Trash for News
August 22, 2010
Utusan Malaysia substitutes trash for news
by Terence Netto @www.malaysiakini.com (August 21,2010)
COMMENT These days the spectacle of Utusan Malaysia holding out a red bandana to draw out the bull of Malay nationalism would be disquieting if it weren’t also abjectly comic in its failure to achieve that end.
This is the kind of failure that ought to induce self-corrective embarrassment, but this former sentinel of Malay nationalism persists in taking leave of its responsibilities as a serious newspaper, which is to inform its readership with fact and enlighten with insight.
From airing the absurd bloviations of some of its columnists to catering to the pyromania of Perak mufti Harussani Zakaria, Utusan – once the pride of Malay nationalism – has shown a deadly earnestness in perverting the raison d’etre of newspapers: “All the news that’s fit to print”, by substituting trash for “news”.
After a few poor but idealistic Malays founded the newspaper in 1939 in Singapore, they quickly succeeded in making it the paper of choice for emergent Malay nationalism.
In its leftish inclinations, this strand of nationalism preferred the larger goals of national and economic self-determination to narrow identity politics.
But things changed after 1961 when the independent Said Zahari (left) was removed as editor and Utusan came under the control of UMNO.
Politically affiliated ownership of newspapers is a canker which over time encourages arrogance and superciliousness in political masters and servility and mediocrity in editors.
Master-ward relationship
This has been the result of the past five decades of politically aligned ownership of media in Malaysia. The upshot: political masters only get to know what is simmering on the ground after-the-fact while editors assure their survival by anticipating and confirming their paymasters’ false assumptions.
“Under the spreading chestnut tree, I sold you and you sold me,” goes the euphonious adage that captures this two-sided deception that occurs in this master-ward relationship.
Given enough time, this relationship not only conduces to a quality that is not only below the level of the ruling mediocrities, it descends further – to encouraging the forces of reaction which is dreadful especially when you have leaders in the governing hierarchy who are opting for reform.
This is what has happened to the Utusan. Once the proud leader of Malay nationalism, it is now become the harbinger of reaction after that nationalism has achieved its basic goals and the debate has shifted to giving those goals depth, breadth and elevation.
Precisely the kind of shift in the national debate which arises after the polity has made sure that mothers have enough to feed their babies to preventing young mothers from dumping their newborn.
TERENCE NETTO has been a journalist for close on four decades. He likes the occupation because it puts him in contact with the eminent without being under the necessity to admire them.
So what else is new with Utusan? They love to make things up. Way back in 2001, they screamed on their front page that I had attended a secret meeting in Malaysia, when the truth was that I was in California the whole time. http://jameswongwingon-online.blogspot.com/2006/01/when-umnos-media-utusan-malaysia-made.html
Sunday, January 08, 2006
When Umno’s media Utusan Malaysia made similar mistake of identification, it’s okay …
John Malott demands a retraction from Utusan Malaysia
FAC News – 1 April 2001
On Friday, 30 March 2001, Utusan Malaysia’s headline said that John R. Malott, one-time US Ambassador to Malaysia, had attended a “secret meeting” in Malaysia with the National Justice Party. Utusan Malaysia is a Malay language daily owned by UMNO, the dominant partner in the ruling coalition.
When John Malott awoke in his home in California and logged onto the Internet he was shocked to discover he could be in two places at the same time, halfway across the world. John Malott quickly learnt, in Malaysia this is possible – hence Malaysia’s well shouted slogan, “Malaysia Boleh” (which means “Malaysia Can”).
After all, was Anwar Ibrahim not sentenced to nine years jail for committing sodomy in a Kuala Lumpur apartment that was not yet built and when he was not even in the country at that time?
That same day John Malott sent Utusan Malaysia an e-mail asking them to retract their false newspaper report. (Full text of John Malott’s e-mail to Utusan Malaysia can be read here).
In his e-mail, John Malott said that the article is a complete fabrication as he is in California and has not been in Malaysia since January 2000. John Malott added that it is an offense under Malaysian law to publish a false article and that he would be well within his rights to take legal action against Utusan Malaysia.
John Malott demanded that Utusan Malaysia publish the retraction in a prominent position in the newspaper as well as on its Website that clearly acknowledges the report was not accurate. John Malott also demanded that Utusan Malaysia include an apology and for them to remove the false article from the Website.
