Fund for bloggers and healthy debate

I hope I do not digress too far from the discourse at hand here at virtual space at Ateneo de Manila University, but I thought it would be interesting to highlight these points.

The battle of the bloggers continue to rally support, with talks of setting up a Fund to finance future support should these crises take place again.

There are mentions that it would be subjudice should the case be discussed outside courts, but it is worth noting that Ahiruddin or popularly known as Rocky, when he was editor of the Malay Mail, and Ooi, who started blogging in 2003, had healthy exchanges via the different mediums they serve.

Read the post here

Healthy debates is what is encouraged all the world around, I hope we can continue to do so here in the Malaysian space of cyberspace.

Walk With Us

A truly converging world we live in, the line of traditional media, new media are blurring.

An update from the Ooi and Ahiruddin legal battle, we watch as support grows for two Malaysian bloggers up against a defamation lawsuit by English daily NST.

Malaysians, and the global community alike, watch how this tale unfolds in what seems to be a landmark phenomenon in the way Malaysians express, deliver and carry their voices in this dynamic media environment.

Restrictions questions, criticims encouraged, look at newly set up
Walk With Us for an idea on how support is being rallied from blogging community, the Average Joe and you and me.

Blocked blogs

I thought I'd draw your attention to this piece of news. Two popular bloggers, Jeff Ooi and Ahiruddin Atan (the latter being a former journalist) have been served with lawsuits by local English daily, News Straits Times.

Read story here.


Ooi was served with an injunction to bar postings related alleged defamatory to the publication. Ahiruddin, popularly known as Rocky, has received a suit for defamatory postings too.

This injunction and suit I believe,is a first of its kind, proving that although Internet as a medium is not regulated by the strict license and media laws in Malaysia, it was still subject to basic defamation and copyright laws. It goes to show that to completely have freedom of speech in Malaysia still finds stumbling blocks of various kinds.

It will be interesting to see how the powers that be cope with the very rapid changes in technology that allows information to be delivered freely and pervasively.

A hammer, saw and webcam

Taking a step back to think of how journalists have functioned all this while. It started as a simple pen and notebook, ways of communicating began with basic telegraph and even the trusty public phones. Typewriters are used to set the stories; it would be catastrophic to have your editor scrunch up your stories and aiming it for the bin.

Today, I'm seated here with my laptop connected to the Internet on broadband links, my mobile phone, blue tooth enabled, 3 G enabled, allows me to connect and transfer data anywhere I want to.

I can be miles away from my headquarters and still file in a page one story. The mobile gadgets I have also has a camera which allows me to snap newsworthy photographs for print or uploaded.

Technology has transformed the way we work and it continues to amaze. Journalists no longer stick to their specific job scopes, able to be writers, videographers, photographers thanks to these tools. Likewise photographers, videographers can start writing and packaging pieces for the consumption of the world.

I refer to a reading from the Online Journalism Review at and how they provide a list of tools available for the multimedia journalist.
The way tools have evolved, it does not confine the journalist or media personnel in one place to access communication links and send their stories. He or she is even more mobile, able to work in makeshift workstations just as long as there are communication links.
It doesn't not restrict the scope of which a journalist can work in, he or she can travel and file stories of any kind without worrying about deadlines, traffic jams and other congestions.
Armed with these tools also comes with price, journalists have to be savvy to use these resources and adapt to the demands of the multimedia newsroom. This means the expectations of a journalist is higher, literally, he or she can be filing any story from any where, just so the infrastructure allows the access.
I always feel overwhelmed with these demands and expectations, as this change is inevitable. I believe then we fall back on the basics, of the audiences we cater and the purposes we write our stories for. It is time to capitalise on these resources for production of better stories, improved information delivery, in hope that we can enrich and raise quality of lives around us.

Mobs and blogs..

The London bombings in July 2005 were one example of how moblogs take off. In the recent podcast session with Josh, we briefly discussed how ordinary citizens can contribute to journalism, in this case through mobile phones.

The pictures sent through mobile phone to CNN's I-report and BBC's website, helped journalists gather information for news reports and to help inform other viewers in different parts of the world. I find that this additional resource will be helpful to journalists, provided the necessary verification and authorization is sought before information is aired in the news sites. This will lend credibility to the information or images sent by citizens.

I remember discussing this with Josh over the podcast, but I can't recall if it was included, perhaps in the upcoming sessions, this verification is needed by a trained editorial team to avoid abuse. Having information aired through an international or national media organization carries heavy responsibilities and weight, not to mention repercussions, so it is important to check the accuracy of the information and images and sources before making it available on public domain on the labels of CNN, GMA, Reuters and the like.

I believe as journalists working in this converging world, it is our duty to verify these pieces of information as well as share the importance of these processes to mobloggers or bloggers, as we continue to shape the dynamic information delivery systems.

Where do we go from here?

Malaysia’s ranking in RSF’s Freedom Index 2006 is hardly surprising. With the strict media laws that we are familiar with, media personnel constantly have to work around the system to get materials published, particularly sensitive ones that touch on race relations, religion and of course criticisms against the government.

In earlier blog entries, I noted that Bruce, Erwin had raised issues about Malaysian authorities attempting to restrict bloggers after a heated discussions about race relations at a high profile political assembly last November. Authorities cited reasons to maintain national security, threatening also to shut these blogs down using similar forces already in place to control the print and broadcast mediums in the country.

This move goes against the policy of non-interference on Internet content. The former Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, during the development of the Multimedia Super Corridor, insisted that content on the Web to be free of any control or influence. The Internet phenomenon boomed and now we have mass amounts of information being delivered. This I believe authorities did not expect, hence hitting the panic button by threatening to shut down blogging operations was one knee-jerk response.

We are moving to a whole new level of information delivery, it is no longer about reading yesterday’s news, information is delivered at real-time basis today, and it affects policy decisions, investment decisions and even social behavior. I find the environment is challenging but also uncontrollable. Yes, the question is do we need a form of control to hinder the freedom of speech, the freedom to express oneself, but do we also need control to avoid bloody racial riots of 1969, deadly religious clashes from the Danish caricature issue. I believe this space we have created, via blogs, chatrooms and in this class, gives us the opportunity to reflect and reanalyze our roles on to work in this very dynamic environment.

2007 and beyond..

A Happy New Year to all, Prof Quinn and friends..

It is nice to wake up to freshness of minds, changing of the world's dynamics, mostly thanks to technology.
Amidst the well wishes and hope for a better year ahead, I find the last moments of 2006 particularly intriguing and somewhat disturbing at least in the context of converging media.
I'm sure we all have read, heard and viewed Saddam's execution, done hangman style. The latest reports featured mentions of amateur videos, filmed on a camera phone, of the former tyrant's execution and more importantly being picked up by major networks in the US.
The question raised in the article was about how the footage was caught via mobile phone cameras, the question of access of these gadgets into the gallows and the ethical dilemma of featuring such footage on international television/media.
We all understand the blurring of lines when it comes to sources of information and the changing roles of the media, but in this context of an execution, should authorities have allowed the entry of such unofficial gadgets to record moments of history. We all understand the repercussions of such information being made public, my questions is of control, or is there no control.
I believe then it would be relevant for us to relook at our roles, with this issue being the key theme for Time magazine's latest issue, on the Person of the Year


As most of us know, instead of featuring icons or personalities commonly done in past issues, 2007's piece talked about the general public, bloggers, people behind YouTube and the like, having the huge influence in how they or we shape the media and the world we live in.