I refer to Extraordinary, unverifiable stories

by Gabriel who has advised malaysiakini "to be more careful in selecting the articles it wishes to publish".

While the advice is timely, I strongly feel that in accordance with the principle of press freedom, it is best for journalists to draw their own line o­n the matter since they are the o­nes who know the kind of public for whom they are writing.

If the editor of a given media wants to be serious or even sensational in their coverage of events, let him or her set his or her chosen tone and tenor for his or her publication since over time, people will know that such is his or her approach.

The famous Times of London used to enjoy a reputation for impeccable journalism just as The Sun was known for its light and even saucy approach to journalism. It is my belief, as a former journalist, that Malaysians are sufficiently mature to identify and enjoy such approaches.

Having said that, let me qualify by saying that care should always be given to reportage o­n matters affecting race and religion. This qualification is all the more cogent, given the plurality of our diverse population. In short, sensitivity should be the catchword when it comes to such matters, and o­nly such matters. The rest should be fair game.

Decisions affecting their coverage and reportage should be left to the journalists themselves since they are the professionals operating in their own field. With the best of intentions, who are we to draw the line in the sand for them?

So long as journalists pursue their craft in the best traditions of journalism, so long as they are sincere and honest in their approach to their jobs, so long as they provide all affected parties concerned the right of reply, so long as they know all the time that they are the guardians of the truth just as judges know that they are the guardians of liberty and freedom, we as readers must appreciate what they and our judges have set out to do to make this country vibrate with ideas for our progress.

Editors must ensure not o­nly o­n-the-job training is available to all journalists but that training in other areas suitable to the individual needs of their journalists should be made easily available so that the standard of journalism in Malaysia is always being enhanced.

It is my view that the freedom of the press and the independence of the judiciary are concepts that are integral to any democracy worth its name.

No politician, however great the temptation, should view the press or broadcast media as an extension of the government machinery. Notwithstanding ownership, the private sector print and broadcast media rightly 'belongs' to the people and Malaysians must exercise eternal vigilance of media liberty by making decisions that affect the revenue position of individual papers and broadcast stations so that individually these can better reflect their position.