I RECEIVED an e-mail from a Malaysian journalist last week. It was about a story from Malaysiakini.com highlighting a recent warning from its Internal Security Ministry against newspapers quoting or citing “anti-government” content from blogs and online portals.
Unfortunately, Malaysiakini.com’s story is only available for its paying subscribers. But for the purpose of our discussion on blogs and free expression, I have picked a few points from the article to highlight:
- The Ministry sent a letter to newspapers reminding them of the Printing Presses and Publications Act of 1984. According to Section 8A(2) of the law, newspapers should ensure “correctness and truth of news before publishing them.”
- It discouraged newspapers from publishing online content from blogs and online portals that were reportedly based on speculation and unverified information.
- But the article stressed that this circular from the Ministry was a “thinly veiled threat” to dissuade newspapers from citing blogs and other similar online sources.
- Blogs and websites have apparently exposed alleged corruption in some government agencies including the Internal Security Ministry.
In countries where media is “regulated,” blogs have become the last bastion of free expression. Global Voices, a blog network that has touched on issues of free expression and bloggers, has demonstrated the power of blogs to give voice to the voiceless. In China, for instance, Global Voices picked on a story of a policeman sacked for blogging.
3 Feedbacks on "Blogs and free expression"
Richmond
you forgot soimething… sa pilipinasw may dyaryong maaring huminto sa pagpriprint ng mga articles about the first gentleman and his family… hmmm… napanood ko sa TV kagabi… ewan ko lang kung anong paper yun… wink wink…
atomicgirl
ouch. but at least, on the positive side, this goes to show that blogging has certainly been one of the major media where people can share their thoughts and rants to the rest of the world.
and i believe that readers are intelligent enough to understand what they are doing and what they are sharing with the rest of the world. they can still differentiate which stories are factual and which are fabricated.
if one blog entry is quoted, it means that the person who used the content for that particular entry finds the information to suit the story/article that he/she is writing about.
Jayme
I think one of the challenges of blogging is dealing with the consequences of what you’ve written, especially if it’s a hard-hitting piece about your boss, co-worker or someone in power. Would it be worth the risk of losing your job or making enemies? If the answer is a resounding yes, then better be prepared to receive violent reactions (and to find a new job).
This just goes to show that blogs have gone beyond being online diaries or journals. They’ve become valuable vehicles for free expression that have the power to bring light to the truth and to initiate change.
Of course, “free” should not be confused with “careless.” Though we have the power to write about everything we want, we bloggers should still exercise responsibility over what we’ve written.
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