This is a seminar paper I wrote for Media Context subject for Taylor's College.The most important role of independent media is to provide an alternative voice. Discuss.
Media Analysis: Comparison on the Permatang Pauh by-elections coverage by The Star and Malaysiakini and why independent media is important
By Max Koh
Introduction
When Anwar Ibrahim emerged as the winner in the Permatang Pauh by-elections, blogs across the Internet rejoiced at the prospect of the Opposition de facto leader’s return to the political arena. It is, after all, a no simple by-elections. It has been ten years since the exiled former Deputy Prime Minister was sacked of his post, detained, charged in court, convicted and sentenced to 15 years of incarceration (Nain and Wang 2004). His eventual win would signify his return as a member in Parliament and is also closely tied to his bid to take over the government by September 16 (Malaysiakini 2008). His pledge, if fulfilled, would usher in a new Malaysia which for the first time- will see a new administration in place of ruling incumbent party Barisan Nasional (BN).
The sentiments in the online world were particularly significant as at the win was largely influenced by the Internet’s ability to provide an alternative voice to the coverage portrayed in the mainstream media (Netto 2008). At the heart of this independent voice is several blogs and also online independent news portal Malaysiakini to provide alternative views and coverage during the by-elections. The role of independent media could not be discounted in the eventual by-election outcome.
The purpose of this paper is to examine how the independent media has functioned as an alternative voice during this crucial by-elections period. We will examine coverage by independent news portal Malaysiakini and compare them to mainstream newspaper The Star during the by-elections period from 16th August to 27th August 2008. We will then discuss how the alternative voice is important as an agent of democratization, in fulfilling its role as gatekeepers, and to provide as an important alternative source to traditional news sources.
Background
Studies by scholars have shown that mainstream media is likely to portray in favour of the ruling government especially during the elections period. This nature is largely attributed to the fact that most mainstream media is owned or under control of the BN component parties (Loh and Mustafa 1996). Anuar (2003) observed that during the 1999 General Elections, coverage was tilted towards the ruling parties. The mainstream media exhibited favouritism and biasness.
The 1999 general election is especially significant as precedent to that, deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim was sacked by then Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad amidst sleazy allegations of sodomy, adultery, and abuse of power. However, certain quarters perceived the sacking as a top-level conspiracy headed by Mahathir, who had been logging heads with Anwar in certain policies, especially those pertaining to the 1997 Asian financial crisis (Nain and Wang 2004).
Anwar retaliated by going on a nationwide campaign to clear his name and soon detailed cases of nepotism (especially those involving Mahathir’s family), and cronyism (involving business friend of Mahathir and previous finance minister, Daim Zainuddin) emerged. The Reformasi movement begin to gain momentum as Anwar was arrested under the draconian Internal Security Act (ISA), his subsequent “black eye” incident, and his conviction that created splits especially within the Malay community.
However, these allegations and incidents were largely downplayed, if not ignored by the mainstream media, as it begin to lose its credibility in the eyes of critical citizens. The economic and political crisis was not discussed in the mainstream newspapers, and more importantly, the government’s bail-out of selected companies belonging to his children was never discussed. This has led the public to lose trust in the mainstream media (Sabri 2000).
Following that, the crackdown on dissents began with pro-reformasi and pro-Opposition publications having their printing permits revoked. Attention then shifted to the Internet for alternative news. It was at that time, Malaysia’s first web-based newspaper, Malaysiakini, was launched. It describes itself as “an Internet media project featuring independent news coverage, investigative journalism and in-depth analysis... conceived by journalists unhappy with the sorry state of our mass media” (Malaysiakini 2008) and within a year, it received rave write-ups and won numerous international awards (Nain and Wang 2003). The mainstream media continued to be biased.
The pattern did not change during the recent March 2008 general elections. A media monitor initiative by the Centre for Independence Journalism (CIJ), Writers Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI) and Charter 2000-Aliran showed that the biasness still persisted in major print media to toe the line of the incumbent government BN and its candidates (Aliran 2008). The unfavourable treatment of the press was shown when the Opposition won its most seats in history, showing their distrust of the viral propaganda exhibited by mainstream press.
These incidents serve as a backdrop to our study as Permatang Pauh operated in a post-March 2008 media climate. In a talk by Sunday Star editor Soo Ewe Jin (2008) to Taylor’s College students, he observed that the mainstream media has allocated more space for the Opposition party as they have successfully become elected public officials (including blogger Jeff Ooi who runs the influential political blog Screenshots). This sentiment is shared by blogger Anil Netto (2008) who said that various mainstream newspapers are providing more coverage of the Oppositional views. In our study, we seek to investigate these observations and affirm our hypothesis that the independent media is still needed as an alternative voice for several reasons.
Methodology
The study was conducted from 16th August to 27th August 2008; from the nomination day of the candidates to the day after the election results. The extensive periods provide ample and complete resources for our study. We have chosen the mainstream newspaper The Star and online independent portal Malaysiakini as the subjects or our research. We will examine the content of stories published every day and conduct a direct comparison in terms of priming, framing and agenda-setting.
From the outset, we assume that Malaysiakini will be more balance and extensive in its coverage of the elections. The Star, while said to be more extensive in its coverage since the March 2008 results, is predicted to be limited in its coverage compared to its mainstream counterpart.
The study is limited to the fact that only two media outlets are studied in this research. Nevertheless, the choices will reflect the general nature of these two supposedly opposing media. The Star was chosen because it is the leading newspaper with the largest readership in Malaysia (Neilsen Media Research Q4 2007) while Malaysiakini is considered the leading source for independent news (Malaysiakini 2008).
