BN: Be fair, online media

Barisan Nasional MPs have criticised the online media for seemingly having a lack of balance in their reporting.

PETALING JAYA: There is a common perception among Barisan Nasional that the online media is either heavily aligned to or working for Malaysia’s opposition, Pakatan Rakyat.

Some have felt that these portals, also referred to as the alternative media, have seemingly given the ruling party’s critics an unbalanced amount of coverage.

Though commending the online media’s speedy reporting, Umno-Kota Belud MP Abdul Rahman Dahlan said that portals appeared to lack balance.

“My problem with the online media is that you could do so much more. You could actually present yourself to be [balanced]. You don’t have to be partisan.

“It is fine to be as fast as possible [with news]… But it would be better to get the other side’s response within the same article,” he told FMT.

He said that online portals should contact the ruling party for comments if an issue was raised by the opposition.

Even if there was no response in return, he added, this had to be reflected in a given report.

He said that portals had to give the government space for rebuttals.

“The space that the online media seems to be giving, are mundane ones, like the prime minister opening this or that function… that is not a rebuttal!

“It is about responding to a partisan issue, to be fair, but sometimes it’s ridiculous and bordering on defamation,” he said.

As an example, Abdul Rahman cited FMT, criticisng some of its Sabah-based articles as “scandalous and libelous”.

At the same time, he also targeted The Malaysian Insider and especially Malaysiakini, terming the latter as “plainly partisan”.

Opposition agenda

Similarly, MIC-Segamat MP Dr S Subramaniam said that the online media tended to be either symphathetic or were directly supportive of Pakatan.

“That gives a perception that the whole online media is tied to the opposition agenda,” the Human Resources Minister said.

He said that the media was expected to reflect on issues in a fair manner.

MCA-Labis MP Chua Tee Yong, on the other hand, said that no newspaper in the world today – online or print – was truly independent.

He acknowledged that each had its own agenda.

“Even in a lot of developed countries, the papers there are leaning towards one party, like how some in the US lean towards the Republican or Democratic party,” he said.

While naming no names, Chua said that while some portals were “very” opposition-friendly, others were “more fair”.

At the same time, he said that online portals had a certain subtlety in guiding their readers through their news.

“Sometimes you notice that they’re trying to guide their readers to the conclusion that they want,” he said.