COMMENT | I have a confession to make, and I want to make it publicly. I’m 39 years old and I have only voted in one general election in my entire life, which was the last one in 2013. Based on my age, I would have been eligible to vote in four past general elections. But I didn’t even register before this.

It wasn’t because I didn’t believe in voting. It wasn’t because I was just indifferent. It also wasn’t because I was not politically or socially aware.

It was mainly because I had the naive and stupid belief perception that as a journalist, it was my responsibility to be totally objective in my political views, and I took it quite seriously too.

But over the years, observing and reporting all that was happening in the country either made me more of a cynic and pessimist, or just more realistic. You can choose to see it any way you want. Eventually, I felt that I just needed to choose sides.

I decided that being objective was no longer something that I saw as important. How truly objective can a journalist be, anyway? At the end of the day, everyone makes decisions, and journalists have to make the same decisions as anyone else too.

The words they choose to use in their reporting, the facts they choose to include or omit in a story, the people they decide to interview or not, and most significant, the personal context and baggage that they carry when they come into a story or issue, will play a factor.

I just came to a realisation that I needed to do something more significant. It’s not like I have illusions of grandeur and thought so highly of myself that I actually believed that I could save the country and the world. I just felt like I needed to be able to sleep peacefully at night.

So I made the decision to always take sides in my journalism. I feel that in an environment where the establishment has such a loud and strong voice, every little voice for the opposition is going to be something that counts. It is important that the voice supporting the anti-establishment be given a platform.

Objectivity is overrated

And when it comes to journalism today, objectivity can take a back seat, with the condition that there are many options available for the public and that no lies are reported. Argumentative, persuasive and activist journalism needs to take a more prominent role these days.

What is needed is journalism that will encourage and push the public to be more critical, to be less content with the status quo, have more of a desire to question what they feel is questionable and make sure they want to get the kind of government that they deserve.

The most important thing in what we write is that there are no lies, and fabrication of the truth. Laying out facts and stating opinions to persuade people to be more active in the democratic process is what is needed, more so than we actually need objective journalism.

The voice of the establishment will always be there, loud and strong. They are the authority and hence they will not have to face the challenge of being heard. It is the opposite voice that needs to be constantly shouted in order to be heard.

So at the end of the day, I am happy to say that I am not an objective journalist. I believe that we need more journalists who are subjective and will always take the side of the opposition (no matter who they are) and be anti-establishment.

We need journalists who will always fight for those who are weak and do not have the means to voice their grouses and concerns. What we need are journalists who realise that they are supposed to serve the public.

This is the only way to ensure that democracy will exist in Malaysia today, and that is exactly why I decided to register and vote in the last general election in 2013. This will also be the reason why I will vote in the next general election coming real soon.

ZAN AZLEE is a writer, documentary filmmaker, journalist and academic. He will strive to his very best to never be an objective journalist for as long as his career lasts. Visit FATBIDIN.COM to view his work.

The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.