THE economic pressures besetting media houses may help revive critical journalism and redefine newsworthiness, said one academic, while other observers feel democracy and the right to accurate information will be affected because of a weakened press.

University of Nottingham Malaysia lecturer Zaharom Nain said the woes of media houses like Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd and Media Prima Bhd might result in the public being served better if these news outlets revive and practise public-interest journalism.

“Most people think these two institutions rarely ever championed media freedom in the past few decades. 

“Media giants like Utusan and Media Prima rely on political patronage. This is at odds with a free and critical media that serves the public.

“This system, instead, is controlled by the government and the market,” he said when asked to comment on Utusan shutting down and laying off its 800 employees last month.

Media Prima is also due to hold a retrenchment exercise in the first quarter of next year in a bid to trim expenses.

The public and the government, as news consumers, will not feel the loss over what these firmsare  going through, but it is the staff who are the real victims.

He said the success of the new media will drive more open and critical coverage.

“It might foster more open journalism that is critical and will evaluate and question those in power.

“The time might have come for journalists to stop being ‘yes-men’ and start evaluating events and views with a more critical eye.”

Another academic took a different view, saying Utusan’s closure and Media Prima’s financial woes might weaken democracy, as news output and hence diversity of views, would be affected.

Universiti Sains Malaysia’s Nik Norma Nik Hassan said struggling media would not be able to play their role as the fourth estate in a political system to check government power.

“The media should be the voice of the people but struggling media houses will shake democracy as there will not be a variety of views, information and fewer articles published.”

Fake news could also receive more play as there will be fewer journalists to check facts.

“Fake news will spread, not just on politics, but also in entertainment and environment news.

“Society will be more exposed (to fake news) because it’s the norm now to share after reading (an article), and there is rarely any verification of the facts.”

The decline of media giants like Utusan Melayu and Media Prima is not surprising, as other companies around the world met similar fates in the past few years, said Nik Norma.

Economic pressures and disruption by digital media, which has given readers access to multipl sources of news, have contributed to this situation, she said.

“This phenomenon is also happening in the West. For example, around 2015-2017, Australian media company Fairfax retrenched its staff.”

Journalism advocacy group, Pertubuhan Gerakan Media Merdeka (Geramm), said journalists now had to compete with purveyors of fake news on social media.

Geramm spokesman Radzi Razak said the situation has weakened the power of the media to give voice to minorities and grassroots groups.

“Media firms trimming their operations could be seen as evidence that journalists now have less space to do their work and they might not have another platform to do so.

“The media’s role is beyond a check and balance (of government power), it also gives voice to minority frustrations. It’s not just a question of the number of journalists but also declining media companies.

“Therefore, the media’s role as the fourth estate will also be affected.”

In a statement responding to Utusan’s closure and Media Prima’s planned retrenchment, Geramm said it feared large-scale retrenchments at Utusan will weaken journalism in Malaysia.

“It will kill the influence of the National Union of Journalists. It will also lower the standard of journalism in Malaysia,” it said. – November 4, 2019.