By Danial Dzulkifly
SHAH ALAM, April 16 — Thirty teenagers from Rumah Kasih Harmoni Paya Jeras were given an opportunity to experience a day in the life of broadcast journalists from Media Selangor Sdn Bhd as part of a programme aimed at encouraging youths to venture into the creative industry.
Co-hosted by Universiti Utara Malaysia and Media Selangor, the Selangkah ke Industri Kreatif (Step Into the Creative Industry) programme provided insights into the nature of news reporting and the process of producing news segments for local broadcasts.
During the event launch, Media Selangor group chief editor Fathi Aris Omar shared his decades-long journalistic experience, highlighting the evolving landscape of the media industry.
He said the industry faces more complex challenges in terms of ethical reporting and verifying news compared to the yesteryears of newspaper reporting.
“The newspaper industry is a sunset industry as it faces new dynamics with the rise of online publications and social media,” Fathi said, adding that media practitioners must change with the times.
“Social media has opened countless new avenues for the public, allowing people to open businesses or seek new skills in the comfort of their own homes.
“But the challenge now is dealing with misinformation on social media. There is a danger, especially with young kids being addicted to social media or being exposed to misinformation and inflammatory content.
“So we must be vigilant and check with proper sources on news or information we received online,” he said in a brief speech during the programme yesterday.
Meanwhile, event coordinator Muhammad Naim Abu Bakar expressed the initiative’s importance in fostering journalistic interest among the youth.
“The programme was done with the idea of introducing the nature of news reporting to teens, presenting them with a possible career path in the creative field.
“We want them to see what we do and how we do it on a daily basis at a very young age,’’ he said.
Another speaker at the event was Selangor TV consultant and career journalist Izwan Azir Salleh, who explained the challenging nature faced by journalists today.
“Even members of the public today can be reporters or reporters without credentials, where they just post materials online which may or may not be true.
“But it is up to journalists like myself to verify the videos or materials posted online. The nature of our job is not glamorous, but it is important.
“Journalists, in general, could be placed in the best position, attending high-level events, rubbing shoulders with the powers that be, or being put in the worst circumstances, like conflict or disaster zone, to cover the news.
“No journalist is ever wealthy with material possessions, but we are wealthy with so much experience,” he said.
The participants also had the opportunity to read the news and were even shown how to operate broadcasting equipment.
They also visited Media Selangor’s broadcasting studio and spent the entire afternoon interacting with on-duty journalists and video producers.
