There are some words like ‘always’ and ‘never’ that journalists should be extremely wary of. Phrases too, like ‘I told you so’. If one works in this profession, it’s unwise to point the finger at a fallen colleague lest one day it be pointing the other way.
Nevertheless the inescapability of the choice facing Brendan Pereira and his employers could not have been better spelled out than was done by Nathaniel Tan. Tan’s measured outrage leavened by a degree of sympathy for the unfortunate Pereira was one of the most eloquent letters I have yet read in the Malaysian media. It was unanswerable.
Yet, I’d urge people not to gloat over Pereira’s fate. Yes, he appears to have broken one of the cardinal rules of journalism; thou shalt not steal (though in some circles that is interpreted as ‘Thou shalt not get caught stealing’).
Columnists have a duty to write with their own voice, not someone else’s. But the position of group editor of the NST and that of group editor-in-chief have long been among the most thankless jobs in Malaysia and, to listen to some, are positively poisonous.
Great papers answer to their readers and truly great papers answer to their nations. Only lesser organs answer to political or commercial masters. There are many Malaysian journalists, a goodly number of whom I count among my friends, who struggle each day to honour that higher commitment.
I suspect that anyone in Pereira’s position must find themselves constantly torn between those commitments and it would grind down the very best of men.
I suspect he will be judging himself more harshly than others possibly could.
Editor’s note: The NSTP today announced that Brenden Pereira will end his term of service as group editor of NST on Dec 31. The company said that Pereira expressed his intention to quit late last year and the decision to accept his resignation was made earlier this year. It rejected the allegations of plagiarism.
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