An obligation to tell the truth

By Pauline Wong, The Sun

Press freedom comes with responsibility and an obligation to the truth.

That is the key message from the six panellists of the “21st Century Media: New Frontiers, New Barriers” forum, jointly organised by the Asian Institute for Development Communication (Aidcom) and Universiti Selangor here today in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day 2011.

Panelist Irwan Abdul Rahman, better known as Hassan Skodeng of news satire blog Nose4News, said influence is now the domain of social media, but it comes with a price.

“When you put something online, you are in a way, a publisher. This freedom should come with responsibility, for the behaviour you display on the Internet is a reflection of who you are in real life,” said Irwan.

theSun’s political editor Zainon Ahmad said the relationship between media and the government should be like railway tracks – parallel but never meeting.

“The government and media should never hold hands and must be openly allowed to criticise and question each other for the benefit of the people.

“If they start to hold hands, then the train will derail. I don’t know, however, if they are only holding hands. Maybe they are in a deep embrace,” he quipped.

“But responsible journalism is a phrase we have to think very hard about,” said Zainon.

Another panellist, Sin Chew Daily culture and education department deputy chief Tan Lee Chin, said people need to be careful of the reliability and credibility of these new frontiers widened by technology, since anyone and everyone can be a reporter.

While the Internet has made citizen journalism possible, presenting news professionally and with credibility is still the onus of the established traditional media, she said.

She, too, cautioned about ethics and accountability.

“Journalists must exercise due professional care in their reporting. Freedom of speech and expression cannot come without limits,” said Tan, who added that regulation was not what many are opposed to. “It is unjust and oppressive laws that people cannot accept.”

Meanwhile, Kumpulan Karangkraf executive editorial adviser Abdul Jalil Ali acknowledged that press freedom has a long way to go.

“We have been talking about press freedom ever since I joined the profession in the 80s, but we have yet to achieve it,” he said, adding that the media will continue to be answerable to many, be it political parties or business owners.

Nevertheless, lawyer and blogger Datuk Jahaberdeen Mohamed Yunoos is encouraged by the fact that freedom of expression on the Internet has empowered the people and paved the way for intellectual development.

Guest speaker, Al-Hayat International Daily newspaper features editor Amina Gamil Khairy, in her keynote address, highlighted the power of social media in the recent ousting of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, where the people took to Facebook, Twitter and YouTube to coordinate the civil uprising to end Mubarak’s 30-year rule on Egypt.

Bloggers also became the spark to unveiling truth about corruption, police brutality and harassment during the uprising.

“The impact (of social media) though, is only starting to unfold. The impact is not limited to outbreak of revolutions but have also been seen, felt and heard in the traditional media,” she said.