Al-Jazeera: Dearth of journalistic talent pool in Malaysia?
The Petronas Twin Towers is graced with the presence of an international news channel housed within its belly. However, a trip to the Kuala Lumpur bureau reveals two fundamental problems faced by local journalistic fraternity, writes MAX KOH
A tour around the Al-Jazeera Kuala Lumpur bureau on the 60th floor of Tower 2, Petronas Twin Towers by a group of communication students from Taylor’s College on April 6, 2009 revealed one startling fact: there were very few local broadcast journalists.
As we later learned from the bureau’s Head of Technical Operations, Jayaganesh Sabapathy, there are two fundamental problems faced by the local journalistic fraternity that contributed to their absence.
“There is a lack of journalistic and editorial instinct among local practitioners. We find our journalists are not widely exposed enough and comfortable working in their own little bubble,” he claims.
“Journalism is more than reporting the facts. It’s about probing and asking hard questions.”
Head of Operations Jayaganesh Sabapathy asserts that al-Jazeera's main thrust to report the truth.
Sabapathy says that the lack of proficient skills here had led the news channel to hire journalists from other parts of the world.
The second fundamental problem is the lack of technical skills as the majority of broadcasters in Asia are still reliant on old technologies and formats to deliver the news. Al Jazeera’s studio here boasts the latest technology (HD compatibility and digital servers) which most videographers and broadcast journalists can only dream about.
While Sabapathy acknowledges that new technologies require high investment, he notes that the lack of investment by broadcasters here had restricted the growth of skills among local talent.
The control room where video feeds come in from all over the world.
Aided by 155Mbps network connection that links the four broadcast centres, the technical team worked at breakneck speed to record, edit, and broadcast news. There is little margin for error as news has to be broadcasted almost instantaneously as they receive it in the control room. It is indeed not a job for the faint-hearted.
The Kuala Lumpur bureau handles news from the Asian Pacific region. The other bureaus are located in London and Washington D.C. with the headquarters situated in Doha.
Al-Jazeera uses some of the most impressive technology in broadcasting. All videos are shot and broadcasted in HD (high-definition) format.
“This problem of inadequate technical skills extends to the whole of Asia apart from Japan, and it needs to be addressed if the local media wants to catch up with the world,” he adds.
We were sitting comfortably in the bureau’s boardroom with a bird-eye’s view of Kuala Lumpur and beyond, when Sabapathy relays the information to us.
While the news was not altogether alarming, it is still depressing to hear.
Prior to to the briefing, we were given a tour around the bureau which takes up the whole floor, housing two impressive studios (including the 101 East studio which is claustrophobic due to the less than ideal environment), different control rooms, and the sprawling newsroom that housed a number of broadcast journalists at work.
It was fortunate that we arrived at a time when the bureau was shooting “live on air”. Anchors Veronica Pedrosa and Divya Gopalan were seen working in the studio, as we gawked at the impressive equipment and quality of professionalism.
It was almost surreal to see the live person talking in front, and then looking at the screen as millions of viewers are watching at the same time.
One thing that struck me was the pin-drop silence in the newsroom as all the staff were doing their work quietly with their headphones on. There were no idle chatter and is a sharp contrast to the noisy newsroom I am familiar with.
The breadth of the newsroom and main studio where all the broadcast journalists work to bring us the latest news. (Pic by Max Koh)
It was also amazing to note that the bureau boasts of only a hundred staff to run such an operation. There were less people that day as most of the broadcast journalists were out in the field, notes Sabapathy.
Most of the staff appears to be expatriates but the sign of some local staff (yes, we heard some of them conversing in Malay) was encouraging indeed.
The visit turned also turned out to be an eye-opening experience for several reasons.
For one, the international news agency was in fact invited by Pak Lah to open its Asia Pacific bureau here.
Yep, our former Prime Minister was able to reel in the news channel with his bait of a nice, swanky pad on the Twin Towers, and a promise to not interfere in its operations and editorial policies.
Although the place is less than ideal for a broadcast centre per se (the ceilings are too low for proper lighting in a studio), Sabapathy is happy to note that the government has not interfered in their operations.
The 101 East studio where interviews with many important figures are regularly held.
This lack of restrictions sounds good until one realises the double standard that exists as various legislations still bound and muzzle the vocal power of local media. Why the double standards, Najib? But I digress.
Al-Jazeera English first began operations three years ago and has since become a reckoning force of broadcast journalism in the world. It has since given familiar big players such as CNN and BBC News, a run for its money with its “unbiased” news and a strict adherence to “report the truth.”
It currently has a viewership of 170 million people worldwide.
The news channel was set up with a US$150 million grant from the Emir of Qatar, as an initiative to educate and inform the world, and provide an alternative to the existing news flow from West to East.
Al-Jazeera’s bid to change the traditional news flow syntax is reflected in its various slogans: “This side, the other side”, and “If it's newsworthy, it gets on air, whether it's Bush or Bin Laden”.
Sabapathy claims that Al Jazeera English is able to give coverage and new perspective to events, otherwise sidelined by the Western-controlled media.
“Al-Jazeera was set up to dispel the perception of a world divide between East and the West,” says Sabapathy.
“There is an increasing demand for news from Asia. The market here is very strong as Asia is seen as climbing up the economic ladder while the West is saturated with opportunities.”
The news channel also prides itself as a truly global news network, in comparison to the American-centric coverage by other news channels.
“The media in United States are very insular, partly due to the many local issues happening there, but it is still very sad that some people still think that the world revolves around their country,” adds Sabapathy.
“Do you know that a very small percentage of Americans own passports and don’t really know much about other countries? We are happy that Al-Jazeera is able to open up their minds on their views about the world outside American.
“We believe any news is newsworthy, no matter where they come from.”
Just as its name signifies (al-Jazeera means island in Arabic), the organisation is an island that stands out in a sea of mediocre journalism.
The Kuala Lumpur bureau is ready to accept interns (but don’t expect any easy work, adds Sabapathy), but the experience procured is indefinitely valuable.
Requirements are high as it is an international organisation that demands the cream of the crop, not only from Malaysia, but also around the world.
But who knows, maybe we’ll see the next Riz Khan from Malaysia.
All pics courtesy of The Plogger otherwise stated.
