Walk for Press Freedom

“Our liberty depends on the freedom of the press, and that cannot be limited without being lost.” Thomas Jefferson, third president of the United States, said.

Which is exactly what the citizens of Malaysia is craving for, this can be seen in the recent “Walk for Press Freedom” which took place in Kuala Lumpur. However it would be interesting to see how different media report the same news for instance The Star newspaper and OhmyNews International (OMNI). Other than the fact that international reporters are able to cover the story faster than the local newspaper, the angles used by both parties are total opposites and yet both reported exactly the event which happened.

However the main issue is the press freedom we are facing, as mentioned by Rassloff in the article “Walking for Malaysian Press Freedom” is the draconian laws which restricts the freedom of speech such as the Printing Presses and Publications Act, Sedition Act, Official Secrets Act and the Internal Security Act. These laws are outdated in terms of the needs of the people especially the Printing Presses and Publication Act of 1984 and the Official Secrets Act, as it most often used to prevent certain information from being known to the public.

Yet at the same time, are we prepared to have total freedom for the media? Are we responsible enough to take the blame if something goes wrong? Or does human instinct kicks in and we start blaming others? Like a bird set free for the first time; who knows what we might do.

References

Rassloff M, Keep on Walking for Malaysian Press Freedom, OhmyNews International, viewed on 8 June 2008, <http://english.ohmynews.com/ArticleView/article_view.asp?menu=A11100&no=382741&rel_no=1&back_url>

The Star Online, 2 June 2008, Journalists, bloggers walk to press for more freedom, ‘The Star Online’, viewed on 8 June 2008, <http://thestar.com.my/news/story.asp?file=/2008/6/2/nation/21425908&sec=nati>