Partial updating, partial current reflection...

ON BLOGGING n BLOGGERS and POLITICS n POLITICIANS.

This is also a "partial" response to RPK's column recently (see my Post of May 13, 2009), just reprising the opening paras, viz:
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Today I reproduce an important article from malaysia-today.net

ABOUT BLOGGERS.

I urge all Bloggers of whatever huesor inclinations or predilections to raed RPK's article with rumination, and if possible, follow up with a response/discussion as I plan to do tomorrow.

YES, Tomorrow, Godwilling/insyaAllah, I shall give my PERSPECTIVES as a Blogger on the issue/issues raised by my fellow Blogger I hold in the highest esteemd, Raja Petra Kamarudin aka Pete to those closer to him.

The rise and fall of the Bloggers Union
Posted by admin
Monday, 11 May 2009 22:11

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Go read it in full at m2day, won't take more than SE7EN minutes, lazy BUMmers! ~~ command from YL, Desi

Much of today's writing consist of old thoughts from a post one year ago, dated ***Friday, May 02, 2008 and titled:


Fifth and Fourth Estate Members -- On Collision Course?

As Chair of BUM2008 yesterday's Evening Session titled "The Fifth Estate/Bloggers -- As Agency of Change", I took the opportunity to add my one sen's worth -- call it weighing in as I hold passion for both estates! -- in between the dialogue beween the Speakers and Audience.

The discourse was of special interest as I had served some 15 years in the mainstream media also sometimes referred to with some disdain as "the MSM", to earn bread&butter, and later graduated to Blogging to earn some pocket money plus at the same time, eran some dime writing occasinally for some MSM, and hence I have strong interest plus vested interests in the two Estates.

Starting point of an interesting exchange, extracting from Sdr Ahirudin Attan aka Rockybru's Post earlier to day:

"Bum2008

The 4th estate has failed us? Politically-appointed editors to blame?
The role of the mainstream media (MSM) came under heavy scrutiny at the Bloggers' Universe Malaysia 2008 held for the second year in a row at the Lake View Club, Subang.
Haris Ibrahim of People's Parliament says the 4th Estate has failed the people and called on Malaysians to reclaim the integrity of the profession.
Citizen Nades defended journalists and blamed politically-appointed Editors and draconian Press laws for the failure of a big chunk of the MSM in serving the people.
Zorro, Kee Tuan Chye, Jeyapelan Mahesan, and Desiderata, among others, spoke on the the issue. "

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As I did say if you folks were listening, get on board the Blogswagon to abuse one chief privilege -- YOU can digress as mush as "AS YOU LIKE (IT" (I often quote the Bard at my CONvenience2!:) as long as you don't drive those buggers I humbly call my ER! up, up and away!:(

The panellist who was seated on my left, human rights advocate Haris Ibrahim, had been flaming the Fourth Estate members like Hell ( a four-letter word which passed muster as a civilly accepted term by RPK, so I follow!) for having "sold out" the cause of the 4th Estate as promoted as Journalism Ethics 101. Citing as a well-known ground, the BERSIH rally last November 14 (Some1 pls check date later) attracted only 400 people, according to all MSM reports, based mainly on the national news agency Bernama report (IMHO-lah). More independent sources cited figures from 20,000 (several foreign news wires') to 50,000 (many bloggers') while I estimated at 30,000. On the other estream, some politicians claimed 100, 000 to 150, 000; so the Intelligent Reader must be able to know that it would be beneficial to read widely and come to your own conclusion.

As well quoted in the press line, A PICTURE IS WORTH 1,000 WORDS, so the MSM was indeed shown to be like the Emperor Wearing New (Desi spells it nu'e) Clothes! But other parties are equally seen to be guilty of embellishment -- exaggerating a byte, no? What excited many was Haris' remark that reporters and editors "involved" in such disfigurement of "facts" had soul'd out, and if they had any conscience to their profession, they should resign pronto on principle! (My paraphrase okay, as I was too busy keeping time, and multi-tasking at my youthfool age is proving quite a challenge!:(

In fact, and here I did mention in my "interjection" (which normally a forum Chairman does not do, but Bloggers are a different cup of tea -- yes, we don't believe much in protocol as long as we remain civil to each other. Even my Co-chair Zorro did snatch the mike away from me, the F***! Spell it out for Thee, not the usual vocab of RPK's hear -- it's Fake!) that the MSM reporters worked very hard, doing 10-12 hours, and mostly were attracted to the profession driven by a love for writing and endowed with idealism, at least in the early days until reality shows set in.

I think an audience member, Sdr Jeyapelan Mahesan, said that it was mainly the Editors, and the newspapers' owners, who should be held accountable, as based on his own experience -- havng relatives and friends working in the MSM -- the journalists were generally trying their best to report as best as they could. He proposed that the repeal of the Printing Presses and Publications Act could help the Fourth Estate function better and more freely.

Citizen-Nades in a follow-up too shared that a reporter's copy could be "changed" by the higher-ranked news editor or EIC at the midnight hour when the reporters have all gone home, to rest or to roost, and it was a situation beyond the reach of power/influence of ordinary reporters to ovecome if certain facts were distorted, like a figure at the Bersih rally being much higher in the reporter's original copy being cut down to 400!

