‘Hearsay’, Hannah? I had the facts, you didn’t

 

I am mad as a junkyard dog at youth and sports minister Hannah Yeoh for her attempts to drive my journalistic credibility off a cliff.

It makes me angrier that Hannah considers my employer, FMT, a news organisation that peddles information premised on hearsay.

Underpinning all of that is her accusation that many columnists always write opinion pieces based on loose talk.

Columnists, seasoned journalists and specialists in various fields, with credibility as the cornerstone of their writings, make up an exclusive club in the media industry.

They must surely feel a sense of fury when politicians, some of whom behave without a shred of honour, question their ethics and integrity.

Hannah came guns blazing at us over a series of eye-opening reports on FMT that were factual, and of public interest.

In her attempt to discredit us as dubious news providers, she ran out of bullets immediately, yet failed to show a scintilla of contrition.

She behaved irresponsibly, misleading Parliament, embarrassing the government, and practically declaring war on the media.

‘Hearsay’ Hannah 

Within a week, Hannah attacked FMT in Parliament on two occasions over reports written by me.

I was not named in her speeches, but was implicated by reference to my articles which raised questions over an absence of desire to host international entertainment and sporting events in the country.

When people make a terrible misjudgement about someone or something, it is natural for them to pour bile on their targets.

Speaking in the Dewan Rakyat on March 13, Hannah said: “Regarding today’s FMT report on,… just a moment, yes, I want to read the headline.

“Recently, there have been many columnists always reporting the news as though it is (based on) fact. Actually, it is based on hearsay.

“They hear, oh Taylor Swift is coming, they report it. But actually this is not a fact, and people will share the news as truth.

“Actually, it’s not true. So I say to these columnists, call the youth and sports ministry. Verify first before you publish.”

Referring to my report, “Another global event set to slip away from Malaysia?”, she said: “This isn’t the first time FMT has done (this). Taylor Swift. This time is – I want to pull out the article, my apologies, YB.

“But indeed, MAM (Motorsports Association of Malaysia), I have contacted MAM and MAM will issue a statement in the near future to correct the facts in the columnist’s report.”

Comments never came

Let me respond to her claim that I did not contact her ministry for comments before I wrote my commentary, “Malaysia had Taylor Swift in its grip and did nothing”.

On March 4, I had texted Hannah’s press secretary Rubin Khoo via WhatsApp for a response from her to the following question.

“Peja (former youth and sports minister Ahmad Faizal Azumu) told me he had requested to meet with Hannah Yeoh after GE15 to do the handover, to speak about the AEG job scope, and about the top performers on their stable.

“He claims he sought the meeting through the former secretary-general Jana (Jana Santhiran) but never got to meet her and assumed she wasn’t interested to do a handover.”

Rubin replied: “Let me check. Minister is away at the moment with PM.”

Hannah could have shed light on the matter, instead of later blaring that no offer had come from Swift’s concert promoter, Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG).

It’s true there was no offer, but I merely said Swift was made available to us.

For context, Swift and other A-listers were available following an agreement in 2022 between the Malaysia Stadium Corporation (PSM) and US venue management company ASM Global, an affiliate of entertainment giant AEG.

I had written that the deal was not capitalised on after the 15th general election, with the American company reduced to a consultant’s role for the optimisation of the Bukit Jalil National Stadium.

Had Hannah engaged with me, she could have brought some positivity into the missed opportunity by revealing their plans, if any, for entertainment and sporting events this year.

The question of whether there are any differences between what was signed in the MOU in London and the actual contract later is up in the air.

The people also want to know why ASM Global had been reduced to merely consulting.

Formula E affair 

Shortly after Hannah dismissed my report in Parliament as hearsay, Formula E’s local partner, Sports Tech Holding, confirmed it was planning to host next year’s grand finale of the event in Kuala Lumpur.

It said plans were “indeed at an advanced stage”, after conditional rights were secured from Formula E earlier this year.

The next morning, FMT reported the contents of a letter written by Formula E CEO Jeff Dodds to Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, dated Feb 26, seeking a meeting to discuss hosting the event.

On the same day, Malaysian Motorsports Association (MAM) president Mokhzani Mahathir conceded in a letter to me that his association had been unaware of developments.

Mokhzani acknowledged that his input had been the basis of Hannah’s comments and that FMT’s reporting of the matter was correct.

“On first reading your article on March 13, MAM had informed (Hannah) that MAM had not been engaged by any party to discuss the hosting of Formula E.

“I stand corrected after further information from Sports Tech Holding,” he said.

On Wednesday, without the slightest sense of regret for the unease she had caused us, Hannah told the Dewan Rakyat she will meet Sports Tech Holding next week to discuss hosting the season-ending Formula E-Prix.

She said the company contacted her office after FMT reported the possibility of Malaysia losing the race to Thailand.

Hannah appeared piqued that the company went directly to the Prime Minister’s Office, but didn’t Dodds do the same in Thailand?

An apology, Hannah? 

Hannah’s accusations against us have been recorded on Hansard, meaning they have become part of the permanent record of proceedings in the Dewan Rakyat.

Will she now go on record to retract unreservedly those allegations, acknowledge her cock-up and apologise to us and Parliament?

As a journalist, your credibility is your currency, and it plays a vital role in establishing trust with your audience.

Building and maintaining credibility requires a combination of ethical practices, rigorous fact-checking, and a commitment to delivering accurate and unbiased information.

FMT and I did exactly that but Hannah, sadly, did not.

She did what we journalists stay away from – plucking hearsay from nowhere and using half-baked information to argue her case. - FMT

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of MMKtT.