By Helen Ang
_______________________
The 12th General Election was like a giant pendulum that swung to knock Humpty Dumpty off his perch on the wall. Egghead that the nursery rhyme character was, his shell cracked. His fall scored fissures on the mainstream media (MSM)’s previously smooth sell.
In a Malaysiakini article, Ong Kian Ming who specialises in electoral politics wrote: “Ironically, the mainstream media’s reporting of the BN’s confidence in easily securing a two-thirds majority actually helped the opposition because more voters felt more secure that their protest vote was just that – a protest vote with little significance, at least in terms of causing state governments to fall or previously safe seats to tumble.”
Ong lent this insight to his assessment: “[Many voters] wanted to cast a protest vote but because of the fear of voicing their opinions and the strict controls on the mainstream media, there was little indication among the elite as well as among the voters that the swing would be as big as it was.”
Another political analyst Anil Netto commented in his blog: “Looking back, the mainstream media clearly performed horribly and dismally during the general election campaign. They actually may have contributed to the BN’s huge electoral setback by painting too rosy a picture of the situation on the ground. This may have lulled the BN politicians into a false sense of security and prevented them from taking remedial action to tackle the deep-seated grievances of the people.”
I asked my cousin – veteran journalist and political playwright Kee Thuan Chye – for his take on MSM vis-a-vis the elections.
According to Kee, the people had spoken. “Makkal Sakti! As the Hindraf supporters would say. Arrogant Umno had been humbled. All its dirty tactics, the spindoctoring in the mainstream media, its threats to the non-Malay communities, its unfair exploitation of state facilities, etc, had not saved it from virtual defeat (for it was indeed a defeat that it lost its two-thirds, the five states, and battles involving several ministers and big guns).”
While Kee is not in any way associated with ‘Boycott the Newspapers!’ that The People’s Parliament Hartal MSM (of which I’m a committee member) is managing, he agreed to share some of his views gleaned from decades of editorial experience.
Kee averred: “The mainstream media needs to change now. It cannot be partisan any more. It must adapt to the new political landscape. Report the news as it is without editorialising. Support issues fairly. Regardless of which party champions them.
“The media cannot play the old game any more or it will end up like the BN dinosaurs. This is also the age of the Internet and SMS. People can’t be so easily fooled or sold on repackaged truth. Readers and viewers are now better informed and educated. They will abandon the mainstream media if it continues to be biased.
“Journalists must uphold the values and principles of their noble profession. They should be the watchdogs of society, not spindoctors or propagandists,” Kee concluded.
I’m going to add my two sen worth to my cousin’s opinion above. I don’t buy the talk of ‘rebranding’. To me, that’s just selling the same old product in a slightly different wrapper – as the MCA once said ‘Fish rots from the head’. Same stale fish in old newspaper …
What pained me most is that MSM has determinedly maintained sloganeering BN’s ‘Security, Peace and Prosperity’ in their collective state of post-election denial.
Election was Saturday March 8. The next day, Sunday, some Christians chose to remain steadfastly ensconced at home fearing to attend church. Is this the sense of ‘security’ BN has managed to deliver over the past half century of its rule?
Our just concluded polls had the Opposition making a handsome headway. Any other political parties winning thus would be jubilant. Nobody’s talking about processions parading the street. Is a private gathering odds too much to ask? Yet the victors instructed their supporters: Be muted. Don’t celebrate.
So is it ‘prosperity’ – this hunkering down in the bunkers – that BN has endowed our country, as it advertises in its slogan? What is the MSM’s definition of ‘prosperity’? Pray tell.
Paul Warren
March 17, 2008
You know Helen, after 50 years a slogan like ‘Security, Peace and Prosperity’ is something one has to wonder its intended purpose. Was it being used as a reminder? Was it a threat? Was it a promise? Was it all of them? It is in fact all of them.
However, when on Election morning the NST carried “Otehrwise you will have chaos and instability”, I saw that as a threat or promise that only Badawi and possibly UMNO, can make and deliver too.
Surely the newspapers should know the message they were carrying when they headlined those quotations. Unless they think they are such great wordsmiths that only their interpretations of intention and purpose of words, headliners, statements is the ultimate correct ones. That is why, their position on plagiarism is quite in contrast with mine…and I am supposed to be the academic.
The papers have actually implicated our politicians so badly that if this was America, the leaders may have had to hide in shame.
