Re: The Star littered with BN political ads

BORNEO POST IS LITTERED WITH BN TRASH


"pluto" <pluto@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
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The Star littered with BN political ads
Aliran Monthly - Penang,Malaysia
Then, came the turn of the owner of The Star itself, the MCA, to assert in
a full-page ad that, "2300 non-Bumiputera students obtained full JPA
scholarships ...
<http://www.aliran.com/elections/2008/02/star-littered-with-bn-political-ads.html>

29 February 2008
The Star littered with BN political ads

Yesterday's "people's paper", The Star, like most other mainstream
newspapers,
was littered with full-page political ads 'selling' the omnipresent
product
called the Barisan Nasional (BN) party. For instance, one ad claims that
it has
been proven that the BN has an "efficient public delivery system". Another
full-page ad, which was quite predictable in a post-Hindraf Malaysia,
reminds
the reader that the embattled component party MIC "Cares".




Then, came the turn of the owner of The Star itself, the MCA, to assert in
a
full-page ad that, "2,300 non-Bumiputera students obtained full JPA
scholarships
to study overseas between 2000 and 2007. A marked increase compared to
only 100
students before the year 2000."





It appears that the financially flushed incumbent BN has decided not to
pull any
ideological punches in its fight to win the hearts and minds of the
Malaysian
voters. Apart from insisting that their political messages be relayed via
news
reports, the BN has left no stone unturned in filling the ad spaces
available in
the newspapers with their electoral propaganda.




We wonder whether the mainstream newspapers would allow the Opposition to
place
their political ads if they wish to do so - especially given the fact that
they
are often squeezed out by the incumbent BN in the normal news sections of
the
dailies. How much does full-page ad cost anyway - and how much has the BN
already spent by now? Even if the Opposition is offered ad space, will
they be
charged the same rate and can they afford it? The whole advertising
campaign is
so one-sided, given the Opposition's marginal coverage in the newspapers
and its
meagre campaign budget. Is this what fair play and ethical journalism is
all
about?





Speaking of news reports, The Star yesterday (28 February) carried a
headline
screaming, "PM: People back Barisan". The PM's assertion that "the
majority of
the people would back the Barisan Nasional despite the Opposition's smear
campaign" was reported uncritically as if it were an unassailable fact.
Why
should a "smear campaign" apparently be the preserve of the Opposition
while the
one waged by BN is necessarily a clean electoral campaign?




On the hand, Kedah PAS deputy commissioner Mahfuz Omar's statement in the
same
report was left reported as a mere allegation without any apparent attempt
by
the daily to verify it: "Kedah Pas deputy commissioner Mahfuz Omar alleged
yesterday that a Barisan candidate and seven other members of a
cooperative had
been expelled because of an alleged corruption case involving a land
purchase."




Surely such a serious allegation demands immediate and close scrutiny by
an
investigative journalist worth her salt. Can we then come to the
conclusion that
the reason for the daily's lackadaisical attitude is that the allegation
involves a Barisan candidate and not someone from the Opposition, whose
dirt is
otherwise always worth reporting?


posted by Media Monitors @ 6:17 PM 0 Comments

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