Media and Changing Times

BUT SOME CONSTANTS LIKE ETHICS AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY AND CIVILITY AND HUMANITY REMAIN PRESSING CHALLENGES.

Yesterday an EsteemedReader Helen who has become quite a close buddy via blogosphere told Desiderata that I do not have to be reluctant in venturing into the field of RELIGION in my Blogging. "That's so NOT you!" were her exact words.

Today I will suggest the reluctance. I think all of us are blessed by the Almighty -- however we deem Him to be -- with some talents. Some individuals get more, others less, a few may even complain None. And individuals must utilise their talents -- cultivate them and let them bloom, and if possibl;e, exploit them for the betterment of society.

I hope none of mGf try to be heroes like some of the Social Activists hogging local media headlines EVERY OTHER DAY (more than a Mnister!) -- they have such great minds they are treated by the 4th Estate in every field of expertise under the Bolehland Sun. Moon. The Stars too.

I'm thankful that my God blesseth Desi with a few talents, and one is my flair for writing, both Prose and Poetry. I'm proud that I copul;d earn some moolah from even my Secondary 2 days to throw some "kaya" onto the B&B, I used to tease myGOoDfriends here. If I had anmother field I could've excelled in, it's ART, as in Painting&Sketching&Portraiture. Yeah, Mona Liza. Lust Supper...what deviations lie in an artiste's mind?

In RELIGION, my dear sisdar Helen, I'm not just inadequately equipped, I have no passion for IT, and I believe, in whatever little energies an individual has, he/she must expend them on a few specialised, passionate pursuits. Yes, even if one decides Cooking is what one excells in, take to Chefing with a passion -- you will succeed.

But I'd would NOT run away from the battlefield of Religion if it involves Life&Death issue. IF the topic goes to the very core of my Beliefs which I deem highly personal, and normally I'd let the calm waters be, that is until and unless some outsider decides to "disturb the hornets' nest"; then I'm not above joining in the discourse -- WITH PASSION too.

In the subclass of Writing, I believe I have sufficient interest and knowledge to lend some ideas and mature thoughts to MEDIA and CIVILSOCIETY ISSUES, and CivilSociety Issues is part and parcel of Politics, which I'm surprised some of my ER shy away from. "Don't" is my advice to such raeders because whether you like it or not, Politics stares at you everyday. It's like the weather, learn to put up with it, adapt to it as best you can so that you can be happy about it. The weather you can't affect, the Politics you can, in small steps maybe. Still, it's a tiny dot, but when dots are accumulated like little drops of water, they can become a flood.

As for Media as my other passion, it is because this field has occupied some 20 yaers plus of my professional life, and I'm still earning some moola from it as a freelance journalist/writer, sparing me more time to indulge in my first love of Creative Writing&Poetry. Even this Blog has intimated to my ER this creative aspect, well enough to turn some POsts into spinning more "kaya" for my B&B. Oh, my equatorially expanding wasteline:(...My wickend Hiatus added on some One Kg, which is 2.2pounds, which is OK by Desi as his Feelosophy~Healthwise is Ignorance is Bliss.

WHY DO SOME LADIES GO FOR CHICKEN LICE AND then split the chic skin to throw it away? I was tempted to snatch IT (Da Skin, not the chic!) back from the cat&kittens awaiting the table! But table manners got in the way!


SO rest assured Todie is not another Tuesday with Morrie because the Prime Minsiter has featured another subject close to Desi's heart -- on Media. I'm going to reproduce the text in The Star, in full, and give in a para-by-para (Para in journalese is for Paragraph, just in case some reader is shy to ask!:) commentary ~~ the PM's speech is in BOLD, Desi's in italics.

Tuesday May 30, 2006


Let moderation rule



KUALA LUMPUR: The media should give more prominent coverage to the voices of moderation instead of allowing the language of hatred and aggression to hog the headlines.

DESI: But don't practise double standards. i.e. practise moderation selectively.

In making the call, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi cited as an example the lack of publicity given by the media to certain voices in both the West and the Muslim world that preached peace, tolerance and moderation.

DESI: I concur. Media in both the West and East have been guilty as charged/noted by the PM, but somehow, the nature of What is News is fundamentally an inherent problem/challenge. Covergae tends towards Extremities, the Best and Worst, with the Worst in dominance most times.

“It seems, for the media, moderation is not interesting enough to report. It prefers attention-grabbing headlines promoting violence and confrontation,” he said in his keynote address at the three-day Asia Media Summit 2006 which began here yesterday.

DESI: Pak Lah is discerning in this observation. One salute to him. That's why from Day 1 I've supported on when he's right about ISSUES, and also I've vocalised my Opposition/Reservations when I believe he's barking up the wrong tree.


The media, said Abdullah, was a pervasive and persuasive medium that has the power to change people’s minds and attitudes, and that power came with a huge responsibility to inform and educate.

DESI: Anotrher discerning re-iteration of Civil Discourse and Responsibility. I hope even Bloggers can subscribe to this Dictum, as as emerging and fast growing medium, the Internet with the specialised 5th Estate are becoming powerful tools -- to wield influence for better or for worse.

He said the media should play the role of bridge builders, just as the voices of moderation that opposed hegemony and rejected violence were bridge builders for world peace.

DESI: Yes, always a supporter of building straight bridges, with adaptation for small bends perhaps. NO, not crooked ones!

