COMMENT | Firstly, I must thank Steven Gan, editor-in-chief of Malaysiakini, for giving me the opportunity to write and share my thoughts on current issues with readers.

For Steven, a veteran journo and a hard-working colleague in the news world, and those of us who are supposed to be seasoned enough to understand the rules of the game in the media industry, we still have to constantly remind ourselves of the “Sword of Damocles” hanging over our heads.

We are painfully aware that no matter how careful and meticulous we might be in editing copies before they are published, others could still find fault with us later. And oftentimes, it would be for some strange reasons which we find difficult or impossible to comprehend.

Even if we are genuinely independent with absolutely no political affiliation whatsoever, there will still be groups who just cannot or refuse to believe us. They will come up with all kinds of allegations and accusations to clamp down hard on us.

We cannot really blame them though, because in this game we call politics, the truth hurts, and badly, too. The red lines, where the two parties are not supposed to cross, then became invisible.

From this point onwards, it’s all systems go with only the hardened journalists and the well-supported - not necessarily the most well-financed - publications left standing. Malaysiakini with Steven Gan at its helm is an example.

Unfortunately, this is the reality of the media industry in the country. The print media is going through tough times and many news portals which sprouted over the past decade have closed down. This is the damage inflicted partly by this love-hate relationship between journalists and politicians.

Danger of sedition, defamation and libel

For editors and journalists, what they constantly bear in mind are the three supreme laws governing their craft – the laws of sedition, defamation and libel.