SHOULD mainstream media trust blogs as sources of information? A Malaysian minister doesn’t think so.
Here’s an excerpt from an Agence France-Presse wire story.
KUALA LUMPUR–A Malaysian minister has told domestic newspapers not to quote from Internet blogs or use them as sources of information, accusing the websites of spreading rumors, reports said Wednesday.
Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin said most websites were aimed at being provocative and were run by frustrated journalists and political pundits, the Star daily reported.
“Do not quote them because you are disgracing yourself as you are the authority. Do not give credit to such anarchist websites,” Zainuddin was quoted as saying.
April 18th, 2007 at 7:46 pm
[...] we’ve blogged previously here and here, the Malaysian government has been critical of [...]
March 25th, 2007 at 5:36 pm
Perhaps the bloggers in Malaysia are making waves that’s why the gov’t are bugging them. Or perhaps we happen to be pampered with freedom and our Malaysian counterparts lack (sorry to them).
But it’s true. Not all blogs are reliable. In the same way, not all stories in the print media are accurate.
March 25th, 2007 at 1:55 pm
I agree with what the Hon.Malaysian Information Minister Zainuddin Maidin said regarding not trusting internet blogs for they spread rumours and breed provoca- tion most of the time.
Although i honestly think that there is much more danger when, there is, an accusation of provocation without recognizing the fact that the one making accusation is also engendering provoca- tion not necessarily from the internet blogs but agencies which people should instead be trusted according to Hon. Maidin.
Take for example the continuous ai- ring of the ad on cable tv wherein Sabah is being promoted as Malaysian tourist destination.
The Philippine government may not be interested and allows itself to be affronted by your government by coming out and including Sabah in such an ad which is tantamount to declaring it as part of your government’s territorial claim and makes it appear that the territorial dispute with the Philippine government regarding Sabah has long been settled.
In this regard, i would like to ask the Hon. Maidin to treat the Filipinos well for the Philippine government does not always represent such sentiment that may come from individuals like me.
I think your government can come out with a novel way of advertising Sabah without affronting ordinary Filipinos.
March 24th, 2007 at 10:34 am
I think the problem here is not so much the content of the blogs (which can be as unreliable as printed material, as correctly pointed out by blackshama), but the speed and scope at which information flows on the internet.
They realize that they can’t censor the internet so easily, and that is their primary concern.
March 24th, 2007 at 3:14 am
I don’t think there’s anything wrong with quoting blogs or websites as long as the writer/journalist verifies the accuracy and truth of the info first.
And that is something a responsible journalist does before quoting anything: whether it’s a printed material, a resource person or a blog.
“Take everything with a grain of salt” is always a good rule to follow.