COMMENT | I have been a journalist for about twenty years and have been teaching journalism for about 16 years. Over all these years, I have always thought of journalism and the media as the Fourth Estate when it comes to democracy. Apparently, it serves as a watchdog, observing and exposing what the authorities do so that the people who elected them will be informed.

I say "apparently" because the things that have been happening recently in Malaysia are casting doubt over what the roles of the media and journalism are. This is especially so when we see what has been developing with the issue of the Al Jazeera documentary that highlights the alleged mistreatment of undocumented migrants by the Malaysian authorities.

The producers and journalists (specifically the director, editor, journalist and videographer) who were involved in the documentary have been called up by the police to be investigated. The Malaysian government has accused Al Jazeera of misinformation and that no minors were handcuffed and no mistreatment occurred.

Al Jazeera is standing by their report and has revealed ...