Media unimpressive in fight against corruption

A recent survey by an independent pollster and a group advocating press freedom revealed that Malaysians want the media to be more aggressive in reporting cases of graft and corruption.

Merdeka Centre director Ibrahim Suffian (right) said out of more than 1,200 individuals polled nationwide, 84 percent said the media was not doing enough to follow up on corruption stories.

Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) executive director V Gayathry who was at the press conference with Ibrahim in Kuala Lumpur today, concurred with the findings.

She said there was more that the media could do in order to root out corruption, with 81 percent of respondents said it is a serious issue plaguing the nation.

"A bolder media is needed to serve the interest of those with lower levels of awareness of corruption as well as those who were very concerned about it.

"The media can do so by producing more investigative journalists and write critical pieces that serve to inform the public on the threats of corruption to society," said Gayathry.

Respondents also believe that the media should follow up on corruption issues highlighted in blogs.

Gayathry said there is increasing awareness that graft is rampant.

She admitted that there are credibility issues when information from blogs is taken at face value, but said this is where good journalistic practices come into play when tackling the issues.

Furthermore, the survey also showed that a large portion of respondents think that media reports on corruption are biased and favoured the authorities and the BN government.

The bias, lack of incisive editorials and the absence of critique of the government is something the CIJ has been monitoring, said its communication and publications officer Yip Wai Fong.

"This perception is due to the lack of diversity of sources in corruption coverage, even though the mainstream media do routinely report on corruption," said Gayathry.

"The PKFZ scandal is illustrative of this. It is largely-based on government-sanctioned information. If the government wants to be perceived as serious in combating corruption, then the media must be allowed to play a more active role."

Restrictive laws

One way the government can ensure this is by unshackling the legal restrictions on the media and divorcing ownership of media companies from editorial control.

Such a move will create a free press without the burden of bias or the Sword of Damocles hanging over their heads in the form of laws.

Seventy-six percent agreed that a free media was vital in the fight to eradicate corruption as the public largely depend on the media to keep them informed of corruption and efforts to root it out.

Sixty-three percent of those polled answered that the media is their number one source for information about corruption.

Ibrahim pointed out that the survey which ran between Sept 16 and Oct 12 showed that the media is important in the fight against corruption and improving transparency and integrity.

On the effectiveness scale in rooting out corruption, the media led with 14 percent, while Prime Minister Najib Abdul Razak followed with three percent, the judiciary at two percent, the MACC at zero percent and the police with a whopping negative 22 percent.

Needless to say, 74 percent are not satisfied with the government's handling of the problem.

The study is a joint effort between the Merdeka Centre and CIJ to gauge what Malaysians think of corruption as a national problem and the media's role in helping to tackle it.

It involved a survey of respondents and focus group discussions by Merdeka Centre as well as observations and monitoring of media coverage and 'agenda setting' of the media by the CIJ.