A poll conducted by a non-governmental organisation in Penang has revealed that the Malaysian media still suffers from a "credibility" problem.

The poll, in conjunction with World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) o­n May 3, was carried out by Save Ourselves (SOS) coordinator o­ng Boon Keong.

Tight control

Data collected from 525 Penangites aged 21 years and above showed that the decline in credibility problem began in the aftermath of two major events - the sacking of former deputy premier Anwar Ibrahim in September 1998 and the takeover of two Chinese dailies by MCA in May 2001.

At a press conference in Penang o­n Monday, o­ng said the results of the poll could have been worse if not for the "improvement" in credibility of the media during the US-led war o­n Iraq.

"(This was) because the government, which controls the press o­n a tight leash, took a popular anti-war stand to counter the obviously o­ne-sided western media reports," he said.

Universiti Sains Malaysia Professor Dr Johan Savaranamuthu, who was present, said the media trend could not be attributed to short term and foreign issues alone.

He cited a study published by John Lent in the 1980s which already indicated that the Malaysian press lacked credibility due to tight control by the state. Publishing permits are also monopolised by a tightly controlled business group.

"The partisan distortion in favour of the ruling parties - sacrificing media impartiality - has been particularly obvious during all election periods," he noted.

"This has been the opinions within academia and those in the know. The problem is due more to local factors than developments abroad. But whether the public are aware of the media's problems is another matter."

Columnist Lee Leong Soo, who writes for Chinese newspaper Guang Ming Daily, said the poll confirmed the pre-eminent position of the print media as the major news provider.

Lee said the print media enjoyed slightly higher credibility compared to television. However, he also said the overall lack of credibility must lead to self reflection by media owners, practitioners and regulators.

Greater sceptism

Ong's poll also dispelled the myth that "ordinary" people who live under media control may be easily misled by the media.

This was evident from the poll findings. These indicated that the majority of the respondents, who came from the working class, viewed the press with noticeably more scepticism than those who were economically well off and better educated.

Julius Choo of Suaram Penang pointed out that the survey reflects problems in the mainstream media because most respondents obtain news from these sources.

He said those who do not believe the mainstream media had switched to the alternative media, mainly the Internet, to seek more accurate news.

However, the rate of this "conversion" is still small if the current study is any guide - in the survey, Internet users accounted for o­nly 2.9 percent of respondents.

"But alternative news and views, while suppressed in the mainstream media, could be passed o­n and influence opinion leaders," said Choo.

"In any case, the credibility of Internet and alternative media has been rising as reflected in the higher frequency of these being quoted by the mainstream press."

The outbreak of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) also drew comment during the conference in terms of media coverage.

Dr Johan said the media should be socially responsible while pursuing the truth, so as to not cause unnecessary panic among the people.

However, with a "tradition" of suppressing information, the situation in the media can be "pretty confusing", he said.

This creates the possibility of people suffering because they are not being sufficiently informed of dangers in certain locations or of prevailing conditions, he said.

"Is this a fair price for us to pay?" he asked.