No media organization should ever publish untruths or lies. On top of that, no media organization can, after doing it, claim justification by saying it had no time to check its facts.
Not checking facts before publication is a cardinal sin in journalism. And no self-respecting journalist or media could absolve themselves by saying they did not have the “luxury of time”.
If the truth cannot be verified, the report should not be published. That’s the first principle of journalism. “When in doubt, leave it out” is the mantra of responsible media editors. It is the responsibility of a media organization to tell the truth, not spread untruths to the public.
The media companies in Malaysia are mostly owned by parties in the ruling Barisan Nasional (BN) coalition.
Among the influential newspapers, Utusan Malaysia, Berita Harian, Harian Metro and the New Straits Times are owned by Umno, while The Star is owned by the MCA, and Tamil Nesan and Makkal Osai belong to MIC stalwarts.
Media Prima, which controls TV stations: 8TV, ntv7, TV3 and TV9 and three radio stations, is also owned by Umno.
This means that with BN being in government and controlling the State-owned RTM, the television medium is virtually monopolized by the ruling coalition.
The upshot of all this, as we have experienced over the decades, has been extremely unhealthy. Political coverage has been biased towards the ruling party and unfavorable towards the Opposition. News that would embarrass the Government or make it look incompetent is blocked from dissemination.
In total, the ruling coalition has been able to indoctrinate the masses with its propaganda to a frightening extent. One manifestation of its effects is the inability of some Malaysians to differentiate between “government” and “party” or to believe that BN is corrupt or abuses its powers.
http://www.malaysiandigest.com/opinion/212571-theres-no-excuse-for-not-reporting-the-truth.html
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