Pressing Matters

In the year-end spirit of reflection and renewal, we look back at conversations during the year focusing on ways to improve the Malaysian media ecosystem. Our guests weighed in on tackling hate speech and political disinformation, reforming public service media and elevating media ethics standards through a Malaysian Media Council. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

With Malaysia’s new cabinet officially clocking in this week, what reforms and policy action are needed to strengthen media independence and integrity as well as safe guard freedom of expression? We explore some of the suggestions from civil society for the new cabinet. Image credit: Lens Hitam/Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The GE15 results were disappointing for many who were hoping for a return to Pakatan Harapan governance. Nathaniel Tan of Projek #BangsaMalaysia argues that Malaysians shouldn't despair and makes a case for bridging societal divides, regardless of which coalition is in power. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The 2022 US midterm elections last week didn’t follow the typical script. Voters usually punish the incumbent government by voting for the other side in these elections. However, contrary to expectations, Republicans did not make major gains in the House of Representatives or the Senate. What does this signal about America’s political direction? Public opinion pollster John Zogby gives us his take...

For the next two weeks, the press and public will be obsessed with all news concerning the 15th general elections that will take place on the 19th of November. How do these elections differ from previous iterations? We speak to long-time political observer and columnist Mohsin Abdullah for his insights on what could unfold this election season. Image Credit: Jed RT / Shutterstock.com See omnystudi...

Last week, ASEAN convened an emergency foreign ministers’ meeting to discuss the situation in Myanmar, ahead of the ASEAN Summit in Bali in a few weeks. What is the latest state of play and why has ASEAN failed to make progress in resolving the crisis? We get an update on the situation from Hunter Marston, researcher with the Australian National University.   Image credit: EPA-EPE See omnystu...

Beijing has been making economic inroads across the world, and it has also been quietly increasing its media presence in parallel. Freedom House documents the development of China’s media influence in a report published last month. Dr Benjamin Loh of Taylor's University shares findings from the report. Read the full report at freedomhouse.org . Image credit: Mario Savoia / Shutterstock.com See omn...

UK media coverage of the Queen's death and state funeral focused on the narrative of national mourning. But is this an accurate reflection of the diverse views held by the British population on the monarchy? Marcus Ryder from the Sir Lenny Henry Centre for Media Diversity discusses the implications of an absence of media diversity on complex national issues. Image credit: EPA-EPE See omnystudio.co...

On Friday 24 September, Umno President Dato’ Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi was acquitted of all charges in the foreign visa corruption trial by the Shah Alam High Court. Malay Mail journalist Kenneth Tee breaks down the facts of the case and the events on the day. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the run up to Malaysia Day this year, we saw headlines regarding a push for Sabah and Sarawak to be given 35% representation in the Dewan Rakyat. The Special Council on MA63 endorsed this proposal recently, paving the way for the East Malaysian states to gain up to 78 seats in the lower house. Will this ensure greater political representation for East Malaysia in our parliamentary democracy? Po...

The next Malaysian general elections will see over 1 million new voters aged between 18 to 21. How susceptible are youth voters to political disinformation? What policy measures should be taken to safeguard electoral integrity against the negative effects of such campaigns? We discuss these issues with James Gomez of the Asia Centre, which recently produced a study on youth and disinformation in c...

Malaysia's public broadcaster, RTM was modeled after the BBC - but many gaps remain between the international standards of public service media and what's provided in the country. We discuss the development of Malaysian public media and why reforms are necessary with Prof. Zaharom Nain of the University of Nottingham Malaysia. Image Credit: Gwoeii / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listene...

Last week the Federal Court dismissed the appeal of former Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Razak, upholding his conviction and sentence in the SRC International trial. We speak to SCMP correspondent Hadi Azmi about his observations during the trial as well as the ramifications of the court decision for Najib Razak and UMNO. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Indonesian province of West Papua straddles two worlds: geographically, it’s located within the Pacific Islands, and connected to the country of Papua New Guinea. Politically however, it’s governed by Indonesia, and tensions have long simmered between Jakarta and a restive independence movement. New Zealand journalist Johnny Blades walks us through the history, politics and socio-economic issu...

The aftermath of top US lawmaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan earlier this month continues to reverberate in US-China geopolitics. But what’s the public discourse in Taiwan on the hot button issues of independence and sovereignty? We speak to Paul Huang, Research Fellow at the Taiwanese Public Opinion Foundation for insight. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The month of August marks one year since Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri became Prime Minister and during this period there has been furious speculation over the potential timing of GE15. With Perikatan Nasional reportedly threatening to withdraw support from Ismail Sabri's government over unkept promises, could GE15 happen sooner rather than later? We discuss the political signals with Shannon Teoh, Malay...

The SRC International 1MDB corruption trial heads into the final leg this month, as the appeal is heard by the Federal Court on 15 August. We discuss the latest developments in the trial, including the sudden change in legal counsel for former Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Razak as well as what's at stake for the parties involved and the nation with independent writer P. Gunasegaram. Image Credit...

Last week, Parliament passed the Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill, which was decades in the making, and the Kedah state assembly raised the minimum age for Muslim marriages to 18 years old. But amid these welcome developments, the case of a Malaysian-born mother who was detained along with her three children by immigration authorities highlights the glaring inequality that women face in getting le...

Sri Lanka has witnessed dramatic developments over the past few months as the country faces an unprecedented economic crisis, culminating in massive public uprisings that finally forced the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President last week. For a better understanding of the situation on the ground, we speak to Faraz Shauketaly, Editor of the online news portal, the Ceylon Independent. Image...

The 2022 Digital News Media Report compiled by the Reuters Institute details trends in digital media over the past year in 46 countries. We go through the findings with Prof. Zaharom Nain of the University of Nottingham Malaysia and get his outlook for the media landscape in Malaysia in the run-up to GE15. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The emergence of LIV Golf, a new organising tournament seen as a direct challenge to the established PGA Tour, has been controversial partly due to being funded by a Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund. We speak to Bob Holmes about why this is being seen as an example of sportswashing by some parties, and how the rivalry could play out. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

News media is an increasingly difficult business to break into in the digital age. But Malay masthead Sinar Harian is making a foray into the English-language media space with the launch of its online portal, Sinar Daily . What’s the strategy for Sinar Daily to carve out a space of its own in the Malaysian media landscape? We speak to Editor Tasnim Lokman to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener f...

The renewed statement of intent by the government to abolish the mandatory death penalty is widely lauded as a step in the right direction, but it also puts a spotlight on the effectiveness of Malaysia’s overall criminal justice system, and reforms that should be considered alongside sentencing reform. SUARAM and the Collective of Applied Law & Legal Realism (CALR) recently published a report...

The latest school shooting in Texas last week has once again put America’s fixation with guns and gun ownership in the spotlight. This is the 27th US school shooting to happen this year alone;  in 2020, gun violence became the number one cause of death for children and teenagers in the country. Why is it so difficult to legislate against gun violence in the US? We discuss the issue with Mike...

Keith Kam speaks to Andriy Taranov, a board member at the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine, also known as Suspilne. They discuss the challenges of broadcasting during wartime and ensuring the correct information is disseminated to the public. They also talk about the role of radio as a medium that can get this information out as widely as possible. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...