Censorship drives Malaysians to blogs

Print

By Heather Travis
Friday, September 5, 2008
Comedic news shows, such as The Daily Show and The Colbert Report, poke fun at the so-called 'truthiness' of the objective media. But, Faculty of Information & Media Studies (FIMS) student, Alex Paterson, says Canadian journalists have more freedom to tell the truth than in other countries.
 
Through the support of The University of Western Ontario’s International Curriculum Fund and the guidance of FIMS assistant professor Sandra Smeltzer, Paterson and classmate Laura Tribe, spent more than four months this summer working with a non-government agency, the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ), in Kuala Lampur, Malaysia advocating for press freedoms.
 
Alex Paterson and Laura Tribe pose in front of a display they created for World Press Freedom Day in Malaysia. Submitted photo.
 
CIJ lobbies the Malaysian government and local media outlets on issues pertaining to press freedom, journalistic integrity and freedom of information. As well, CIJ hosts community media training seminars and courses that teach independent groups and citizens how to create and distribute their own radio programming.
 
Before the internship, Paterson says he was naïve about the liberties of the Canadian press. However, he quickly learned how government regulations can encroach upon a journalist’s work.
 
“I’ve realized that before coming to a restricted media zone like Malaysia, I took the freedom that the Canadian press enjoys for granted,” he says.
 
When asked to describe the media climate in the Southeast Asian country, Paterson used the term “self-censorship.”  He says the Malaysian government has installed a series of laws and reforms to regulate journalists, preventing them from “providing critical, in-depth analysis in their reporting for fear of disturbing the established order of things.”
 
Residents have become skeptical of the mainstream media because of the government’s influence on content, he says, and have turned to the blogosphere for what they believe to be more truthful news reports.
 
“There is a growing distrust of the mainstream press amongst all Malaysian citizens, fueled by the widely known fact that every major newspaper is owned, in some way, shape or form, by the ruling government coalition, Barisan National,” he says.
 
As well, newspapers are required by law to apply for a license to publish, allowing the government to limit the number of papers in distribution to those with some connection to it, he adds.
 
Online blogs have provided new freedoms for journalists because the Malaysian government has agreed not to censor internet content. However, Paterson says there are ways the government can exercise its authority.
 
“While the internet is uncensored … laws like the Sedition or Defamation Act, or most dangerously, the Internal Security Act, allow the government to punish citizens in a criminal court for statements made publicly about any aspect of Malaysian life, person or politics,” he says.
 
Some famous Malaysian bloggers have been publicly tried for posting items critical of the government or mainstream media.
 
During his time with CIJ, Paterson provided content for the website, did photography and media monitoring, and networked with other non-government agencies. He also launched a video interview series showcasing a wide variety of people and organizations involved in Malaysian media advocacy.
 
This experience in Kuala Lampur has given him a new understanding of what freedom of the press means locally and globally.
 
“Through it I have been exposed to a different system of media and politics that has ultimately made me more appreciative and engaged in my own in Canada, and for that, I am truly grateful,” he says.
 
Most of Sandra Smeltzer’s research has focused on the issues of communication and democracy in Southeast Asia. Based on her connections with CIJ, she was able to secure internships for several students.
 
“The interns get an insight into Malaysian civil society,” she says.
 
She says print media, radio and television are “well aware that if they step over the lines … there will be heavy consequences.”
 
As such, she says the Internet has become a space for people to gather to push for democratic change. By working with non-government agencies like CIJ, students learn the importance of media freedom, she adds.
 
“They get to be in on the ongoing conversation about what media is and what democracy is,” she says.
 
Although she had read about media censorship around the world in her classes at Western, Laura Tribe was able to see it first-hand in Malaysia.
 
“A lot of people don’t know how censored the newspaper is,” she says, adding it sometimes took an outsider’s perspective, like her own, to reveal the discrepancies in media reports.
 
When someone opens a newspaper in Canada, Tribe says the opinion pieces are clearly defined from the objective news articles. However, in Malaysia “you look at them all as editorials … There is a lot less fact-checking … a lot less focus on accuracy,” she says.
 
“It really helped me wrap my mind around how it is different in other countries,” she adds.
 
In her role at CIJ, Tribe was able to work alongside many bloggers and journalists in alternative media. She says CIJ is “there to bridge the gap between the government and the public … it’s more of a peaceful method.”
 
Because of this experience, Tribe hopes to continue her media advocacy role in some form.
 
“It takes a lot of courage to do what they are doing. I can see myself getting involved like that,” she says. “It was really eye-opening to see how a small organization can make a big difference.”
 
Overall, Tribe describes the experience as “life-altering.”
 
“I feel really fortunate to be given this opportunity,” she says.
 
Both Tribe and Paterson are graduating during the fall convocation.
 
For more information on Paterson’s experience, view his video blog here.

Also from this web page:

About

Hours

Weekdays
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
(holidays excluded)

Contact

Publisher:
Helen Connell (hconnell@uwo.ca)

Editor:
Jason Winders (newseditor@uwo.ca)

Reporter/Photographer:
Paul Mayne (pmayne@uwo.ca)

Reporter/Photographer:
Heather Travis (htravis2@uwo.ca)

Advertising Coordinator:
Denise Jones (advertise@uwo.ca)

Off-Campus Advertising Sales:
Chris Amyot, Campus Ad (campusad@sympatico.ca)

National Advertising Representative:
Campus Plus

Phone:
519-661-2045

Fax:
519-661-3921

Mail:
Western News, Suite 360
Westminster Hall
The University of Western Ontario, London N6A 3K7

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Western provides the best student experience among Canada's leading research-intensive universities.