PSC in Penang hears extent of media bias
The spotlight was on the conduct of the media at the parliamentary select committee meeting in Penang today, as several elected representatives highlighted "biasnesses and unfairness" towards opposition parties, especially during election campaigns.
The spotlight was on the conduct of the media at the parliamentary select committee meeting in Penang today, as several elected representatives highlighted "biasnesses and unfairness" towards opposition parties, especially during election campaigns.
Pantai Jerejak assemblyperson Sim Tze Tzin (
left
) said he discovered that a government linked radio station - Mutiara FM - has not provided space for any Penang government official since Pakatan Rakyat took over in 2008.
"However, all BN leaders leaders were interviewed, including representatives of NGOs who stage anti-government demonstrations in Penang," he told the PSC, chaired by Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Maximus Ongkili.
Sim, who is PKR Bayan Baru division chief, later told Malaysiakini that he was shocked when he discovered that the radio station had interviewed the organisers of anti-state government protests to "give them publicity".
PKR submits 16 recommendations
The PSC is holding a two -day meeting in Penang, and so far about 15 representatives have presented their views to a panel which includes four MPs - P Kamalanathan (Hulu Selangor), Mohamed Azmin Ali (Gombak), Loke Siew Fook (Rasah) and Wee Choo Keong (Wangsa Maju).
Representing PKR, Sim presented 16 recommendation in a 54-page report which included suggestions that the media provide for three debating sessions among prime ministerial candidates from the BN and Pakatan over prime time news.
He proposed that the date for election be fixed as practised by other developed countries as well as Malaysia's neighbours - Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Thailand.
He also suggested that "dirty political tactics" be eradicated from election campaigns and that the Election Commission and Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commision take stern action against bloggers who flout this rule by exposing sex-related videos to disparage politicians on their blogs.
But he was countered by Wee, who asked him if his suggestion also applied to news portals which are often used as "mouthpieces" of certain quarters, but Sim insisted that he was referring to media funded by taxpayers money.
"Is this fair reporting? What about those who are funded by subscription? Is it okay (for them to be biased)?" asked Wee, but did not name the news portals he was referring to.
Opposition painted in negative light
Meanwhile, Aliran representative Mustafa K Annuar, who has been monitoring media coverage before, during and after elections since 1999, concluded that the media has been very unfair to the opposition.
Mustafa ( right ) said that if the media included the opposition in its coverage, it often paints them in a "negative light" although he does not discount the fact that they have been provided space in the news.
He also took issue with the media for not allowing space for the opposition to reply to allegations against them carried by newspapers.
The opposition is also denied space for political advertisement, which are mostly provided to BN to publish their manifestos, even though they have the money to pay for the space, he noted.
"One has also to look at how the opposition parties are treated by the media, and this includes distortion of facts, which is why the latter feels maligned by the media," said the communications lecturer at University Sains Malaysia.
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