Haris, in his usual activist idealism, also had called for a boycott of the MSM as the way to go. He led a group of Bloggers in a complete boycott, but some rational discusssion followed with dissenting Bloggers -- including Desi and matey Ancient Mariner -- with the contrarion view that we need to face up to reality, and compromise with a limited "boycott on principle", and the happy result was, still is, PAPERLESS TUESDAYS! I said I don't mind, 'cos I still have Morrie!

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Another MSM Journalist-cum-playright Sdr Kee Thuan Chye who had/has risen to Editor iat two MSM also spoke of some Editors he knew who let the Fourth Estate down. So there was ground for Haris to hold the view that the Fourth Estate sold out, but ... Journalists like Kee and Citizen-Nades proved/still prove there are still editors who try their best to write with a conscience. But as Kee found to his dismay -- a price to pay as I hinted! -- a column he plgged in the vein of some feisty Bloggers do, just lasted two weekly appearances. "Sorry matey, don't be too hard on thyself -- you did try your best!" They are a rare species in the MSM, I hold these newshounds in high esteem.

At one uncertain stage, I believe Nades was at some critical crossroads pre-March 8, 2008. I sighted All-Blogs president Rockybru's write that there was a rumour, well grounded at that time of writing I believe, that Nades could be moving back to the "new" Malay Mail! I bumped into the goode citizen and another news topdog roaming about in Ipoh during the GE2008 campaign period, and we now have some fun-D in hindsight laughing at some MICkey bigwig's expense that the over-staying his vvellakum Prez had slumbered under the delusion from 2004-2008 that he was among the "Invincibles". Now some of us wish he would just help the cause of Malaysia Going Forward by dropping the letter following the second "I"!

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Back late Sunday evening:(

As I was saying, Haris' challenge to idealistic minded journalists' to "resign on principle" if their Editors were to "amend or disfiigure" their original copies if accepted by the majority would result in a barren Fourth Estate. Then, who will provide the "raw copies" for Bloggers as Fifth Estaters as starting point discussionsor analysis or commentary?

I always believe we must not throw the baby out with the bath water.

As I have writ recently, "Even the MSM is Capable of Change!". As I have said before,and I think one Panel speaker did too, if the MSM do not change with the changed and changing landscape, they will become irrelevant, then fade away. As the Dodo, de bird, not Cheng!

So I guess there is a sound case for the Fourth and Fifth Estaters to engage each other. I believe there are more common grounds than differences among the two classes of residents which are not exclusive of each other. Some Bloggers also file reports -- mostly on a parttime basis -- for the MSM, for at the end of the day, Blogging as an activity of passion does not earn enough bread and butter. Even Socialist writers like Desi sometimes need to partake in Capitalist sojourns occasionally; otherwise, they also fade away. Ditto the dodo.

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Okay, after much Copy&Pasting from a year ago's ramblings, YL Chong the newshound in me will try to lend some thinking to RPK's revelation of the breaking up of ***Bloggers' Union....

I must declare that the NAMES highlighted (BOLDED thus)in the extracts above, are all fellow Bloggers, writers, commenters I respect, even someimes or most times, our viewpoints are at odds. We raise the tehtarik cuppas when the expressed thoughts meet and coincideabove 50%-lah!

Back to RPK's assertion of a breaking up,my question is: WAS THERE A ***BLOGGERS' UNION in the first place?

Just as there are opposing political parties and politicians -- breaking into factions and sub-sections -- is also quite a NORM to be expected in Blogosphere. And there's this LIBERTY I took on redefining "BUM" from the YEAR 2' BUM2008 outing, adapting to read as BLOGGERS UNIVERSE MALAYSIA, from the inaugural year's BLOGGERS UNITED MALAYSIA.

Putting it as Organising Committee Chairman's privilege, my main rationale is that "Unity" for Bloggers is quite an impossible dream, for as in any part of the human subsets in the world, including in NeagarKu, the populating residents in Blogosphere come from various political backgrounds, some with political party affiliations, some or most NOT, my guess.

Whatever our inclinations, I think as BLOGGERS -- I coin the term BUMmers, residents of BLOGGERS UNIVERSE MALAYSIA -- we do have common objectives as were spelt out by Ahirudin Attan aka Rockybru as Protem of the NationalAlliance of Bloggers (All-Blogs): chiefly to promote Blogging, and promote Bloggers' common welfare. (HISTORICALLY, many pioneers to AllBlogs initiatives responded to help set up a legal aid fund to assist Rocky and now Blogger-MP Jeff Ooi in the Defamation suit brought against them by NSTP and several NSTP personnel...these suits have not reached a conclusion. Nyet.)

I thank Raja Petra Kamarudin for his sharings in his aryicle which I will continue to respond to after this Saturday, InsyaAllah...-- I consider RPK a "must" speaker at any Bloggers' related forum, and indeed, "Pete" has been given an AUTOMATIC INVITE to address at BUM2009 tomorro, but this is unlikely to happen because he's on self-exile from Selangor, which is another story for another forum... We will meanwhile, wishing RPK "ALL THE BEST", wherever you are. To dear Puan Marina Lee, his significant Other, please try to be at Lake View Club tomorrow, and we'd appreciate a short message from Thee. God bless...

"God bless all Malaysians too."

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