PAS tells Malay media to stop insulting readers’ intelligence
(Harakah Daily) – KUALA LUMPUR, Apr 26: PAS Youth has spoken out against the deteriorating reporting standard among the Malay media, saying they were less interested to highlight serious issues and were obsessed with sensational issues.
Information chief Suhaizan Kayat cited headlines from several non-Malay language dailies today to draw a comparison with three Malay dailies which dedicated their front page to splashing the sodomy details from the ongoing trial involving former PKR staff Saiful Bukhari.
Suhaizan said English-language dailies had today paid attention on the recent plan to improve children’s diet in schools and the growing problem of illicit cigarettes, the Chinese press discussed the danger of slimming products, while Tamil-language papers had been reporting about the death of influential Indian spiritual leader Sai Baba.
“It is sad to read the headlines of Malay papers, such as Utusan Malaysia which splashed the heading “Anwar is the Male Y”, Berita Harian “Male Y Anwar” and Sinar Harian “Anwar is Male Y”.
“Most Malay-language newspapers make the sodomy charges against Anwar Ibrahim as their main headlines. What is the importance of such news?” asked Suhaizan, saying the papers were obsessed with disgusting details to humiliate fellow Muslims.
Suhaizan said it would seem that non-Malay dailies do not dish out sensational issues to their audiences who also include middle-class and educated Malays.
“I urge the mainstream Malay media to stop insulting the Malay mind. It is enough that the colonialists had taken us for a ride for 400 years,” he added.
‘More pressing problems’
Saying publishing tales of sex and sodomy were unsuitable to minors, Suhaizan questioned the agenda behind splashing such headlines, especially when accusations against Anwar were only the prosecution’s claims that had not been proven.
He added it would suffice for such news to be relegated in the inside pages, as were done by New Straits TimesThe Star.
“But when sodomy is repeatedly made as a headline story, it only the Malay media are more interested in the indoctrination of the Malay mind with stories about sex,” he said.
