Thursday, April 29, 2010

Media endorsement towards blogs is hogwash

About 5 months ago (3 December 2009), I put forward a critical question in a blog post: Is mainstream media endorsing blogs?

The poser wasn't actually a blanket declaration questioning all mainstream media or in this case, a major newspaper!

It was actually a satire (or sarcastic note, if you wish). The points I raise was about the swiftness by the gate-keepers at Utusan Malaysia in deciding whether certain news from a blog posting were deemed good enough to be front-paged. Furthermore, the story hasn't been verified. It was only an accusation or a claim made by certain bloggers, who didn't even have balls to reveal their real names.

Today, Utusan Malaysia is again at their imprudent best to implicate their enemies with another one of their so-called exposes. Implying that certain PAS members in YB Nik Aziz Nik Mat's government had paid some RM4 million to Shekh Kickdefella, the paper went on its rampage to quote details of the blog entry.


Apart from maintaining a PR job to uphold the people's trust on the PAS led Kelantan government, which is quite noble, the blogger's other assignment was to degrade and tarnish the credibilty of former PM Abdullah Ahmad Badawi's administration.

Not considering whether the accusation can be verified by cross checking them with other possible facts, Utusan went on to quote Kickdefella's challenge to his nemesis, Kelantan MB's press secretary, Ahmad Fadhli Shaari and another blogger, Tulang Besi.

Shekh wanted his enemies to disprove his accusation that apart from the money used in his operation to smear the Abdullah administration, there were also elements of corruption in the PAS administration.

Actually, there were more names spelt-out in the blog posting, but apart from those mentioned above, only his ex-boss at Permodalan Menteri Besar Kelantan (PMBK) and long time arch-rival, Abdul Ariffahmi Ab Rahman, son-in-law of Kelantan MB, was given special mention by Utusan.

The ex-CEO of the controversial Kelantan State investment arm was said to have been involved in corrupt practices while in office, during the blogger's presence as a PR Executive there.

Okay, Utusan's loose cannon act aside, I don't know quite sure what this Shekh Kickdefella is up to.

But one thing I'm sure is that he's gone overboard this time with this statement: "Saya menaruh keyakinan penuh bahawa YAB Dato’ Menteri Besar Kelantan, Tuan Guru Nik Abdul Aziz akan didakwa di antaranya atas kesalahan penyalahgunaan kuasa dan pecah amanah." and also "Kata orang, kalau kita mahu memerangkap seseorang, jangan ditanya padanya soalan yang kita sendiri tidak tahu jawapannya. Nanti habis kita dan sahabat kita pula yang terjerat."

Is he praying hard that the MB would be indicted and later haul up for the charges so that he can gloat over other people's misfortunes and then sleep soundly after that?

What if all this is wrong? I mean what if all the accusations can be explained in court and that it was not true, and after that the Kelantan MB acquitted. Wouldn't it make Kickdefella an asshole and the reputation of bloggers demeaned and the so-called Mainstream media endorsements towards blogs a hogwash?   

Think people! As a by-stander, although I don't really understand much about politics and its quest, but most of it just couldn't make sense. To me, politics is always about a win-loose, loose-win situation. No other alternative.

To all politically inclined smart-ass, no doubt we may not be dreaming of the same 'thoughts', but somehow I believe strange bedfellows could one day come up with a strange bright idea about a win-win situation in politics.

Let's kowtim instead.

And I digress.

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