Irresponsible Reporting A Threat To Profession

By Sakini Mohd Said KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 (Bernama) -- The disappearance of Malaysia Airlines' flight MH370 had baffled the world and triggered a worldwide media frenzy. While the local press have been careful and diligent in their reporting, but the foreign media has shown hypocrisy and sensationalism in the race to unravel the mystery behind the unprecedented aviation incident. The often sensational, provocative and irresponsible reporting on the loss of flight MH370 with 239 passengers and crew while enroute from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing on March 8, have caused for much confusion and anguish among the public. It has also resulted in the public becoming more skeptical over news reports by the local media, subsequently jeopardising the credibility and integrity of journalists in general. WHITHER JOURNALISM ETHICS? They questioned the absence of journalistic principles when reporting the incident, which was seen as deliberately sensationalised without caring for the feelings of the family members of the passengers and crew members of the ill-fated flight. An example was that of a front-page report by the London based English tabloid the Daily Mail, which accused the pilot of the plane, Captain Zaharie Ahmad Shah of being emotionally reclusive for several weeks prior to the incident. His daughter, Aishah, in a Facebook status update rubbished the claim: “Dear Daily Mail, you should consider making movies since you are so good at making up stories and scripts out of thin air.” The overzealous twisting of facts eventually prompted Acting Transport Minister Hishammudin Hussein to call on the media, particularly the foreign press, to cease spreading false information. These incidents have somewhat tarnished the reputation of the profession, but majority of the people still rely on the local media for the latest update on the incident. “This is because they (the local media) adhere to the principles of journalism and report responsibly,” said the Chief Executive Officer of the Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) Chamil Wariya. TRAINING HELPS In an interview with Bernama, he said the editors’ role and the 'house style' of a media organisation was what trained them to report based on facts. It was also what prevented them from taking on controversial angles, which could affect the quality of the news produced, as well as the credibility of the journalists and the media organisation he or she is from. “The editors and editor-in-chief will guide them on how to report an incident. This is also the case with the MH370 incident, where the editors guide them on the suitability of news for use. “What is important is for the reports to not be sensationalised, speculative or distorted because journalists have been entrusted with the serious task of reporting the latest news,” he said. In contrast, the Western media is more inclined towards unbridled freedom in their reporting, casting aside ethics in favour of attention-grabbing headlines. CHALLENGING Reporting on the MH370 tragedy is undoubtedly one of the more challenging assignments for media practitioners. The cause is still a mystery to this very day and the search operation at the southern part of Indian Ocean is still ongoing. Besides having to hone their mastery of the English language, as most of the media conferences are held in the language, local journalists must also be able to intelligently refute the news reports by the Western media, which tend to be controversial. They need to be well-prepared, well-trained, have adequate knowledge of aviation and be prompt in reporting news. LEGAL KNOW-HOW Those who venture into the challenging career of journalism must also equip themselves with the legal know-how to ensure their reports are free of the elements of slander, incitement and other negativities. In reporting the MH370 incident, good legal knowledge can safeguard the group from being sued or issued with warnings due to careless reporting. The Zamalah Wartawan Muda 1Malaysia Programme (1Malaysia Young Journalists Fellowship Programme) is among that introduced by MPI which offers a course on media law in addition to effective writing skills. “The programme is tailored for those who are new in journalism. “Under the Zamalah programme, they are taught about the parliament, the justice system and the executive power, among others," he explained. The programme was introduced in 2011. Nonetheless, it is the conscience that counts at the end of the day for the media practitioners in keeping up with their work ethics and practicing responsible journalism. ================================================================================ SIDEBAR MPI-KNOWLEDGE REPOSITORY The parties that play a role in training journalists to be more mature and ethical in their reporting are not only the editors or media organisation they work for. The Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) is also among those that have helped young journalists in improving their skills and knowledge. The institute, established in 1974, is akin to a “small school” for journalists. It offers a variety of courses to the journalism fraternity nationwide. Its CEO Chamil Wariya said that the short-term courses offered by the institute were aimed at improving the critical thinking ability among journalists and to impress upon the importance of caution when reporting. “Journalists are knowledge workers. They have to be able to persuade and inform the people. MPI tries to help them beef up their knowledge in certain fields. “Among the courses offered are the Workshop on War Zones and Conflict Reporting. Journalists will be taught of the essence of reporting in countries going through unrest. We would invite experienced reporters as the instructors for such courses,” he said. In 2012, a total of 483 journalists attended courses at the MPI, an increase from 280 in 2011. INTERNATIONAL JOURNALISM FELLOWSHIP MPI also offers courses and training in journalism to young journalists across the world through its International Journalism Fellowship (IJF). MPI became the body to recognise the nation’s best journalism works and products when it launched the Hadiah Kewartawanan Malaysia MPI-Petronas or the Malaysian Journalism Prize in 1980. This is an award similar to that of the Pulitzer Prize in the United States. The prize money of the award, sponsored by PETRONAS, totals to some US$92,223 (RM300,000) a year. -- BERNAMA