At the same time John Malott sent Malaysiakini another e-mail that said “it shows clearly that the paper is no longer a newspaper, but a political instrument”. (Full text of John Malott’s e-mail to Malaysiakini can be read here).
“The article, with its screaming headline that I had attended a secret meeting in Malaysia, is a pure fabrication,” said John Malott.
John Malott added, “After his arrest, Anwar Ibrahim said, “If this can happen to me, it can happen to anyone.”
Utusan clearly has written a false report about me — for I cannot be in two places, halfway around the world, at the same time.”
“But of greater concern, it once again shows the evil that this so-called newspaper is capable of. If they can write such a false and concocted story about me, then they can write it about anyone.”
“When Utusan’s false stories are used to smear the political and personal reputations of good people in Malaysia and even lead to charges of sedition, it shows clearly that the paper is no longer a newspaper, but a political instrument.”
Source: http://www.freeanwar.net/facnews/facnews010401a.htm
Free Anwar
http://www.freeanwar.net
John Malott - August 22, 2010 at 2:36 am
And people like Ilham dare to cut and paste nonsense and believes in them. Tragic. Then we get someone fromm Washington who told us that the PM”s wife interferes in NST reporting. All instruments of political oppression. Shameful.
Kathy - August 22, 2010 at 7:51 am
Why don’t you politicians ,spend the taxpayers’ money (your fat paycheck) back home, watch what’s happening in Australia to understand the full extent of democracy at work. The voice of the people .
Kathy - August 22, 2010 at 7:55 am
Who read the trash anyway? Notice that lately the Star are trying to ape UM by touching on racial and religious issues? Since Chua Soi Lek took over the helm of MCA actually. Personally, I think any newspaper that is politically owned has no credibility. Not in Malaysia anyway.
imwatchingu - August 22, 2010 at 9:01 am
“Utusan clearly has written a false report about me — for I cannot be in two places, halfway around the world, at the same time.” Ambasaddor Malott
Ambassador Malott,
I guess they have fallen victim to their own propaganda. Utusan has been long in the business of spinning their cobweb of untruths and half-truths, of misinformation and disinformation; and what happens is that a business engaged in the spread of falsehood to further the agenda of those who are in control, cannot but sometimes falls prey to their own lies. They thought they could lie about somebody’s whereabouts to support an agenda, why can’t they lie about a former U.S. Ambassador being here in Malaysia to attend the secret wedding of a close friend – especially when that former U.S. Ambassador has been outspoken and critical of the regime that today runs this country.
We should not be surprised if Utusan adds fuel to fire and runs a story about Din Merican being that close friend! You and I know that that cannot be true. Countless others do too. Drkam – his drop dead gorgeous wife (as we over here refer to our wives, as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden referred to his wife, Jill, during the presidential campaign) – knows too.
Malaysia is a struggling and newly emerging democracy at best. No country could claim to be a democracy if media is under government control. Among the preconditions for a grassroots democracy to take roots would be a free media. That is just one.
Yes, this is Bolehland! A ‘can do’ generation has grown up just like it did in the U.S. in the 50s. You can punch yourself in the eye and strangle yourself to death and then jump off a building. There is nothing that a Malaysian cannot do.
_________
Yes, Mongkut, Malaysia boleh, semua boleh. And it can produce irritants like Ilham who can’t argue sensibly and idiots like the DPP in the Teoh Beng Hock Inquest and faggots like Kevin Morais. My friend, Sayang Bangsa, is only a shade better than Ilham because he tries to sound intelligent, although he is also blind to the weaknesses of the UMNO-BN political regime.
I for one try to see issues in a balanced way. Not all that UMNO-BN does is bad, but of late they have been shooting themselves in the foot over a number of issues like NEP/NEM, education, religion and race relations. I give them a Big F for justice and fighting corruption.
Ambassador Malott knows Malaysia well. US-Malaysia relations were difficult when he was the US Ambassador here. Ambassador Marie T. Huhtala too had a challenging tour of duty. But these professionals did well and we must pay tribute to the State Department for identifying, developing and posting them and political appointees to their mission in Malaysia.
