The other side of online news- The Malaysian Insider
August 26, 2011 — The online news community can be termed as equally, if not more, partisan as the mainstream media. Bloggers, commentators, columnists and readers seem to take an unseemly delight in any missteps of the current administration and tend to gloss over any misdeameanours by the other side.
The PKR party elections fiasco and en masse defections, the waning of the Anwar Ibrahim star, the uncomfortable coalition of two avowedly multiracial parties with one Islamist one or the lack of a coherent alternative agenda to that of the government in Parliament are all serious issues that bear deeper discussion.
Which is why it seems strange that there is virtually no real discussion of these issues in cyberspace beyond some emotional, vitriolic attacks by pro-BN bloggers? Is the online community equally rigid in its beliefs and positions as the mainstream press and TV? Are there no fence sitters who want PR to answer some tough questions before they make up their minds?
If the mainstream media ignores threats to burn down The Malaysian Insider or moves to allegedly bail out Tajuddin Ramli, the alternative media equally has very little to say on the Home Ministry clearing its decades long backlog on PR and citizenship or the 1 Malaysia clinics initiative or even smaller successes like immigration getting its act together with regards to customer service.
In today’s times, media is ultimately a business where profitability is intimately linked to popularity. It tends to follow classic marketing principles of aligning content that is appealing to defined audience segments. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that the alternative media has to, well, provide an alternative. In recent years it has been able to create an audience mainly comprised of people dissatisfied with the current state of affairs in the country who have been yearning for a voice.
Even a cursory scroll down the comments to any pro-opposition story reveals the anti establishment stance of its followers. The like-dislike button for comments is even more revealing — any negative reaction to the story is immediately pulverized with a bombardment of dislikes. Therefore, maybe even unconsciously in the interest of pandering to their base, the proportion of news that tends to demonise the ruling coalition and glorify the opposition is disproportionately high.
But as the alternative news media evolves, it will need to move on to a more balanced view of events, even from a business perspective. In marketing terms, while there is a loyal, core base of alternative news consumers that has been achieved, the next task is to attract new consumers to the fold.
At the moment it seems that there are only two types of news consumers; the pro-BN MSM reader and the anti-BN online news reader. But the reality remains that like anywhere else in the world, the average news consumer likes to think of himself/herself as intelligent and therefore one who makes decisions based on facts and objective reporting of and access to news.
Apart from the rabid fringe at the extremes of the political divide, most ordinary people have an innate sense of fair play and are willing to give credit for good things accomplished by the other side. Just because one is a PR supporter does not preclude him from applauding the Innospace venture designed to raise the standards of Malaysian innovation.
Therefore they as they evolve from the “BN is always wrong” kind of view to the more universal “Both sides have their faults but I believe that that PR is doing a better job” position, they will demand that the news media evolve too, to providing them with both sides of the story.
Therefore the next phase of evolution of the big players of online news media will need to be a move to a more balanced, objective view of the nation’s political discourse, with a renewed emphasis on credibility and ethics underpinned by journalistic and editorial integrity.
After all, it’s only good for business.
The PKR party elections fiasco and en masse defections, the waning of the Anwar Ibrahim star, the uncomfortable coalition of two avowedly multiracial parties with one Islamist one or the lack of a coherent alternative agenda to that of the government in Parliament are all serious issues that bear deeper discussion.
Which is why it seems strange that there is virtually no real discussion of these issues in cyberspace beyond some emotional, vitriolic attacks by pro-BN bloggers? Is the online community equally rigid in its beliefs and positions as the mainstream press and TV? Are there no fence sitters who want PR to answer some tough questions before they make up their minds?
If the mainstream media ignores threats to burn down The Malaysian Insider or moves to allegedly bail out Tajuddin Ramli, the alternative media equally has very little to say on the Home Ministry clearing its decades long backlog on PR and citizenship or the 1 Malaysia clinics initiative or even smaller successes like immigration getting its act together with regards to customer service.
In today’s times, media is ultimately a business where profitability is intimately linked to popularity. It tends to follow classic marketing principles of aligning content that is appealing to defined audience segments. It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out that the alternative media has to, well, provide an alternative. In recent years it has been able to create an audience mainly comprised of people dissatisfied with the current state of affairs in the country who have been yearning for a voice.
Even a cursory scroll down the comments to any pro-opposition story reveals the anti establishment stance of its followers. The like-dislike button for comments is even more revealing — any negative reaction to the story is immediately pulverized with a bombardment of dislikes. Therefore, maybe even unconsciously in the interest of pandering to their base, the proportion of news that tends to demonise the ruling coalition and glorify the opposition is disproportionately high.
But as the alternative news media evolves, it will need to move on to a more balanced view of events, even from a business perspective. In marketing terms, while there is a loyal, core base of alternative news consumers that has been achieved, the next task is to attract new consumers to the fold.
At the moment it seems that there are only two types of news consumers; the pro-BN MSM reader and the anti-BN online news reader. But the reality remains that like anywhere else in the world, the average news consumer likes to think of himself/herself as intelligent and therefore one who makes decisions based on facts and objective reporting of and access to news.
Apart from the rabid fringe at the extremes of the political divide, most ordinary people have an innate sense of fair play and are willing to give credit for good things accomplished by the other side. Just because one is a PR supporter does not preclude him from applauding the Innospace venture designed to raise the standards of Malaysian innovation.
Therefore they as they evolve from the “BN is always wrong” kind of view to the more universal “Both sides have their faults but I believe that that PR is doing a better job” position, they will demand that the news media evolve too, to providing them with both sides of the story.
Therefore the next phase of evolution of the big players of online news media will need to be a move to a more balanced, objective view of the nation’s political discourse, with a renewed emphasis on credibility and ethics underpinned by journalistic and editorial integrity.
After all, it’s only good for business.
Comments
Post a Comment