Social media setting today's agenda: Editor
Published on: Tuesday, February 03, 2015
Kota Kinabalu: Newspaper journalists are seeing a reversal of their role from being newsbreakers to being mere spectators these days with the advent of social media, said Daily Express Chief Editor, James Sarda."These days we find ourselves reading breaking news on social sites, websites and portals, tweeter, whatsapp, forums, etc, first," he said. According to him, if anyone were to tell him that it would be possible to get the latest news on palm-held gadgets that doubled up as phones when he entered journalism 30 years ago, he would ask the person to have his head examined.
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"But this is the reality the news industry is grappling with today. We are bombarded with information much of it on hand-held devices. At one time people turned to the next morning's papers to read about an earthquake that killed thousands in Iran or China."But today, those experiencing earthquakes will be sharing it in real time with the world on Facebook and Twitter with pictures."Sarda who is a Chevening scholar and has a Masters in Journalism from Cardiff University recalled being advised as a cadet journalist to read the piece of newspaper used to wrap Goreng Pisang (banana fritters) or Nasi Lemak before discarding it for story ideas or follow ups on a dry day. "But this certainly cannot apply today. Now, I advise my reporters to monitor conversations on social media sites," he said.
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"Malaysians now know that several hundred of our fellow citizens had gone to Syria to fight alongside the Jihadists not because any of the newspapers or TV stations in Malaysia sent reporters to the battlefront but because of their conversations on Facebook."This is the reality. We used to enjoy the monopoly over news but we have lost that edge," he said, in his talk to 23 new journalists taking the Young 1Malaysia Journalists Course organised by the Malaysia Press Institute (MPI), here, recently.
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If it were not for social media, we would also never know that Malaysia was also capable of producing suicide bombers as two of them took with them the lives of more than 50 Syrian and Iraqi troops.Hence, he said the challenges posed by social media cannot be underestimated or taken lightly and that many newspapers in the west which chose to ignore it as a passing fad were forced to close shop."So much so that major newspapers have decided to join the bandwagon by having dedicated sites that monitor new developments online long after the print edition had gone to bed.The mainstream media has also changed the way in which it engaged with social media with many newspaper sites now having video feeds, said Sarda the only Malaysian journalist to win two of the nation's most coveted journalism prizes at national level for reporting on Syabu in 1999 and on the Environment in 1997.Nevertheless, Sarda believed that conventional media would still survive the challenge of social media in the long run."Our best weapon is in putting out fair, objective, reliable and credible news that are based on facts and which can be defended, including in a court of law."But what you get in Social Media is info of all sorts and very little journalism. It is fantastic for breaking the news but what happens is that people immediately start asking whether it is true and the only ones who can help them verify this is the print media, although the process of verifying may take time."Besides, the fact that conventional media practitioners are subjected to so many laws while the social media need not bother most of the time also makes it not a level playing field," he said.He said the print media is more reliable because whatever published is actionable under so many laws. There is the Printing and Publications Act, Official Secrets Act, False Reporting and Sedition Act, among others."In addition we can end up being sued for damages if aggrieved parties feel we have defamed them. So people are assured that everything they read and hear in the print and broadcast media have undergone levels of vetting and can be believed," he said."This is not the same with the social media because what you read is put out by people driven by politics, emotions, hatred and revenge."What you get is not so much journalism but one-sided reports with the aim of swaying public opinion. Most of the contents are unedited or unverified with no background research done or the stuff is usually put out by those lacking the necessary training to report accurately and fairly."Except for some like Raja Petra, you don't even know who are the writers unlike the print media where every story is likely to carry a byline which suggests pride and responsibility in putting the news into print,"he said.Nevertheless, Sarda admitted that the Malaysian mainstream media cannot escape criticism. This is despite licensing now made a one-off requirement instead of having to renew yearly as there are those who believe that we control what goes into print and what stays out."The perception is that there is freedom to support the government of the day but not the freedom to support the opposition. "But this is not exactly true because no media in Malaysia can survive without including opposition coverage due to social media and the fact that the opposition garnered substantial support in the recent election."Sarda said where Malaysia is concerned, especially after 2008 and more so after Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad stepped down as Prime Minister, the space for critical discourse had become less restricted."Issues concerning race and religion began to be debated more openly. Whether this has been good or bad you be the judge," he said, noting that because so many debates in cyberspace have reached alarming levels, it forced the Prime Minister to backtrack on scrapping the Sedition Act.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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