Prime Minister Abdullah Badawi today urged the media not to ‘be afraid or feel apologetic in upholding truth’.
Is he implying that Malaysia’s mainstream media have been afraid of upholding truth all this while? If it’s true, why have the media been fearful?
Isn’t seeking and upholding truth the very reason for the material existence of the media anywhere in the democratic world?
The Printing Presses and Publications Act (PPPA), which the Home Ministry guards jealously, doesn’t have any impact on the journalistic commitment towards truth-seeking?
Does this mean that there isn’t a culture of extreme self-censorship within a media organisation as a result of the PPPA’s existence, let alone state intervention in the affairs of editorial department in Malaysia?
