Dear readers,
The advent of new forms of media publishing trends, namely, alternative online news, has undeniably taken the journalism industry by storm. Lim (2008) defines alternative media as “…media types outside the mainstream categories of broadcast, print, transit and outdoor which are typically controlled by governments and large businesses.”
Types of alternative media:
Blogs - Malaysia Today
Video sharing network - Youtube
Alternative online news portal - Malaysiakini
Background on Malaysia’s press freedom
In Malaysia, though the right to free speech is detailed in Article 10 of the Constitution, it cannot be practiced in actuality as various laws are established to curtail this right (SUARAM 2005). For example, through the Printing Presses and Publication Act 1984, news agencies may be stripped of their printing license if news content is found to be seditious (Venkiteswaran 2008).
The old vs. the new
Freedom of speech
Undoubtedly, the alternative media provides political freedom otherwise shunned by mainstream networks. Sen and Lee (2007) support this, adding that most media owners are affiliated with the ruling government. Still, bloggers are not entirely free from the grasps of government authorities as the Sedition Act 1948, Official Secrets Act 1972 and Internal Security Act 1960 can be used against suspects (eds Loh & Khoo 2002).
Credibility
The new media have always been accused of its lack in credibility. This notion is furthered by Kapica (cited in Hogg 2009), stating that “…many citizen journalists are basically amateurs who are simply mimicking what they see on TV or in the press…”
On the contrary, professionally edited content is favoured, as agreed by Knox (cited in Hogg 2009), upholding that “it’s more efficient to have… people who have had some knowledge on how to do it.”
Writing techniques
Putnis and Petelin (1996) postulate good writing as employing the “doctrine of correctness” whereby confusing and inaccurate writings are abhorred. As such, writing skills demonstrated by bloggers, being amateurs, are highly questionable.
Design elements
As purported by Walsh (2006), the use of multimodality, specifically, the incorporation of texts, visuals, audio and other cues, are vital components of internet sites. Hence, bloggers who are not well-versed with document design may fail to observe such essential design principles.
In conclusion, both the old and new media has its benefits and drawbacks. Nevertheless, proponents of both parties must recognize the benefits witnessed in both. These benefits can then be merged, creating an effective interplay of the old and the new media.
References
Hogg, C 2009, Is there credibility in citizen journalism?, Digital Journal, viewed 15 June 2009, <http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/271657>
Lim, R 2008, In defense of alternative media, Swinburne University of Technology, viewed 15 June 2009, <
Loh, FKW & Khoo, BT (eds) 2002, Democracy in Malaysia: discourses and practices,
Curzon Press, Richmond, Surrey.
Putnis, P & Petelin, R 1996, Professional communication: principles and applications, Prentice Hall, Sydney.
Sen, K & Lee, T 2007, Political regimes and the media in East Asia, Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group, Oxon.
SUARAM 2005, Human rights report 2004: civil and political rights, SUARAM
Komunikasi, Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
Venkiteswaran, G 2008, Have road map for press freedom, repeal PPPA, Center for Independent Journalism, Malaysia, viewed 15 June 2009, <
Walsh, M 2006, ‘The ‘textual shift’: examining the reading process with print, visual and multimodal texts’, Australian Journal of Language and Literacy, vol. 29, no. 1, pp. 24-37.
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