Media assassins ‘spinning’ under pseudonyms

Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak hasn’t really moved at all from the mindset of the 'government knows best'.

The citadel for the shameless media partisanship has shifted from Jalan Riong (in Bangsar) to the headquarters of Media Prima (Damansara).

Wikipedia describes Media Prima as “Malaysia’s leading integrated media investment group”. It notes that Media Prima currently owns 100 percent equity interest in TV3, 8TV, NTV7 and TV9. In addition, it also now owns more than 90 percent equity interest in The New Straits Times Press (Malaysia) Bhd which publishes the New Straits Times, Berita Harian and Harian Metro. The group also owns three radio networks – Fly FM, Hot FM, One FM – and has a hand in the digital world as well.

So there you have it – Umno’s fingers in media. For many years now mainstream media (MSM) has become increasingly partisan and more overt in promoting the policies of Umno and Barisan Nasional (BN).

This evolutionary process by which the MSM became literally the mouthpiece of partisan politics, reached its zenith in 2008 when the media was instrumental in getting former prime minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi kicked out.

It was helped further by the existence of some nebulous and often secretive cells in the New Media, helmed often by equally publicity-shy media assassins cloaked under various aliases and pseudonyms.

Their obsession for coward secrecy is surpassed only by the intensity of their vitriolic and penchant for ad hominem attacks.

These conclaves of media assassins in the new media are also said to be headed by banished journalists who thought they were legends in their own right.

Once upon a time, they thought the world revolved around them and people worshiped at their feet. Some still do and are willing to pay these media witch doctors hefty sums of money.

What has their newfound loyalty and prostration achieved for the journalism community?

During the past two decades, no other sector of the economy has experienced such overwhelming financial and employment devastation and severe loss of credibility.

Najib’s welfare state to help rich
So, what do people read? They read Sinar, Harakah, Roketkini and, of course, the Internet.

The 2013 election season has begun and this same media finds itself in the position of having to defend and reinforce the man they chose to sleep with.

They have willingly opted to do exactly that. The mainstream media is systematically pulling out all the stops to destroy any and all viable BN challengers in an undeclared but understood alliance with Prime Minister Najib Tun Razak’s re-election machine.

Which class welfare agenda is Najib pursuing?

The welfare agenda hasn’t changed from the dictates of former premier Dr Mahathir Mohamad despite the very public and pompously loud announcements of Najib via his various acronym initiatives.

It’s the welfare of the wealthy corporate class and the adherents of the free market economy that Najib is championing.

Except, in the Malaysian application of that concept “free market” has nothing to do with the ideas of market efficiency and productivity which economists are propounding.

The “free market” which the Najib administration pushes on and supports is the “market” freedom for the selected few and the greedy elite to lay their hands on economic resources.

The Perkasa movement, conceived by friends of Umno and encouraged by Putrajaya, as well as blessed by many in the mainstream media, was intended to further reinforce the war against the
“subversive” and disloyal majority.

Yes, Najib hasn’t really moved at all from the mindset of the “government knows best”.

MSM blindly supporting BN

Anwar Ibrahim is being cast as the villain in this stage production. He must be destroyed by unproven and salacious allegations of sexual perversions. And yes, the only judgment that matters now must come from the courts.

Nik Abdul Aziz Nik Mat and Hadi Awang are portrayed as wild-eyed and unstable religious fanatics.

When it comes to Lim Guan Eng, there is no ethical barrier too high for the media to tear down in an attempt to discredit him.

The spectre of unfounded and outright lies about his son’s harassment of an equally innocent young lady being given unhindered coverage by the media and Umno blogs is considered acceptable, as well as any innuendo or accusation created out of whole cloth.

Such a scenario would never be contemplated if the person or persons involved are Umno and BN leading lights. Hence, the controversy surrounding Shahrizat Abdul Jalil and the National Feedlot Corporation (NFCorp).

The inconvenient truth is, a majority of the members of the mainstream media are incapable of recognising their error in blindly supporting the status agenda of the BN government over the years.

Regardless of the evidence at hand, either historic or contemporary, their egos and narcissism so dominate their psyche that admitting a mistake is tantamount to the apocalypse.