A newspaper, whatever its political bent or ideological bent, should provide adequate space for dissenting voices

by Mustafa K Anuar

Established newspapers in Malaysia - when faced with stiff competition and a political climate of more discerning and politically conscious readers - are compelled (to borrow a worn-out term) to reinvent themselves in order to stay afloat.

A number of mainstream newspapers, such as the New Straits Times, have over the last few years repeatedly taken some measures to try to make themselves relevant with the rapid changes that have taken place in society.

And so at the close of 2001, NST readers in particular were reminded via a series of advertisement, about certain changes, or ‘moves’ as the paper billed it, that the daily would be making in the New Year.

The newspaper was bringing in a crop of experienced writers and columnists to whet the appetite of a demanding audience.

On the appointed date, 1 Jan 2002, the new-look NST arrived at the doorstep, flashing, among others, its new, but not too original, slogan, ‘All The News That Matters’, under its masthead.

Its format had also changed to some degree: bigger pictures; names of section editors on the front page; names of the paper’s big guns at the bottom of the editorial page; bold font-size for headlines in the ‘Life and Times’; and extracts of editorials from selected dailies in the region printed on the editorial page right beneath the NST’s daily editorials.

But what was especially eye-catching was the little rectangular box on the right side of the daily on that day in which stood the newspaper’s ‘statement of resolve’, that is to give the reader ‘a paper of integrity and distinction’.

Given that many other New Year’s resolutions often end up unaccomplished, or achieving little, this particular resolve is expected to be taken by readers with a pinch of salt, especially after also considering the NST’s journalistic performance in the recent past.

Dangerous Myth

Equally noteworthy is the editorial policy of the revamped NST: ‘We will confine our policy stance to the daily editorials we publish. As for the rest, impartiality and fairness will guide us in our coverage, for balance and perspective.’

Sounds nice, but this statement seems to suggest that while the newspaper’s daily editorials may take a conscious and partisan stand on certain issues, its news coverage will, however, not be dictated or influenced by the paper’s political persuasion.

That news - as opposed to editorials (and opinion pieces) - is free of values, or ideological or political hue is a dangerous myth that is often perpetuated by the media in general, and therefore has to be unpacked. It tends to give the impression that news reporting is unproblematic and is a ‘natural’ practice, as if merely recording the world ‘as it is’ without human tampering whatsoever.

The construction of news can be informed by a host of factors, such as the corporate policy of the media organisation concerned; political interference from the powers-that-be; business and economic pressure; the editor’s political inclination; and/or the reporter’s own personal, political and cultural experiences.

These factors, individually and collectively, also help to influence the news agenda of the media organisation concerned, particularly the prioritising of the news items for the day.

News can indeed be framed, wittingly or otherwise, in various ways. One obvious and hackneyed way is to report or write about one party to the exclusion of others. Another way is to highlight one party and give a token mention of the others in one news item by assigning the latter to the bottom of a news report.

Parties that are normally sidelined by the mainstream media may also be given the opportunity to occupy centrestage, but only to bare or project their own weaknesses.

The physical placement of certain news items can also reflect the newspaper’s preferences. For instance, a particular news item may occupy the front-page with banner headline, or be simply buried in the last pages of the paper. The use of relevant photos in the news stories may suggest that importance has been given to these stories.

Lonely Voices

The principle of fairness and balanced news coverage is therefore crucial and critical. It has to be upheld by both journalists and the newspapers concerned to prevent the possibility of the democratic rights of citizens being trampled upon.

A newspaper, despite its political or ideological bent, should make a conscious effort to be as fair as possible by providing dissenting and other lonely voices adequate space.

In a mature democracy, this would also mean allowing for the emergence of dailies that subscribe to various political persuasions as well as cater to a wide variety of opinions and political inclination in society. In other words, there would be newspapers and magazines that strive to be as independent as possible and free of political party association, while others choose to be partisan.

So how different was the new NST on New Year’s day itself? Now, as before, Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad occupied the front-page with his New Year message.

Leaders of the component parties of the ruling Barisan Nasional were also given the opportunity, although very briefly, to express their New Year’s message on page two. This was followed by similar messages from leaders of the opposition front in the same news item.

There’s still that familiar pattern of providing ample space for government ministers to lambast the opposition. The case in point here is: PAS came under heavy criticism from the prime minister for the the PAS-led Terengganu state government’s sacking of the chief executive officer of the Terengganu Advanced Technical Institute (Tati).

Recognisable Inclination

Seven days after that, and the paper still displayed its recognisable inclination. On Jan 8, the NST gave much space on page two to the opposition primarily to highlight the uneasy relationship between Parti Keadilan and DAP particularly over support and assistance for the opposition candidate in the Indera Kayangan state by-election.

Obviously, such a relationship between the two opposition parties serves as excellent fodder for mainstream dailies such as the NST.

In contrast, the paper published a big photo on the same page showing the apparently effervescent BN candidate for Indera Kayangan, Oui Ah Lan, already pumping flesh with the rakyat even though nomination day had yet to arrive.

The coming months would provide a clearer indication as to whether the NST has a serious intention of going places after dressing up for the occasion.

Mustafa K Anuar is joint coordinator of Charter 2000, a Citizens' Media Initiative. This article was first published in Malaysiakini.

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