theirs is not a 9-to-5 job. The rare occasions that I go to press conferences these days, I have been appalled to find that some 20 reporters present but only two or three ask any questions or even know what the issue is. I have told many new and mid-career journalists who bemoan the PPPA, OSA and ISA that all those laws only prohibit what is ultimately published. There's no provision that prohibits our brain from working. More journalists should hold to the adage: there's more than one way to skin a cat. But then you have to want to skin the cat. Anyone can write what he or she is told - whether by the government or the opposition parties. But it is a responsible reporter who bothers to get all possible sides of the issue in question, preferably on the same day. While it would help if new journalists had mentors to guide them, I think it is incumbent on editors and media/journalist organisations like the National Union of Journalists, the Malaysian Press Institute and the National Press Club to make sure that journalists know what their duties and the basic principles of journalism are. More important I feel is for the public to send letters and make phone calls registering their complaints to every newspaper, TV, radio and internet media to remind us continually that we owe them a duty to give our best and to always be ethical. As for fighting for press freedom, I think that the idea is slowly catching on and it will take some more time, strange as that seems, for the idea to take hold. Complacency has been the order of the day for too long for too many reporters. But in this period of awakening I think it is important for all journalists, regardless of the media organisation they work for, to realise that we all have to work together in seeking press freedom and not to point fingers at each other. In my 12 short years of being a journalist, I have found that it is the readers/viewers ultimately who will decide which journalist they can trust based on their track record first and the news organisation they represent second. The above piece was written by a journalist based in Kuala Lumpur