During my stint at Wisma Putra (1963-1965), Ambassadors Charles F. Baldwin and James D. Bell were here and I had the pleasure of both knowing them, although I was a freshie Assistant Secretary (equivalent to Third Secretary in our Embassy). Ambassador Bell was, in fact, my role model. –Din Merican
Mr Bean - August 22, 2010 at 9:10 am
Hi-de-ho Ambassador Malottt
I do not read Utusan or other vernacular papers because I dont like to read gossips which they devote 60 per cent of it.
But I read their political stories on line to know the Malay pulse on issues of the day.
Since you regard Utusan as trash, please treat it like one.
Please dont bother to reply and lower your esteemed self. Just let it go.
I am sure you are much aware that in your country there are also trashy and mean-minded papers and personalities in the US like Rush Limbaugh or John Savage. We too have personalities like that here.
Even Ariana’s Huffington Post are sometimes not spared of silly and laughable commentaries on Prez. Obama.
I admire your great country and have studied and stayed there. My two kids are now studying there.
I often posted my two cents worth in NYTimes, WaPo and Chicago Tribune and Bostion Globe, being the few Malaysians who do that.
I am happy that my comments got Highlights of the Day by NY times and recommended by many.
To commemorate Obama’s one year in office. Chicago trib sent me an e-mel that they are using my small piece together with other Americans and citizens of the world.
I am proud they take heed of the opinion of a person from a small nation.
Mr Merican
Again you tar me with the same brush as ilham. But that’s your right.
I learn in school that you can provoke to belie what is the real you.
imwatcing you
I subscribed to The Star and NST. Yep The Star is now subtly undermining the Malays since CSL took over.
If you noticed Star seldom portrayed the sucess of the Malays unliket he NSTwho tried as far as possible to highlight all the three major races.
The Star is slowly turning into a racist paper it once was before its temporary shut-down during Ops Lalang.
Sayang Bangsa - August 22, 2010 at 11:51 am
The entire MSM prints TRASH. That’s an old story. So be like me… stop buying them.
The vast world of Alternative Media is full of news. With just a little common sense the truth usually stands out. Why, then, bother with the MSM?
Isa Manteqi - August 22, 2010 at 1:33 pm
if this is not UMNO mouthpiece, the editors will be long gone to kamunting, not that i am an avid fan of ISA. you know why UMNO is just not like. its precisely this-a thuggish organisation which has no decorum nor understanding of the rule o law. in short, a bunch of decadent warlords.
aca - August 22, 2010 at 2:34 pm
sayang bangsa,
star paper a racist one? thats rich. insofar as I am concerned, both star and nst share one commonality. both are fit to be used for wrapping rubbish, not for news. i have long stop buying the 2 propaganda sheets.
aca - August 22, 2010 at 2:37 pm
The entire electorate can see Utusan Melayu getting away with the most racist of reports esp by this so-called Ridhuan Tee Abdullah. Let them continue to lose the Chinese voters becoz their reports are widely translated and discussed amongst the Chinese online community. UMNO is just digging its own grave.
p.s. Sayang Bangsa – sucking up to John Mallott I see… listen you are the same mould as Ilham, I support Din’s opinion, if indeed he did expressed one.
Sentinel - August 22, 2010 at 4:40 pm
Isa Manteqi and aca
I still read the NST and Star because they offerr fair, balanced reporting as compared to Malaysa Today for example..
They do no lie. They only censor or angle the story to suit the readers.
I dont trust any of the MSM alternatives in the cyberworld.
Don’t even read them unless picked by Din or some blogs which I go to.
Sentinel
Sucking up? Hello why should I?
I was just telling himt not to be petty, quarreling with Utusan.
Sayang Bangsa - August 22, 2010 at 5:52 pm
Din,
We cannot change the way they write but surely we can hurt them financially by giving notice to their advertisers that we will boycott their products should they continue to advertise in Utusan. I look forward to seeing you spearheading this boycott Utusan advertisers. Thanks.
peter - August 22, 2010 at 6:01 pm
Hey Sayang BN..give more credit to Malaysia Today, as it pastes pro BN crap from ST ,Star, Utusan and what have you,so that there can be healthy debate and blokes like you dont miss out !! good that you sent your kids to the US, must be part of the perks of being pro-BN or just following other UMNOPUTRAS, where local institutions are also not good enough for their kids. Ask Najib in particular !!!
walter - August 22, 2010 at 7:35 pm