Are journalists themselves doing enough to defend their autonomy?
Journalists of today work for newspapers owned by certain groups with certain interests. If they do not serve their owners, they may not be able to continue working. There is this struggle between personally thinking of the role of journalism, and the fear of losing their livelihood. People from NGOs don’t have worry so much. This is why until now I don’t remember any of the mainstream newspaper editors discussing freedom of the press. They may comment on how the anti-media laws affect their daily operations, but they don’t severely criticise these laws. Because of all this fear, the minds of journalists are controlled. Under these circumstances, the future of the Malaysian media depends on what the journalists themselves think. If their own minds are not free, don’t even talk about press freedom — one’s creativity, the most important tool for a journalist, is gone. Journalists have to decide that they should be free to express their opinion. Then change can happen. We have to start fr
