Mainstream Media - Distortion of truth

August 14, 2012

The slew of information coming on the social media is showing up the biasness of the mainstream media.

In a world that is now experiencing a renaissance in freedom of speech and freedom of expression and freedom of the press, Malaysians also have decided to go the same way.

Now, they are voicing their views and concerns over people and issues of the day much to the dislike of the Barisan Nasional government.

The demons of restriction and censorship appear now to be confined to the government and traditional and mainstream media, while the alternative, the social media and cyberspace is chock-a-block with a free flow of information, news and views on a wide range of topics.

This unfettered freedom for people to express themselves is a positive indicator for Malaysian society as it has unearthed a lot of wrongdoings and abuses by the authorities which is actually a big step forward in the fight and check against corruption and cronyism and others forms of cheating.

What the BN government has failed to achieve by the Police Di Raja Malaysia and the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission and other law enforcement agencies has been achieved by the likes of unsung heroes who expose the corrupt and inefficient governance of the Barisan Nasional leadership through the alternative and social media and cyberspace.

And what is certainly true is that more and more people are beginning to express themselves in various forms and through various mediums of communication nowadays prompting the government to invoke draconian laws to silence dissent and exposes of scandals and abuse of authority by the BN.

But to the surprise of many Malaysians, it is really the credibility of the traditional and mainstream media that has become suspect as, upon comparisons drawn by readers and viewers, they find that that their reporting is biased and partial.

Most Malaysians are now smarter and wiser and they do their homework to check and verify the information before accepting the truth of the matter and in the process it is the government-controlled media that is losing large numbers of readers .

It even looks as if, by reading and listening and viewing what the government controlled media is disseminating, that the BN government is absolutely free of any form of corruption or allegations of wrongdoing and abuse and have delivered on their promises to Malaysians.

But like mentioned, the credibility of BN-controlled media begins to get undermined when the truth of a matter is revealed with the facts and figures by the alternative, social media and through cyberspace in perfect rebuttal to what the traditional and mainstream media hopes to accomplish.

It has become obvious and shockingly evident that the BN-controlled media has been infiltrated by the governing authorities to present an untrue and lop-sided scenario of all the allegations of corruption and wrong doing and abuse leveled against the government.

A defining period for Malaysia

It’s a defining time in the history of Malaysia. The country, for seemingly the first time in the 55-year rule of Barisan Nasional so far, faces an acid test over the future and shape of the direction Malaysians want to choose for themselves in the coming 13th general election.

In the process, Malaysians are witness to a slew of information and news, like mentioned earlier, of which much filtering is being done by people to filter fact from fiction and to separate truth from the blatant lies that are mostly the skewered reporting of BN-controlled media with their own agenda.

Despite all these allegations of wrongdoing, despite all these exposes and scandals, most Malaysians still never fail to greet a day with some sort of new shocking revelation or accusation against the BN governing authorities for their incompetence.

But despite so much of truth and evidence, the government controlled media chooses to twist and turn the facts and figures provided to present a favourable view of the BN government as being untainted and free of corrupt practices or they just choose to blackout the offending news.

This has caused issues of politics, business and social concerns to be viewed and followed by more and more people in the country through the alternative, social media and cyberspace.

The media is beginning to broaden and open up with more new players emerging on the scene to provide news and information.

There is a myriad of opposition-sided media that have now come on stream and are beginning to carve a much larger share of the Malaysian readership and viewer market much to the worry and concern of the traditional and mainstream media who are basically few in numbers and losing their followers to their opponents.

What appears evident and apparent is that market penetration by the newer players are beginning to take place and the major newsmakers of the past are finding it hard to hold onto to their audience.

The rapid in-roads being made by the newer players in Malaysia’s reading, listening and viewing circles has clearly prompted the government to begin to find ways and means to intervene to try and stave off the collapse of faith and belief in the BN government.

With these new developments, there is also a rise in the bashing of BN personalities who hog the limelight in the political arena.

The bashing of BN politicians appears to be popular and provide much cannon fodder for the media to blast away much to the fascination of their audience who relish the prospect of knowing the actual truth about government leaders.

Distortion of truth

What is certain, to which most Malaysians will agree and has become an established fact, is that the stirring of exposes and scandals usually end up being mired in controversy by the traditional and mainstream media, perhaps deliberately, that the actual truth more often than not gets lost in the process.

The outcome of most shocking revelations and accusations, all allegations of wrongdoing against the culprit or culprits by the alternative, social media and cyber reporting, even with inquests and Royal Commissions of Inquiries, the end result most of the time is that they go back to square one much to the disappointment of many Malaysians.

By casting doubts, aspersions and basically by shrouding all these proceedings in controversy after controversy, the truth ends up getting lost and Malaysians find their fight against corruption and abuse of power, against all forms of allegations of wrongdoing against the powers-that-be, difficult to achieve.

But all is hopefully not lost. The best bet for Malaysians is to use their intelligence to think and rationalize over the truth of the topics and issues being deliberated upon, and in the coming 13th GE, to act with wisdom and maturity, in casting their votes for candidates who they believe in and have full faith and trust will deliver and not renege on pre-election promises.

But for this to materialise, it will have to be a perfectly free and fair 13th GE. Anything less than free and fair polls will ensure a disaster in the making for Malaysians as their wishes and desires will not be able to come to pass.

Meanwhile the media puzzle is expected to continue and most likely get even more convoluted in the run up to the 13th GE. The discerning Malaysian voter, who has expectedly become better educated and informed, and with rising expectations in this country, should in anticipation ensure his vote is cast for appropriate candidates only.

This is the only way to remove the corrupt and the inept and to offer candidates who are truly capable and able to serve the nation and to lead the country forward towards great and excellent success.