Are there limits to freedom of the press?

According to an official of the Ministry of Home Affairs, as long as they stay within the law, there are no limits to freedom of the press in Malaysia.

We have a very large Muslim majority country with diverse cultures and traditions, a senior adviser to a minister at the ministry told Berita Harian that was republishing a column by a certain Syed Alwi, under the article Syed Alwi: Is The Media Free? The question should be, are there limits to media freedom in Malaysia? The answer is of course - we all know the answer but we choose to evade it. The official said when it came to print or broadcast news the authorities could intervene only if there is a clear breach of the law or if the government objects to certain things such as defamation, obscenity or inciting racial hatred or discrimination. No problem of the media being free from censorship was cited when asked about his comments during a conversation with some editors who attended the Media Dialogue forum organised by the Department of Mass Communication, University of International Business and Economics (MIB) and Institute of Policy Studies (IKA), both of which were held at Hotel Intercontinental Putrajaya from September 6-7. Syed Alwi questioned the nature of the press in Malaysia in his piece and whether it was truly free as reported by foreign media sources, which he says often have more than 10 biases and prejudices. One of his claims is that the majority of the media is pro-Barisan Nasional (BN) and pro-government.

They are so biased because the government controls them, he was quoted as saying by Berita Harian. At one of the MIB event panel discussion sessions, some editors of various newspapers agreed, with one reporter citing that all their newspapers had become propaganda tools for the BN-led government. So you all think you are doing your job, really? I feel terrible! We all understand why you chose to do this, I heard one editor say when pressed on the matter. It turned out the editor was part of the department of mass communication.

According to information technology minister Zahid Hamidi, the latest statistic showed that more than half of the print media is either controlled or partially owned by the government, or its agencies.

What is the 1st Amendment freedom of press?

It is a right given to American citizens of the ability to speak out what they feel and be able to speak through the medium of speech (verbal communication). So the government can't restrict that right. If there is one thing the Founding Fathers knew, was the importance of freedom of speech as we know it today.

The 1st Amendment's purpose was to protect against abuses in government on behalf of the common man against both the federal and state governments. The intent behind that amendment was to make sure that even if the government decided to do evil for the people; that it was to remain accountable for that action. The Founding Fathers envisioned an independent, honest, and balanced government. To make sure that only the best ideas were implemented through a vote. We live in a world where politicians can abuse their power and put the innocent first. This is unacceptable.

The Founders understood the power that mass media could have over citizens, they believed in it; but they didn't want the government to restrict it for their own benefit. The Founders did not want the government or any other entity to control the information that the public was receiving. They wanted to be able to choose and control who they chose to receive that information. Mass media has become such a major factor in all our lives that I believe the founders would cringe at the thought of what they gave us.

What are the 10 Amendments? We are all told many times by many different things to read the bill of rights, read the Bill of Rights, or that it should always be mentioned first in every discussion about law. This is not necessarily true. As I understand it, that was all meant to be a warning to people that those are actually the amendments to which you are referring. They're the ones that come at the end of the Constitution, not the beginning! The first ten amendments of the constitution are considered bill of rights because they are listed at the end of the document and not the beginning. If we start reading this document at the top of article 1 then we're missing the point; it begins with a Preamble that mentions the other thirty-nine articles. For example, it states The Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes or Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states It is not until you reach Article 5 that we start finding these amendments.

What does freedom of the press means?

If you want to talk about the state of journalism, then ask any journalist from any news organisation not me, I'm not a journalist.

But I'm interested in what the meaning is of a journalist, because I like to be one.

Journalism is always looking for the truth but there are several aspects that make it hard for it to find. You have one side that is very willing to lie for their own agenda, and you have another side that wants to find the truth, but is not powerful enough to force the government or companies to tell the truth, so they're very dependent on a journalist that they trust.

My favourite newspaper is Der Spiegel. It's a newspaper that I trust, but I still don't agree with everything they write.

It's a newspaper that has its own agenda and will make its case, but it might get the facts wrong. That's not their fault. But they're very clear about what they stand for.

My favourite TV station is ZDF, which is a public-service broadcaster funded by the German government. It's a public-service broadcaster that is not only independent, but one of the most trusted channels in Germany. If a journalist lies on ZDF, then the people who are reading the newspaper or watching the TV program will know it's a lie.

So it's a public service, it's independent, but when it comes to its news and investigations, they go into places that other media outlets might not do because they lack the resources. At the moment, I'm in a very fortunate situation in that I'm able to make a living doing what I'm doing, but if I were to try to do it under normal circumstances in Europe, I'd have a really tough time trying to make a living. The audience doesn't really know my name, so it's tough. But I think the truth of it is that the audience of people who use my platform now really does know my name. I can't really say I was known by everyone back then, but it's quite the opposite.

At Der Spiegel, they've been losing money.