Comments on: Responsible journalism. Or not.

By: Glenda Larke

Glenda Larke — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 19:43:00 +0000

You are right, Sharon. I should have said that Malaysians' lack of critical thinking means that some of them are prepared to believe the most outrageous explanations over the official ones - and who can blame them? When the truth has been concealed by years of censorship, it leaves you disinclined to accept official versions, even if they are perhaps true. And how are we to know what the truth is any more?

But it does alarm me that some of the public have learned little from all this - they are as prepared to believe the most outrageous rumours as they are disinclined to believe official explanations. Seems to me, the past should have made us all chary of believing anything unless it is backed up by facts.

We need a sceptical electorate, willing to see results for themselves, not a gullible public accepting whatever story (official or otherwise) is doing the rounds at the moment. We need to be critical thinkers.

I guess this is all the "lid off the pot" syndrome. When you relax censorship and make debate more open, when more people learn to use the internet, you get more of the truth but you also get more of the dross. People just need to realise that.

By: bibliobibuli

bibliobibuli — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 18:15:00 +0000

very nicely said, glenda. all the ingredients for a great novel plot are there. trouble is most malaysians (who i would say don’t beleive what they are told and least of all by the newspapers!) are feeling pretty sick and disgusted

By: hrugaar

hrugaar — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 07:26:00 +0000

Responsible journalism is kind of like saying military intelligence, there’s a certain degree of irony in it.

But distorting or ’embroidering’ the facts adds sensationalism and sells stories … and unfortunately it appears that the greater part of the industry is driven by the obsession to sell papers and capture audiences (a gossip by any other name…).

By: Jo

Jo — Fri, 04 Jul 2008 07:00:00 +0000

Distortion of the truth in newspapers is not confined to Malaysia. I remember being involved on the edges of a murder suicide near where I lived and the story which came out in the papers had no relation to the event. Not everyone questions what they read in the Western world either. If its on TV or in the papers, it must be true. It is a shocking truth about modern society. Same goes for the internet. Thank God for Snopes.