In Malaysia, news reportage is seen to be monopolised by major news organizations that are either owned by political parties or funded by corporations that are government-friendly.

The growing skepticism and distrust among the public is creating a thirst for impartial and objective news reports.

This has given birth to citizen journalism.

NONE Recognising that there is news out there that escapes the mainstream media, Malaysiakini ’s CEO and co-founder Premesh Chandran started the citizen journalism training course with funding from the US-based International Center for Journalists in 2008, conducted its first training programme in November that year.

The course aims to equip its participants, regardless of background, with journalistic skills that include writing as well as new tools such as video story-telling.

Along the way they are also introduced fundamentals of journalism: the ethics and mechanics of the trade that will serve as a guide in a their pursuit of stories, and which distinguishes them from mainstream journalists.

The workshops are intense, compact and hands-on with theoretical and practical exercises designed to shape ordinary people - teachers, lawyers, students, retirees - into unbiased, ethical and daring citizen journalists (CJs) reporting on issues that concern them and their community.

Key to the programme is the close monitoring and mentoring that active CJs receive to ensure continual improvement in their skill-sets.

Challenging mainstream media

Since its inception, the programme has spawned 186 citizen journalists, of whom 86 are active reporters today. Some have even made a name for themselves in the media.

NONE They have shaken political parties, highlighted community struggles, tackled religious and ethnicity issues and other such stories that the mainstream media steers clear of.

Sixteen training workshops have so far been conducted throughout Malaysia, in Kelantan, Penang, Perak, Kuala Lumpur, Johor, Sabah and Sarawak.            

The course emphasises video journalism, as visuals tell a million stories and have great potential to move viewers. Messages come out stronger with real footage and at-the-scene reporting.

In fact, some of the videos produced by the CJs have created such impact they have been picked up by other online news portals and disseminated across cyberspace.

Life-changing

Participants of the workshops say that it has changed their lives.

For some, it has instilled a new sense of confidence and curiosity as they are compelled to approach and interview people for stories. The more assured participants learn to adopt a more ethical and professional approach to the job.

Some who have never handled a video camera before can now edit and produce documentaries, while those who could not write before are now sending articles to be published in Malaysiakini .

To date, CJs have produced 694 videos and 43 articles. 12 of the articles have made it to Malaysiakini ’s website.

The rest are hosted on www.cj.my , a site established as a result of the programme’s success and a channel for CJs to host their work.

cij press freedom central market 030508 roadmap This new breed of journalists is revolutionising the way that news is being reported in the country, and they pose a real challenge to a mainstream media that is constantly negotiating red-tape around “sensitive issues.”

The programme has injected new hope into journalism in Malaysia, and nothing like it exists elsewhere in the region.

It is therefore fitting that they be the focus of World Press Freedom Day this year.

From 1 - 2 May, 2009, Central Market’s Annexe in Kuala Lumpur will host the CJ Conference 2010, where CJs from around the country will converge to discuss and share their experiences. The conference will also engage the public through various workshops.

For more information visit http://cj.my/cj-conference-2010/

 

Born and raised in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, citizen journalist SHARYN SHUFIYAN is the offspring of two journalists. She completed her Diploma in Advertising from Taylor's College, and obtained her BA degree in New Zealand. Her developed her sometime liberal, somewhat leftist views from an early age when she was  enlightened by freedom of speech and exposed to the minds of Rousseau, Marx, Locke and other schools of thought. She participated in marches as a university student abroad. A supporter of equality, democracy and cultural relativism, Sharyn is just another average girl weary of the political and social situation of her beloved country.