Analysis
In our research, we found that The Star showed obvious bias by the placement of news stories in the Permatang Pauh by-election coverage during the whole campaign period. News about BN activities and its candidate Arif Shah were published in the first few pages and given precedence while news of Opposition is sidelined. Pictures of Arif and BN leaders were featured more in its pages than Opposition members. Even though the Opposition members may be covered, they are often portrayed negatively. On 17 August, The Star’s report ‘Another photographer claims assault’ negatively alleged that Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) members assaulted photographers. The next day, another article titled ‘Unruly behaviour rapped’ appeared where PKR’s supporters were described as vulgar and lewd (The Star, 18 August 2008). Again, the newspaper is quick to portray BN leaders in the good light while accusation against Anwar by various BN leaders appeared on the first few pages (The Star, 20 August 2008).
In comparison, Malaysiakini did not shy away from news that linked Arif to negative elements. A case in example is the coverage of Arif’s brother to a scandal and the questionable procuring of his bogus PhD (Malaysiakini, August 18, 22). Other news angles otherwise ignored by The Star but covered by Malaysiakini was the questionable sodomy claims of Saiful Bukhari (former aide of Anwar who claimed to be sodomised) by the Ustaz who oversee his swearing, an NGO’s protest of the electoral roll, and BN’s ‘phantom’ buses (Malaysiakini, August 18, 22, 25, 26). Even the post-election result news gave unflinchingly supporting the Opposition: ‘Anwar gets big majority, BN concedes humiliation defeat’ (Malaysiakini, August 26) while The Star’s angle on the win was how Deputy Prime Minister affirms that ‘democracy is alive and well’ (The Star, August 27).
For direct comparison, we will examine the two post-election result news stories. In The Star’s main story, ‘Democracy is alive and well, says Najib’ (The Star, August 27) the lead paragraph was already framed in favour of the ruling government. The framing was such that it still portrayed government in the good light and took their comment in precedent of Anwar’s statements even though he won the elections. In a similar story, Malaysiakini opted for the headline ‘BN concedes humiliating defeat’ (Malaysiakini, August 26) which already framed the BN as the losing party and humiliated.
In another article published by The Star, ‘Water bottles hurled at Najib’ (August 27) again portrayed Anwar’s supporters as violent and rude. While this was not covered in Malaysiakini, similar rude behaviour was also demonstrated by BN supporters including a picture showing its members making crude gestures depicting a sodomy action (an obvious poke at Anwar). This picture was published on Malaysiakini but avoided altogether in The Star.
Conclusion
These examples have clearly shown that Malaysiakini provides an alternative view to the news coverage provided by the mainstream media, as exemplified by The Star. This independent role offering alternative view is especially important in this country where the mainstream media is government-owned. McCombs and Shaw (1972) claims that ownership largely creates agenda setting on part of the editorial where “news influences and helps to shape public awareness and debate”.
The government-owned The Star gave much focus and significance to BN while Malaysiakini’s coverage was more balanced and tilted towards the Opposition. While Malaysiakini claims to be non-partisan, the readership proves to be anti-government as can be clearly seen in the Voxpopuli and comment sections. On August 26 Voxpopuli “Anwar a lucky charm for nation” showed how the public supports Anwar while The Star tends to portray Anwar negatively. Agenda setting as influenced by their owners does not contribute well to democracy as it presents an un-directional model to an issue especially during the elections (Blumler et al 1989).
The existence of independent voices such as Malaysiakini provides an opportunity of access to information otherwise neglected by the mainstream media. This contributes to the process of democratisation where everyone has “the access to increasingly professional and cheap tools or production to publish to a global audience” (Gilmour cited in Allan 2006). When the mainstream media is restricted and limited by acts such as the Printing & Press Act and ISA, cybervoice allows marginalised voices and views to be heard. Independent online news website such as Malaysiakini is able to contravene some of the draconian laws in Malaysia. The study has shown that Malaysiakini reported on issues such as Arif’s bogus PhD, Saiful’s unceremonious swearing which will otherwise be not represented in the mainstream media. This information is important in order for the electoral to make an informed and effective decision.
Malaysiakini also allows the voices of the people to be heard in an otherwise one-way communication model practiced by traditional media. The ability for readers to comment allows interactivity and shape the direction and news content of the day. We observed that the Voxpopuli section of Malaysiakini allowed dissenting views while The Star published letters that were inclined to the ruling powers.
While Malaysiakini allowed dissents views to be published, a more balanced practice of reporting would serve the community better to provide a well-represented view of an issue. It should strive to provide a multi-perspectical news reporting which “ideally... encompasses fact and opinion reflecting all possible perspectives” (Gans 2003). At a time when mainstream media’s credibility is questioned, independent voices like Malaysiakini can lead the way towards more effective, respectable, credible and functional journalism.
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References
‘Another photographer claims assault’ 2008, The Star, 17 August, p.4
Netto, A 2008, There’s a new opposition newspaper in town, online, retrieved 12 May 2008, from http://anilnetto.com/2008/03/15/red-faced-editors-try-to-reinvent-mainstream-media/.
Sabri, Z 2000, Face off: A Malaysian reformasi diary (1998-1999), Big O Books, Singapore.
Soo, EJ 2008, Speech in Taylor’s College, unpublished.
‘Unruly behaviour rapped’ 2008, The Star, 18 August, p.3
Utusan tops as the most pro-BN paper, online, retrieved 14 May 2008, from http://www.aliran.com/elections/.
‘Water bottles hurled at Najib’, The Star, 27 August, p.4
‘Your Say: Saiful, don’t hide behind religion’, Malaysiakini, 18 August, viewed 4 September 2008, < http://www.malaysiakini.com/news/87998>.
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