Msian journalists near bottom in global bribery index
Malaysia is ranked close to the bottom of the pile among 66 countries by the first-ever global index which measures the level of corruption in the journalistic profession.
Malaysia is ranked close to the bottom of the pile among 66 countries by the first-ever global index which measures the level of corruption in the journalistic profession.
The index ranks the countries according to the likelihood of journalists will seek or accept cash for news coverage from government officials, businesses or other news sources.
Malaysia is placed 53 rd of the countries surveyed with an average score of 2.38, but officially it is ranked 24 as many countries higher up in the index share the same score.
The survey revealed that bribery of the media is most likely to occur in China (66), Saudi Arabia (65), Vietnam and Bangladesh (both share 63-64 ranking), and Pakistan (62).
Meanwhile, those countries with the best ratings for avoiding such practices are Finland (1), Denmark, New Zealand and Switzerland (all share 2-4 ranking), Germany, Iceland and United Kingdom (all share 5-7 ranking).
"Bribery of the news media in too many countries robs citizens of credible information they need to make personal and collective decisions," said Vuslat Dogan Sabanci of Hurriyet , the leading Turkish daily which sponsored the survey.
"Whether a country ranks high or low, many parties are adversely affected - journalists, news sources, advertisers, government policymakers, and the consuming public," she added.
Other backers of the study are two public relations organisations - the British-based International Public Relations Association and the Institute for Public Relations of the United States.
The sponsors said that the index was developed to provide a useful quantitative measure by which countries can track their progress over time and compare it to other nations. According to them, the 66 countries were selected for their global, economic and political importance.
Unethical practice
The 'media bribery' index, the first of its kind, was developed by two academics, University of Northern Iowa's Dr Dean Kruckeberg and Purdue University's Katerina Tsetsura.
"Cash for news coverage must be viewed as a threat to civil society because it attempts to control people through the manipulation of information," said Kruckebreg.
"Public relations practitioners and journalists alike - as citizens of their respective countries who best understand the importance of media integrity - need to take leadership roles in eliminating this unethical practice."
The co-authors of the index said that because it was difficult to measure the phenomenon of cash being paid for news coverage through direct observation, they employed a composite index methodology that would be predictive but not necessarily causative.
The variables used for the index are:
- Professional education of journalists
The data on these eight factors were then numerically scored, and the countries surveyed were ranked ordered from highest to lowest.
