The 4th Estate Engaging the 5th?

I say YES.
Some more progressive voices in the MSM say Yes.
I was ex-MSMmember for a dcade-lus, now torn between 4th and 5th Estates attempting a balanced elephantine walk. Hope I can do justice to both.

But the signs are that the futures of both Estates are intertwined, and the members
must learn to Engage more with each other, if not Embrace. There is mor room for cooperation than for dissension, especialy when it comes to promoting a freer media environment in a young democratic system in NegaraKu.

At this junction, I must borrow mGf @howsy.blogspot.com's definition of MSM -- Mainstream Media -- to enlighten the less informed members who are still not engaged in either the Press (mainstream media) as we traditionally know it, and the new, fast growing Blogosphere Media, still finding its footing and defining its role.

I'm sure Dr Say Yee How aka howsy, -- who initiated the May 19 Bloggers United Malaysia Gathering (to which Desi responded fast and furious!) -- see TOP OF PAGE or surf to bum2007.wordpress.com. -- will join Desi in welcoming the following progressive Voice from representative body of the MSM:

From The Star, May 4, 2007:



Accept blogging as new media

KUALA LUMPUR: The National Union of Journalists Malaysia has urged the Government to acknowledge the existence of Internet citizen reporting and blogging as a new media for disseminating information.

NUJ president Norila Mohd Daud said this online phenomenon had made a great impact on the country as an alternative information source on current issues affecting the public.

“The usage of Internet and the concept of the uncensored ‘borderless world’ have made information more easily accessible to anyone. As such, any abuses by public officials can be immediately exposed on the Internet,” she said in a statement issued in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day yesterday.

Norila said it was also in line with the Government’s mission to ensure greater accountability and transparency, as well as improving its delivery system.

At the same time, she said the growth of this new media channel had changed the current journalism landscape.

“In view of this latest development, NUJ feels that the Government should accord greater freedom to the local media by amending restrictive laws such as the Printing Presses and Publications Act, and Official Secrets Act (OSA),” she said.

Meanwhile, three Members of Parliament claimed press freedom was still lacking in Malaysia and the overlapping of laws controlling the media made it difficult for it to “breathe”.

Barisan Nasional’s Kota Melaka MP Wong Nai Chee, Tumpat MP Datuk Kamaruddin Jaafar (PAS) and Kepong MP Dr Tan Seng Giaw (DAP) all agreed that it was imperative to protect the independence of local journalists.

During a forum at a World Press Freedom Day event, themed Press Freedom, Safety of Journalists, and Impunity yesterday, Wong said press freedom was not given priority nor was it at the forefront of the country’s political agenda.

“Politicians fear it (raising press freedom issues) will be self-inflicting and bring about political damage,” he said yesterday at the event organised by Asian Institute for Development Communication (Aidcom).

He said the press would be freer when laws did not overlap, and cited the Printing Presses and Publications Act, which required the media to apply for a permit to print newspapers and was revocable at any time, as an example.

However, Wong said some form of regulation was necessary due to the intertwining of race, culture and religion in the country but stressed that access to information should be easily available to ensure news of public interest was reported.

Dr Tan, who is the DAP deputy chairman, suggested setting up a special Parliamentary Select Committee on the media to determine the country’s state of press freedom.

Kamaruddin, who is PAS secretary-general, said, “Preserving the dignity of the profession and journalists is worth fighting for, although some practitioners do not wish to risk their position for fear of losing their licence,” he added.


DESI: I 100% support the NUJ President Norila's calls as expressed thus: “In view of this latest development, NUJ feels that the Government should accord greater freedom to the local media by amending restrictive laws such as the Printing Presses and Publications Act, and Official Secrets Act (OSA),” she said.

What is good for the MSM will also be good for the emerging Fifth Estate covering Blogosphere, and the nation.

Salute to Norila and her colleagues in MSM of similar progressive bent.
We Bloggers indeed have much in common with MSM practitioners.

We truly have reasons to Engage and Embrace.