Careless with facts or deliberate in distortions
RIS ID
79634
Link to publisher version (URL)
Abstract
A friend emailed a photo story on May 3 of “foreign workers” arriving at the Low Cost Carrier Terminal, KLIA, in Sepang. It said the workers were being brought in to vote for Barisan Nasional (BN). Phantom voters! I checked with a colleague if the story was accurate. “Utter nonsense,” the veteran former editor said. I reverted to my friend who emailed the story. “What, you still have friends in the mainstream papers?” he quipped. “Don’t trust them lah.”
Indeed, it has been years since I referred to the mainstream papers. But, isolated from the campaign frenzy, I had to this time. User-generated speculation about the election was circulating in the social media network. Caustic commentaries were getting high hits in the alternative and mainstream news sites. I was appalled at the blatantly biased coverage. Were the media simply careless with the facts or deliberate in manufacturing consent to push their political agendas?
Publication Details
Loo, E. "Careless with facts or deliberate in distortions." The Edge Weekly May 13, 2013 (2013): 60.