Help build inclusive racial narrative, media told
How can the media be more responsible when reporting racial issues?
A forum on the state of racial discrimination in the country saw panellists and audience members discuss the role of the media in combating inflammatory sentiments...
How can the media be more responsible when reporting racial issues?
A forum on the state of racial discrimination in the country saw panellists and audience members discuss the role of the media in combating inflammatory sentiments.
Institute for Development Studies Sabah (IDS) CEO Johan Arriffin Samad contended that newsrooms should not allow such sentiments to drive the news agenda.
As an example, he pointed to the attention paid earlier this year to the “lighted cross” allegedly displayed by an apartment building in Penang.
“The press drove all this nonsense,” he said.
Instead, Johan said, news outlets ought to shift their focus to reporting more “positive news”.
He pointed to television stations in Denmark and the Netherlands which focused on optimistic news.
“They (report) on good things done by the community, that's one thing we should look at.
“Otherwise, (when) we open the morning news and WhatsApp before breakfast, all we see is how Umno MP Nazri Abdul Aziz slammed this, MCA reacted to this and our mufti (said this),” he said during the forum titled “Eliminating Racial Discrimination in Malaysia”, which was held today in Kuala Lumpur.
Meanwhile, fellow panellist and Bersih executive director Yap Swee Seng urged the media to help correct misinformation and build an inclusive racial narrative.
“It’s not just about the correct information, but also the correct narrative of the country [...] What will be the direction and common vision of the people and the different races in the country? That narrative and vision has to be built.
“[...] I think this responsibility should not just be with the government, it should be with the media and it should also be the civil society,” he told the 70 people present in the audience.
Organised by Pusat Komas, the forum was held following the launch of the non-governmental organisation’s 2018 report on racial discrimination in Malaysia.
Both the report and the discussion noted the intensifying use of racial rhetoric by opposition parties, and implored the Pakatan Harapan government to ramp up efforts to build a counternarrative.
Malaysiakini to blame?
During the forum, audience member and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia professor Denison Jayasooria questioned if media coverage of racially charged issues, especially by Malaysiakini, had exacerbated racial politics.
“I always wonder why Malaysiakini is giving so much coverage to all this bad news.
“Actually, (it is Malaysiakini) who carry the headlines, it's not The Star or The New Straits Times doing it but the coverage and social media of especially Malaysiakini.
“I know they want to be consistent but they are really promoting all these issues. We need to look more seriously (into) whether they are caught in populism or if they are just exposing it,” he said.
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