Malaysiakini is a relatively new media organisation. We came into being in November 1999 - shortly before the last general elections.
We run a daily news website featuring independent reporting, in-depth analyses and investigative journalism. We hardly censor our stories and to a very large extent, all malaysiakini journalists are allowed to maintain their own style of writing.
But this does not mean that we can write as we please without checking our facts for there are still the Cyber Laws and the Multimedia and Communications Act which govern the Internet. We are also answerable to legislation related to libel, slander or defamation.
With regards to gender fair reporting, we do not have a written code of conduct - yet. What we do have is an unwritten constitution. We have journalists, editors, freelance writers and columnists who are gender sensitive and who make a conscious effort to promote women and women's issues from the right perspective in their reporting and writings.
Because we believe in free speech, we also believe there are two sides to a story. In many instances, we have countered gender bias reporting about women and ran reports that indicated the right perspective. In other words, many times we undertook damage control when other media publicised or sensationalised stories that placed women in a bad light.
Biased reporting
For example, early last year there was a case about a young schoolgirl in Sarawak who had sex with her classmates. The scenario was video-taped. What the Education Ministry did was to hold a press conference and allow reporters to watch the video tape.
The next day, most mainstream newspapers gave prominence to the fact that the offender was a girl and even hinted where she was schooling. The girl was subsequently punished and transferred to another school. No mention was made however, about the boys who were also involved and who video-taped the entire event.
Malaysiakini ran letters from readers and reports from women non-governmental organisations which condemned the biased reporting and the wrong emphasis on the issue of sexuality and sexual violence of today's youth.
What media organisations should refrain from is sensationalising an issue based on the subject's gender. For example, a woman was recently arrested for bigamy. The story made it to the front page of one newspaper daily.
There was a full length page photo of the woman handcuffed and the story even reported her height - she was 1.8m tall! What is the rationale behind such reporting? How many men have been caught for bigamy, how come none of them was accorded such 'celebrity' status?
Normal lives
The media also often captures and publicises images of women and young girls arrested in pubs, disco joints and during 'Ecstacy' raids. Malaysiakini believes that in such cases, pictures of both gender must be shown in order to tell the real story of such an event because in any raid, there are always more men involved compared to women - but why such emphasis on the latter?
Advertisements continue to project women in traditional roles such as housewives, nurses, women crazy about shopping, busy secretaries, glamorous models and scheming mistresses. Only a small portion of women are involved in some of these roles.
Most of us are ordinary women, many of us are independent single or married women, straight or gay women who lead normal lives, have a rewarding career and some may have accomplished outstanding feats.
However, we are the marginalised ones and the ones who are often pushed to the peripheries because we are considered "un-sensational" or "un-newsworthy".
Code of conduct
Indeed a formal code of conduct on gender fair reporting is very much needed to ensure that while journalists honour and continue to practise freedom of speech and expression, we must also not forget that we must be fair, responsible and gender sensitive in all our reporting and writings.
With a formal code of conduct, we do not have to worry about gender-insensitive writers or journalists. It is a well known fact that even though there are many women journalists in some media organisations, gender-bias reporting continues to occur.
It is also common knowledge that even though there are many women in managerial positions in media organisations, they were unable to prevent gender-bias reporting from manifesting its ugly head.
Although there are cultural and religious considerations to be taken into account when writing women's issues, this shouldn't be made an excuse to condone gender-bias reporting of women's role in society. It shouldn't be made an excuse to emphasise women's traditional role and down play her professionalism or her career advancement.
Indeed it would be most inspiring if women NGOs can work closely with media organisations and conduct educational programmes to gender sensitise writers and guide them through the correct perspective when dealing with issues related to women.
The above is an edited version of a paper was presented by malaysiakini journalist Susan Loone at the Asia-Pacific Media Codes of Conduct seminar organised by Isis-International Manila in Kuala Lumpur on Feb 1.