Victory or Death
March 17, 2008
This is a repeat of my posting at Kitsiang blog
Menang atau mati Says:
Today at 00: 52.38 (2 hours ago)
I am with CG, saubing, dap-for- pj and anybodyelse who cares:
:1. cg Says:
Today at 20: 52.52 (2 hours ago)
saubing:
I support your call to boycott mainstream news paper and in fact many of my acquaintances are already boycotting them due to their 1-sided reports
1. saubing Says:
Today at 19: 01.39 (4 hours ago)
to dap-for-pj,
I support your call to boycott mainstream newspaper. When hindraf and Bersih hold demonstration, not much were written but when Umno organised a demonstration, they is much coverage and even boast the number of demonstratorsto 3000 (NST) where it is only around 1000 or less. I have also subscribed to malaysiakini. Bernama can even misquote our beloved LGE by inciting hatred and fear for May 13 incident. I supoort your call to BOYCOTT!!!! anyone with us??
1. dap-for-pj Says:
Today at 17: 47.13 (5 hours ago)
i am responding to a call to refrain from buying mainstream media …star, nst, …………to teach them a lesson………anybody with me? I am subscribing to Malaysiakini!
Dear cg, saubing,dap-for-pj and like-minded people out here,
Organising a Boycott of the Star
The Star has been very partial all this while and was trying its level best to inflict maximum damage to the Barisan rakyat during the run-up to the 12th GE.It has been highly irresponsible in the discharge of its journalistic duties ,
A)Large Scale Hit and Run Strategy
To be effective a boycott has to be widespread enough.There is no point having a few people boycotting it her and there ,now and then.
I believe I have posted here before on the issue of boycotting the Sar.I will repeat it here again.
Many people will not be able to boycott the star on a long term basis without an alternative internet or mainstream media that covers all aspects of what a newspaper will cover.
Currently ,political news is well covered by Malaysiakini .Business and other related news is not.
Many people and companies buy the newspapers for non- political news and cannot do with a long term boycott of the newspaper.However ,they can do with a short term boycott for a specific period of say a few days to a week.
Who do you think provides the most revenues to the mainstream media?Not the ordinary individual readers.It is the businesses who pays for the advertisements in the media .
Revenue from sales of the newspaper itself is pittance compared to revenues from adverts.
So to be successful we need the businesses to co- operate.But businesses cannot do without the MSM permanently currently due lack of alternatives.
I am one of those in the same category and will wholeheartedly support a short term concerted boycott of the newspapers concerned for a period of say a few days.
This boycott can be repeated intermittently to inflict regular and heavy damage to the MSM concerned until they repent.
The specified days should be made known in advance to the public.On these days if the Rakyat are working as one in the same way they did during the 12th General election ,the circulation of the newspaper concerned will drop dramatically.
Businesses will not advertise in the paper concerned once they know that the papers will not be read on certain dates.
Imagine the amount of loss in advertising revenues the paper concerned will experience.
B) Strategy of Alternating between MSMs
Since the MSM market is basically monopolized by 2 papers namely, The Star and The Straits Times, we can adopt another strategy ,this time by alternating long term boycotts of these 2 papers.
We can start with,say a 6 month boycott of The Star where everybody switches to The Straits Times if they need to buy at least one paper.
Or we can continue as long as necessary until we they mend their ways.If they do but the Straits Times do not, then we start boycotting the Straits Times.
Anytime ,they go wayward,we can repeat the formula.
It is like voting for a two party system:
“If mummy is good to me ,run to mummy. If not – run to daddy”.
All these require organization,so I am just waiting for somebody or organization to lead the way. What say you you guys out there?
What say Raja Petra and the leaders of the Barisan Rakyat parties and the bloggers here?
BTW, I have been subscribing to Malaysiakini for sometime now as my personal paper
Victory or Death
March 17, 2008
By the way can anyone teach me how to register in Raja petra’s website to enable me to comment?
I cannot seem to be able to find the mecahnism to register.Looked all over the site.
AsianGuy
March 17, 2008
I’d say that the five state governments of PAS/DAP/PKR should sanction the mainstream media in a significant manner, just to teach them a lesson. Perhaps do not renew their licence to print propaganda anymore. Lessons can be useful as otherwise, without any fear of penalty, bias reporting and spin-doctoring will continue to happen.
Birdseye
March 17, 2008
“The People’s Parliament Hartal MSM (of which I’m a committee member)” Boycott campaign has obtained a total of only 965 signatures to date.
Why has the response been so dismal?
malayamuda
March 17, 2008
I didnt buy my NST and Star today. And I will boycott it the whole week and if after that if I still get nauseated and watery diarrhoea I will not buy the paper anymore.
