KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 — The print media is likely to remain relevant for another decade or more, as newspapers have always been a medium of record for various agencies including government bodies, libraries and higher learning institutions, said veteran journalist Balan Moses.
He said online journalism is impermanent, as what is published in this hour may not be there in the next, especially when it is a developing story.
“So what happens an hour or 10 hours ago is eclipsed by time. So how does one go back to appreciate a story,” he said in Bernama TV’s The Nation programme, which discussed the topic, Is the Death of Print Media Imminent? today.
Asked about his message to all journalists ahead of the National Journalists’ Day (HAWANA) 2023 celebration that kicks off tomorrow, Balan, who began his career in journalism in 1978, told media practitioners to work hard and watch whatever they do regardless of the medium, be it print, online or broadcast.
“The future of the nation depends on what you report, how you report and the analysis you present so that the country can move forward,” he said, adding that HAWANA 2023 should be celebrated by journalists of the past and the present for their contributions to the nation.
Balan said the work journalists have been doing and the service they provide have shaped this nation over the past 50 to 60 years.
HAWANA 2023 will be held in Ipoh, Perak from tomorrow to May 29 and will see industry players and other experts discussing the survival of the traditional media in the digital age as well as ways to attract advertising revenue in a forum titled ‘Future of Media.’
A host of exciting activities also await visitors at the Hawana Mini Carnival from May 27 to May 28, from 10am to 6pm at Concourse 2, Mydin Mall Meru.
Earlier, crisis management analyst Nordin Abdullah when appearing in The Brief programme on Bernama TV, said conventional media must think of strategic decisions and allocate resources to ensure what appears on their social platforms are efficient and well managed in terms of journalistic ethics and standards.
Asked about the challenges faced by journalists in raising sensitive topics, he said a good journalist will know how to bring them to light and deal with them in a culturally appropriate manner.
“If we look at the history of some of the big issues in Malaysia, journalists have played a big role in some of the large issues that have become global. Malaysia can do it. We have been doing it for some time so we can deal with cultural sensitivities,” Nordin said.
— Bernama
