Utusan Malaysia is the stupidest newspaper in the world - the proof

Thursday, November 12, 2009

Utusan Malaysia is the stupidest newspaper in the world - the proof

I laughed my head off. The mee rebus which I had for lunch is now threatening to make its way upward and later, outward.

Many Malaysians have given up with the mainstream media. That is because their so called responsible journalism entails nothing more than the act of extreme spinning of facts and events to suit their political masters or their own not-so-hidden agenda.

I have ceased reading the local newspapers for a long long time. I have for example, berated against the NST for their treatment of the Bersih rally some time ago.

Despite all the lies, untruth and skewed reporting that these newspapers have been carrying all these while, the Prime Minister recently saw it fit to hail Utusan Malaysia for, among others, "being the voice of the people".

Well, I now have proof that Utusan Malaysia is nothing more than a loyal servant of their political masters. I now have proof that Utusan Malaysia will not stop at almost anything in order to protect its political masters. For whatever is deemed necessary to protect its political masters, Utusan Malaysia would stoop as low as physic permits to do and execute. And that includes misrepresentations and even downright lying. It will even doctor photographs!

The thing is this. They are not even good at doing it!! To lie and misrepresent an event is something. But to do it in a really stupid way is another thing altogether. Do Utusan Malaysia think that all of us, Malaysians, are as stupid as themselves?

We are in a globalisation era. We are in the cyber era. We are not in the 60s or 70s anymore. Nowadays, stupidity is easily exposed.

What am I ranting and raving about? Well, I received an e mail from a friend of mine just now. It contained a picture of an event which took place on 9.11.2009. The same picture was published by many local newspapers while reporting the same event.

As the story goes, a man in his 70s was arrested for allegedly killing his wife. The following picture was published by Berita Harian:

This was in the Star:

And this was in Harian Metro:

Notice the blue umbrella? That umbrella has the Barisan Nasional emblem on it. Quite obviously, that umbrella was distributed by the Barisan Nasional during some kind of election as it has the "vote-BN" emblem on it.

Utusan Malaysia, thinking that the stupid masses of Malaysia might equate Barisan Nasional to a person arrested for an alleged murder because of that blue umbrella, quickly exercised its responsible journalistic discretion by DOCTORING the same photograph and published the same in its report as follows:

This is my proof that Utusan Malaysia is the stupidest newspaper in the whole world!

http://art-harun.blogspot.com/2009/11/utusan-malaysia-is-stupidest-newspaper.html

ntv7 host ‘reassigned’ over jibby’s bad scorecard

ntv7 host ‘reassigned’ over jibby’s bad scorecard

All her guest did was to give premier Najib Abdul Razak a ‘C’ or ‘D’ rating for his first 100 days in office.

It was enough to see ntv7 talk-show host Florence Looi being issued a warning letter and an immediate transfer to the news desk of the private television station.

Looi, who hosts the popular ‘Point of View’ current affairs programme, was said to have ‘breached editorial policy’, according to ntv7 sources.

The two guests on the talk-show, aired on July 5, were author Syed Akhbar Ali and consulting editor Leslie Lau of news portal Malaysian Insider. It was the latter’s remarks that landed Looi in trouble.

The sources said she was verbally told that she should not have asked her guests to rate Najib’s performance. As Looi is the host-cum-producer of the programme, she was the only one who received the warning letter.

Looi, who is assistant assignment editor, has since been reassigned to cover news, ostensibly because of a shortage of human resources at the news desk

This incident might well seal the fate of ‘Point of View’, which has just concluded its second season. There has been no announcement yet as to whether there will be a third season.
However, the sources believe that, even if the programme is continued, a new host will be appointed.

Looi refused comment when contacted, while efforts to reach the management were futile.
Ntv7 is one of the four free-to-air private TV stations belonging to media giant Media Prima Bhd which is closely linked to Umno. The other three stations are TV3, 8TV and tv9.

Media Prima has also spiked news about the mansion that former Selangor menteri besar Dr Mohd Khir Toyo is building in Shah Alam. The blanket ban was applied after the ntv7 Chinese news slot at 5.30pm aired the bulletin.

‘Only an opinion’

Centre for Independent Journalism executive director V.Gayathry took ntv7 to task for practising self-censorship.

“The comment by the guest on the performance rating is not anything critical, but just an opinion,” she said.

She said that Looi was punished for asking an important question at a time when everyone else was evaluating Najib’s performance.

“The show has provided a lot of space of good discussion (and Looi has been doing a good job),” she noted.

Gayathry recalled that, when Najib took office, Media Prima had issued orders to the four television stations not to name political analyst Abdul Razak Baginda when reporting the Altantuya Shaariibuu murder case. Razak is Najib’s confidante.

”We would like to ask if it is Najib’s policy to put people in the TV station to practise censorship,” Gayathri added.

‘Point of View’ has been broadcast at 6pm on Sundays. Guests are invited from either side of the divide on such hot topics such as the Internal Security Act, language-switch policy, vernacular education, police accountability and the recent PKFZ scandal.

Since Najib assumed power, top media personnel aligned to former premier Abdullah Ahmad Badawi have been replaced.

Those who had served during the tenure of Dr Mahathir Mohamad have made a return, leading to the perception that there is a return to a more restrictive media environment.

Former New Straits Times group editor Ahmad Talib is now Executive Director, News and Editorial Operations, at Media Prima, as well as the Executive Director (Editorial) of New Straits Times Press.

Former Berita Harian Sdn Bhd group editor Manja Ismail is Media Prima news and current affairs editor, assisting Ahmad.

Ng Ling Fong & Yong Kai Ping, Mkini

http://ckcounterpunch.wordpress.com/2009/07/13/ntv7-host-reassigned-over-jibbys-bad-scorecard/

the Malay Mail - Gutter journalism

Gutter journalism

Today’s front page of the Malay Mail is a regrettable example of gutter journalism. It features a headline story about nude photos of a Selangor female politician circulating in the public domain.
The photos were believed to be taken using a camera phone without her consent by a former boyfriend while she was sleeping.

Not only is the story tantamount to an invasion of privacy, “the Malay Mail played dirty by putting a picture of a bare-backed woman next to the story,” said one political analyst, who described it as “gutter politics”.

On the front cover, an unrelated photo of a back-backed female Formula One driver on the right is staring towards the left at the bold headline of the Selangor nude photos story, “Fury over bedroom invasion”.

We are being struck by probably the greatest global economic downturn since the Great Depression - and some are predicting that it could be worse than that. Manufacturing and exports are nose-diving, workers are being laid off, others are struggling to cope with the high cost of living. Many ordinary people are suffering.

That’s not all. The Selangor state government is in the midst of crucial negotiations to take over water assets from private concessionaires who are eyeing a tariff hike. Perak is experiencing a major constitutional crisis.

None of this merits front page coverage in the Malay Mail, which instead has other priorities in its bid to sell more newspapers.

Disclosure: I contributed a few stories to the Malay Mail during last August’s Permatang Pauh by-election upon their request.

http://anilnetto.com/malaysian-politics/gutter-journalism/#more-8281