Just read Malaysiakini and blogs. Enough is Enough !!
Victory or Death
March 17, 2008
It is communication. Not widely communicated enough.Thats why only 965 signatures.
All blogs should co-ordinate a survey on whether a boycott should be carried out.
A referendum on the popular blogs.
If in the affirmative,carry out the boycott.
trashed
March 17, 2008
I hope Kee will write a play about the 12th GE. I am sure there are plenty of angles to write about and it will also be based on facts, too.
But will the Ministry of Arts still ban it ?
reason
March 17, 2008
Victory or Death,
send an email to RPK raja (dot) petra (dot) kamarudin (at) gmail (dot) com.
give your name and your nickname. they’ll revert with a password.
good luck.
SV Singam
March 17, 2008
I would prefer that, rather than doing what the BN blokes did in restricting a free press, BR should encourage alternative papers by giving them the freedom to publish.
When the likes of the Star and the NST are challenged in the marketplace by papers unfettered by political patronage is when they will feel the maximum impact.
Sharing
March 17, 2008
I did not sign as I do not see number should be relevant if Wrong is Wrong and Right is Right!
I had not taken MSM for a number of years as they did not even be able to voice the Grievances of Housing Problems after repeated approaches!
I had not subscribed to Malaysiakini as they also pick only topic with voices of MANY and not to the seriousness of the problem!
Cause & Effect
– any matter in Malaysia is so Political that demands NUMBER instead of seriousness and Consequences!!
SAME WILL GO FOR THE PETITION OF RCEC!!
The Authority or even HRH should show People their Common Sense and be active to act on what are wrong and not only after pushing by NUMBER!!
Or only at their Mercy, or, Like or Dislike!!
To promote the sense of Right or Wrong
NOT numbers!!
THIS IS THE BASIS MENTALITY PROBLEMS CAUSING ALL THE PROBLEMS OF TODAY!!
animah
March 17, 2008
I only buy the Star on Sunday, simply to read the literary and health pages. Yesterdays’ Star was interesting and was the most intelligent I’ve seen in years. It had interviews with the new MP/ADUNs (including Elizabeth Wong and Gobind Deo). It had some political analysis which was trying to be a bit more balanced. I sense the journalists and the editors are grappling with the new landscape.
We too should be balanced in our criticism – give credit where its due and applaud any effort the papers do make to be more fair.
I will continue not to buy papers on Tuesday – not a problem as I never did anyway – and support the April 1st boycott.
mody
March 17, 2008
i like the title of the post
Patriotic1994
March 17, 2008
Direction Please…
My friends asked me, “So, the Opposition has won. What’s next?”
I urge my leaders (allow me to accept Haris and RPK to be my leader!) to please help to set goal for us to do. Perhaps we need a LONG TERM goal. Denying BN 2/3 is one of the short term goal.
Go go go… let’s focus into that. Can we?
(Sorry to hijack the topic… do point to me the correct posting if there is already such goal defined. Thanks)
Kathy
March 17, 2008
Prosperity into the Politicians deep pockets I would say so.
The mainstream media can only change if the owners of those different papers are not linked politically.
There would always exist biasness in any media – remember CNN’s coverage on Malaysia earlier?
Victory or Death
March 17, 2008
reason Says:
March 17, 2008 at 2:10 pm
Victory or Death,
send an email to RPK raja (dot) petra (dot) kamarudin (at) gmail (dot) com.
give your name and your nickname. they’ll revert with a password.
good luck.
Thank you ,Reason
Victory or Death
March 17, 2008
Is there a planned April 1st ,boycott of the Star?
I hve not heard anything about it.
Thomas Mok
March 18, 2008
Have not been buying MSM for many many years, except on occasions to fill the time readings, in airports, flights or train. So, yeah, I support wholly, let’s just boycott MSM. I have been telling my staffs to boycott MSM too, it is too biased. Oh, btw, my house do not have aerial nor Astro too. My car is recond-imported, unable to receive radio transmission either. My source of news? Internet sites like Malaysiakini and Malaysia Today, hehehe. Long live democracy and long live Malaysians. Devoid of MSM, we live even happier. Even Dr Chen Man Hin believed news in MSM. My two cents to DAP – let PAS talk about ISLAMIC STATES, we the voters already learned the power of our votes finally, you think if we don’t want the ISLAMIC STATES, it can be imposed on us? Don’t let your pride and ego clouds your judgement – you guys need each other more than you will ever realise to survive the next five years and the five after that and after that.