This document is downloaded from DR-NTU, Nanyang Technological University Library, Singapore.

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1 This document is downloaded from DR-NTU, Nanyang Technological University Library, Singapore. Title Workshop on Law for Journalists : March 1988, Shah Alam Selangor : [welcome address] Author(s) Citation Date 1988 URL Rights

2 Welcome Address / Paper No.2

3 Tuan Penqerusi, para nadir in se'aiian, Assal amual ai kum wrht. On behalf of the Pen gar ah ITM, Dr. hi j, my personal behai -f, I wish to tnank t! Workshop tor inviting me to deliver t! I am sure that this Workshop* will help <_ - journalists/with the vast network at laws Lnat journalistic profession. ; t; i -. i i. ;"'. The Workshop will also highlight the many i«i;por tan v i. ss' in Malaysia and World Journal ism that are co.mim to the fore. Opinion on these issues has not yet crystal 1ised Malaysia or if it has( it has not made tse: J am sure that you wi 1 I use this :p pet t :; - :" t... r-?f'.. ' :<i, the role of the mass media in society. Journalists are gatherers; writers and editors of the news. As observers, reporters and commentators on the rest o'" society/, journalists enjoy a unique status that amply justifies their occassional designation as 'the Fourth Estate"'(the executive, the legislature and the judiciary being the other three in our system of separation of puwersi. The Ni mportance of the journalist':-: function u a free socisty^his potential for influencing history by reporting the news, has only been gradually -e.ognied in th h c e n t u r y. During the last few decades, the tradition that anyone could be a journalist first' came into conflict with a growing sense of professionalism among workers for press anc rad io. Prvpral important factors i nf lui^ncod I:!HS tre: " '.' : ' :''-*- unionization and or'q;ni:ai ;ori of worh::.rn3 p : - :--sav ; :, -in increasing sense of social responsibility en i he p nr ' :. of journalists and specialized education for journalism. I am proud to note the pioneering contribution of I!"M ' s school oi Mass Communication in improving professionalism amongst journalists in thi s country. Along with prof ess i onal i z at i or. has come variety and diversity in the field of journalism. There are new " : -,-e chief fields for mass media experts : 1. Newspaper?, 2. News Services 3. Magazines 4. Radio ft. Television

4 Related fields include advertising, book publishing and public relations. It is generall y b e3. i e v e d t h a t w i t h i n t h e s e tiel d s journalists must per-form four main roles : 1. to inform the pub1i c; 2' to protect the public interest; 3. to influence public opinion: and 4, to entertain the public. The first task - in-forming the public - is the journalist s chief duty. Reporters represent the public a**events that most people cannot observe themselves. Journalists have an obligation to be accurate and to tell all sides of a story. Unfortunately, this is easier said than done because pressmen are subjected to significant restraints under the 1 aw and are, in addition, restrained by their editors, who in turn, are shackled by the owners of the? publication. Even if such constraints were not present, there are further difficulties^ which prevent totally unbiased reporting. Among them is shortage of space which necessitates picking and choosing what to print and what to throw away. "Interpretive reporting" which seeks to explain and analyze is also bound to be subjective and ideoloqicai1y oriented. The second task - protecting the public interest involves tasks beyond mere coverage of the news. Reporters search out and expose dishonesty, mismanagement and unfair business practices'. Newspapers run "act l onl i'ne" departments to supply the public with a quick, efficient, and cheap technique for airing grievances against wrongdoing in private or public sectors. One of the finest examples of" "investigative journalism" was in the United States with the U.'ashi ncitar; Post's exposure of the Watergate Scandal. The third function of the.nedia influencing public opinion through editorials, commentaries, exposes and special features involves the press in advocacy of certain causes. Not only the; management of a publication but even individual reporters can indulge in such "advocacy journalism". The way the M< ±y Mai 1 espouses the cause of consumerism is a case in point. Entertaining the public: is the fourth function. And this is your forte?. You do it very well. Some say that you ac it better than anything else 1 Critics of the Malaysian mass media also charge that in the performance- 1 of this function, Malaysian TV and newspapers are guided mostly by the liberal, permissive valuer of the West which are disseminated day in and day out to younq and old el: kc- in our society.

5 cii :~r > \ : of 'I o i aw fhat surrounds vour ;. s some ;' teiuion noeu- to bo paid to the ins j( ] el jot."- r. al i err.. rtiiiontj then- are trie -fol lowjiu; v":.-! in: is h,-< ; or -? i! ;.-' v IC'i. - -?n treedo'p of the 1 aw fi pr fjv: c i nc; rotefitjon of the identity o-f news sources and how n :. - : s to ho balanced by the power o-f the state to regeire iw.f: oi!^!: to r?vsd! f t ± --.: sources of i'n-f or mat i on. no neei i ei-m'joi; locfcr m, cert,?. or - tasr ana balanceo reporting of opposniq In tfie L.iSrt this is called the "fairness 11 r < = q u. ires r a d i o and T V s t a t i o n s t o d e v amount of broadcast time to discussion of,1 i ssues ii-i way that ail points of views s such a d :rine desi r ab1. e or possihje in ].3 content How can the "cultural imperialism 1 ' of the West be countered by the local media? As things stand there i- : one - -wa y flow of news from the West inundating the rhird t-vo i c. This flood from the West brings with it i totally We stem orientation, Western points of view, western biases. Western, values. Western ideas er<d the i I:*-. The main news agencies of the developed countries give short shrift to much of what goes on in the Third World. Where they do publicise us, it is V - ' issues of hunger, poverty, tension s.-td v.i. oi encs something be done to reduce the torrent from Lh> and to improve the trickle from us to t! iem? : :nai. ],, 1. most congratulate the School of Mass Communication, ITM a!i>:' AMIC, Singapore for organizing chi.i -.' rkshop. ; also notice with pleasure that the bulk of the '"resource person--" conducting the sessions a.r<5 froir. i TM ' s School of Administration arid Law and they too deserve our conqr-jtiul ations. On behalf of the Penqarah ITM, I have pleasure in declaring W<=: Dill ah - i - caufiq Wassalam alaikum wat ahmatul 1 a!