As is once again being demonstrated in China during the current unrest by Tibetans and other marginalized and persecuted minorities, rule by a corrupt and unjust regime depends on media dedicated to pushing state propaganda instead of reporting the truth.

And as recently shown in Malaysia, cracks that open up in the state wall of silence and deceit can prove highly liberating to an information-starved populace.

But not liberating enough so far, as despite the best efforts of web newspapers and bloggers, far too many Malaysians are still victims of the meretricious, mealy-mouthed “mainstream” media.

And the government, however battered and bruised it’s been by its encounter with a less ignorant electorate than it’s been accustomed to, clearly has no intention of changing the situation.

The prime minister’s response to the voters’ vetoing of former Misinformation Minister Zainuddin Maidin has been to replace him with Ahmad Shabery Cheek, a man who seems to imagine he can somehow neutralize bloggers or win their support by meeting them, saying that “I wish we can sit down and talk to them and think openly what's best for the country.”

As some of the bloggers he has in mind have already pointed out, he could save himself and them a lot of time and trouble by simply reading what they and their visitors write.

There may well be a few who’d succumb to the Shabery Creek’s undoubted charm, or feel beholden to him for a free coffee or some other petty payment or favour.

But most bloggers worth their salt wouldn’t give the time of day to a man whose job is to ensure that the news is slanted in the government’s favour. If they had the slightest inclination to sell out, surely they’d have already signed-up for a steady salary and perks with one of the “mainstream” media organizations.

Speaking of which, yesterday I took the trouble to visit the websites of two of the principle offenders, Media Prima and Star Publications, to see what they have to say about their political affiliations and news-reporting philosophies.

The true missions

In all the screeds of corporate chest-beating by both organisations, of course I found no disclosure of their true missions or machinations at all.

In the “History” section of its site, Star Publications boasts that it “has undergone many changes in its growth but one characteristic remains the same - its reporting style continues to be refreshing, with news and articles that are varied to cater to different interests.”

But it makes no mention of the fact that’s evident to the most casual reader of the Star or Sunday Star newspapers: that the “different” interests it actually caters to are those of the MCA and Umno.

Media Prima’s sole indication of the role it pretends to play in society is the curious statement that “As we grow with the nation, we value the trust given to Media Prima Berhad and its Group Companies, we believe in listening to the needs of our nation that is still young and still gaining foothold over an evolving world.”

No mention of the fact that it’s the Barisan Nasional government that’s given its “trust” to this media monster to dominate public opinion on its behalf through a propaganda machine comprising newspapers the New Straits Times, Berita Harian, Harian Metro, free-to-air television stations TV3, ntv7, TV9 and 8TV, radio stations Fly FM, Hot FM and Max, and poster companies The Right Channel, UPD and Big Tree Outdoor.

It’s hard to believe that such an agglomeration of media power in one organisation – let alone one so politically compromised – could actually be legal, let alone beneficial to the nation.

But the good news is that this and other components of the government’s carefully-crafted media monopoly went so blatantly overboard on behalf of BN in the recent general election that their credibility is in tatters with audiences, and is being called into question by even that most timorous of institutions, the advertising industry.

Shareholder activism

Agencies and major advertisers have so far avoided online newspapers like Malaysiakini like the plague for fear of offending the incumbent government. And in the process they’ve been passing-up the opportunity to connect with considerable slices of their audience, especially the affluent, educated urban A demographic.

Not that I’m plugging adspace on Malaysiakini, Malaysia Today or the big blogsites. They’re all surviving very nicely and they prize their independence from commercial as well as political pressure.

You’ll no doubt have noticed or even participated in the ongoing debate with Malaysiakini on the issue of whether it site should be free or remain on subscription, and if the former how it could fund itself.

Far be it from me to venture an opinion, as I consider that it’s none of my business. And in any case Steven Gan and Premesh Chandran have survived nicely on grit, determination, the support of subscribers and the generosity of donors for 10 long years now.

But I do have an opinion on the funding of the “mainstream” media, or rather two alternative suggestions.

The first, easiest and most obvious, of course, is a massive boycott as advocated by Haris Ibrahim, Helen Ang and others, thus weakening and even ultimately destroying them commercially.

A second alternative, however fanciful it might seem at first glance, is to buy them. Star Publications and Media Prima, are, as they proudly boast, both listed on the KLSE.

If the five million or so Malaysians who voted for the opposition in the recent election each saved the RM400 or so it costs to buy a newspaper every day for a year and invested it in “mainstream” media shares, the public could eventually control these companies or own them outright.

It’s called shareholder activism. And, just as votes hold sway over politicians, hard cash could well prove the ultimate weapon against media proprietors who value money and the patronage of their masters above their duty to the people and the truth.