July 15, 2012
Utusan Malaysia is Cheap Journalism
by Lim Kit Siang
Today (July 14) is a day of infamy for Malaysian journalism – with the UMNO publication Utusan Malaysia defending the indefensible instead of apologizing for being the foremost “Lies-paper” in Malaysia in the past three years under the premiership of Datuk Seri Najib Razak.
At a forum on social media organized by Biro Tata Negara (BTN) of the Prime Minister’s Department and the 1Malaysia Social Media Convention secretariat, Utusan Malaysia’s deputy chief editor (Datuk) Mohd Zaini Hassan claimed that media practitioners are allowed to spin the facts to paint a “desired picture” to the reader and to launch a “gentlemanly attack” against the Opposition.
Claiming that there are three categories of “fact, spin and blatant lies”, Zaini purports to distance himself from “lies” but gives his approval to “spin”, saying: “Spin we can; no matter how we spin a certain fact to be biased in our favour, that’s okay.”
Zaini is insulting the intelligence of Malaysians in trying a “spin of all spins” 
attempting to pass off lies and blatant lies as mere “spin”!
Spin must clearly be delineated from lies and blatant lies. Spin occurs when facts are linked in a deceptive way that attempts to portray an individual or organization in the best or worst possible light.
But what Utusan had been most guilty off in the past three years is not just deception through “spinning” certain facts while omitting other facts, but the retailing of downright lies and falsehoods.
A good case in point are the “blatant lies” in the Utusan Malaysia front-page story on Monday, July 9, 2012 that the DAP would contest 90 of the 222 parliamentary seats to dominate Pakatan Rakyat and appoint the Prime Minister in the 13th general election.
This was part of an irresponsible, unprincipled, malicious and anti-national campaign by UMNO propagandists to stoke baseless racial suspicion, distrust and fear that the Malays will lose political power if UMNO is defeated and the Barisan Nasional replaced by Pakatan Rakyat in the 13th general election as there is simply no kernel of truth in such a claim.
What is even more disgusting and totally against all tenets of ethical and responsible journalism is that Utusan completely ignored the denials issued by DAP and Pakatan Rakyat leaders debunking the Utusan front-page lies the very same day of their publication, including my media statement that although final seat allocations between Pakatan Rakyat parties have still to be fully completed, “DAP is not contemplating contesting more than 60 parliamentary seats or less than 28 per cent of the total 222 parliamentary seats.
Utusan Malaysia completely ignored these denials and through planted
reports and articles in the past four days tried to keep alive the lie that the DAP would contest 90 seats – including a report on Wednesday, 11th July 2012 quoting the Home Minister Datuk Seri Hishammuddin Hussein attacking the DAP for wanting to contest 90 seats in the 13GE (as if Hishammuddin does not know nor care that the DAP had pronounced the Utusan report a lie!)
Utusan resort to such blatant lies is not to launch a “gentlemanly attack” on the Opposition, but a most irresponsible, mischievous and diabolical attack, as when Utusan on another occasion front-paged another lie that the DAP wanted to establish a Christian Malaysia and appoint a Christian Prime Minister.
Malaysian taxpayers are entitled to know why is UMNO-Barisan Nasional government giving its blessing to such unethical and dishonest journalism by being involved in the social media convention through the Biro Tata Negara of the Prime Minister’s Department, not only to disseminate unethical and dishonest principles of journalism and its application in the social media, but to carry out what is clearly divisive and destructive social activities which could only undermine inter-racial harmony, national unity and 1Malaysia nation-building.
Most importantly, is this confirmation that Biro Tata Negara (BTN) of the Prime Minister’s Department is back in business as the most divisive and destructive brain-washing centre in the country, dividing instead of uniting Malaysians regardless of race, religion, region, class, age or gender despite earlier assurances that BTN is being reformed into a truly Malaysian rather than racist institution?
Imagine if Fox kenna hantam. Imagine if Utusan selling newspaper in USA, Utusan would surely mampus. 6 feet under ground
These bunch of Malays are subhuman only fit to live with pigs and binatangs.
No wonder Lee Kuan Yew when he become Singapore PM ban Utusan Melayu in Singapore.What Utusan and UMNO try to promote is Malay supermacy,just like KKK and Nation of Islam in US.
Utusan Malaysia is UMNO’s achilles heel.
Najib and UMNO leaders never realise that the rubbish published by Utusan Malaysia is destroying the image of UMNO in eyes of malays and non Malays.
The more lies these Utusan editors and journalists about Pakatan and more unbelievable praise about UMNO-BN, the more Malaysians and more Malays are being turned off.
I would have thought the smart asses in APCO would have advised UMNO and Najib to pull back the heads of those Utusan editors and journalists or get them sacked or removed.
Every Malaysian knows Utusan is owned by UMNO. Therefore every sh*t dished out by Utusan Malaysia to Malaysians to consume, is seen as the same sh*t coming from UMNO DIRECTLY for Malaysians to consume.
The link between UMNO and Utusan Malaysia is deep. Even the abbreviation for Utusan Malaysia is the same two letters of UMNO. Itg cannot get any closer.
Utusan sounds worst than this!!!!
Sounds like:
There is torture and there is “enhanced interrogation technique”
and, there are taxes and there are “revenue enhancement”
Cheap journalism is an understatement. Try “thrash journalism”. There is no substance in the writing and the writing is really bad, grammar wise. I might as well just read a tabloid.
Blatant reporting of lies are only temporary as truth will always prevail eventually. What UMNO/BN are doing is only bringing about it demise, if not soon, later. There is no escape. Even all good or bad things will one day change. Not all Malaysians are fooled by bad reporting/journalism.
It’s kinda interesting that even polls can be manipulated. Disraelis is right after all
You would not be surprised that it may end up like this by BN. When Pakatan really win the GE 13. It happens before in 1969 & in Perak
Kit Siang is dead wrong about Utusan Malaysia.
Utusan is not a newspaper, nor is it in the journalism business. Utusan is a collection of essays and articles written with a view to improve Bahasa Malaysia. In other words, Utusan is an esteemed institution promoting the Malay literature and the Malay language. Fact or fiction does not matter.
Anyone who treat Utusan as a news publication does so at their own risk.
_________________
Think again. Yes, it may not be a newspaper but it is a propaganda machine in the guise of a newspaper. Good luck to you if you read it to improve your Bahasa Malaysia.–Din Merican
Din,
It’s a sarcastic remark. Just watch me! It really what happen to what Najib not doing right for the past 3 years. Have fun!
If you want UMNO to mess up your brain, Utusan is the way to go. You cannot make better use of Utusan than to wipe your ass with.
You cannot make better use of Utusan than to wipe your ass with.-Mr Bean
Yes sir. Absolutely.