To do so, he said the media must present different sides to a story, dismiss half-truths and unfounded allegations, and foster critical thinking so that people would be more informed on issues that affect their daily lives.

DESI: I hope not just online media, but the mainstream print and broadcast media, TAKE NOTE. The Prime Minister's Department must ensure there's FAIR COVERAGE not just from the Government-cum-Establishment points of view, BUT also from the Opposition/Non-Governmental Organistions viewpoints. Even the third party -- those sitting on the fence too. Yes, I believe there are THREE SIDES TO A COIN, noot just the two major ones.

“The temptations offered by vested interests – be they commercial, political or religious – can lead to misinformation, miscommunication, confusion and even violence,” he warned.

DESI: True, true. Salute Pak Lah for his wisdom, and I hope the Politicioans and Corporates take note, for often they are the miscreants. The Religion group, Desi reserves his comments. Luckily, this group has NOT been in the news too mcuh to cause immediate concern, but the trend may be growing?

“Too often, the inclination to sensationalise or cause alarm is too great to resist. Too often, localised unrest is passed off as a national uproar. Decades of progress and development can go up in smoke if the media is not responsible or accountable.”

DESI: The PM may be right to a certain extent. But the greater concern is that there are MANY INSTANCES OF OMISSION -- that is, practice of SELF-CENSORSHIP often to please the POLITICAL/CORORATE MASTERS, that is doing greater disservice and damage to the readers and nation. The Fourth Estate in this instance often acting in caghoots with the Politicians/Corpoartes to poull wool over the people's eyes. Sometimes propagating half-truths and downright lies and myths to preserve the status quo. I would term the Media then as "acting in concert" with the protagonists as accomplices to the crime.

Urging the media to be more sensitive to cultural, religious and societal nuances, Abdullah said journalists and media professionals should always consider the possible after-effects of their actions on society, both at home and internationally.


A simple report or a photograph or a cartoon, he said, could turn a peaceful society into a violent one.

“What goes out of a printing press or is beamed out from a broadcast station cannot be taken back. Regrets or corrections can never entirely undo the harm that is done,” he added.


DESI: I support this advice given by the Nation's CEO, but it must apply across the board. It's double dtandards we have seen often being practised -- like Sarawak Tribune suspended indefibnitely, and Kong Ming evening edition suspended for a limited period -- for minor breaches. But equally, or even more inciteful breaches go unpunished -- mGf Howsy has documented some instances -- like questioning why CNY Greetings ion Government banners writ in Mandarin characters?...

He also lamented the tendency of the media to be selective in its reports by allowing sales and what editors felt appealed to their particular market segments to dictate their decisions.

DESI: THis supports calls by many quarters -- including Desi in earlier writes, that the majority or substantial ownership of the media, especially listed ones like NSTP, TV3 and The Star, Nanyang Siang Pau, should not be aligned with the Governnment component parties, or individual politicians/corpoartes alligned with poltical parties, both ruling and Opposition... (This can be easily acheived by BARRING ANY POLITICAL PARTY or INDIVIDUAL from holdding more than 5% of any Company's equity interests; and as a Journalist, I throw this as an urgent Challenge to our beloved Pruime Minister to act on.)

He reminded the media that what the common man saw on television and read in the newspapers became the sole and unequivocal truth, particularly in this age of round-the-clock coverage.

Media practitioners, he said, must also keep in mind the diversity of the people they served, to ensure that good intentions would not result in undesirable ends.

“There is already too much violence in the world and merely reporting it is no longer enough. As responsible world citizens, media people need to look at the root causes of conflict, and its many dimensions and perhaps offer solutions,” he added.

DESI: I believe the PM's remarks hold true to media and media practitiobners throughout the world, more so in a fast globalising environment and a fast changing, borderless world. Media and men must change accordingly to the changing demands, yet holding true to constants of oberving ETHICS and RESPONSIBILITY in a world seemingly slacking in both these departments in all fields of human endeavour, including the Media. Which includes Blogggers' world too.

PS: To do so, he said the media must present different sides to a story, dismiss half-truths and unfounded allegations, and foster critical thinking so that people would be more informed on issues that affect their daily lives.

I have added this Postscript after lunchtime as I meant to comment on the particular phrase within the quote pertaining to the PM's advice that the media must "FOSTER CRITICAL THINKING". Indeed, this point cannot be over-emphasised.

Desiderata has run several Challenges/Teasers, with some "kaya" thrown in like a Booker Prize! the main objetive of which is to Challenge my ER to involve themselves in critical thinking and discourse. Don't accept others' viewpoints, including this scribe's, as absolute truths. Opinions are merely one speaker's views, and can be challenged, and ought to be challenged. BUT also I've always ask my ER to give the grounds or bases of their challenges/dissentingviews.

Da Rationale.

Desi welcomes one-liners too if you are in a rush. But if yopu should make a summary judgement in the one-liners, you must return at leisure to give the grounds of judgement. You owe it to the Readers who are discerning ones -- and may yet challenge your grounds of judement. A premature departure is not nyet aloud.

Democratic discourse, in accorance witgh the famous dictum, quoting VOLTAIRE:

"I may disagree with what you say but I will defend, to the death, your right to say it."

What I hate are cowards who just fling the F... word left, right and centre as if those F...ing score points in a debate for them, not Others. To people with such a misguided belief, I'm not above in saying: F...OFF! Yeah, another four-letter proFUNity.