Pressing Matters

Over the weekend, social media was abuzz over the plight of Mah Meri people in Kg. Bagan Lalang, who were served with 30-day eviction notices to make way for a tourist development project. Journalist Raevathi Supramaniam, who has been covering the story for The Malaysian Insight, gives us the details. Image Credit: KY Tan/Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Covid-19 pandemic exacerbated pressures for those working in the media industry, both from a business survival standpoint and also in terms of the press freedom environment which has seen a global decline according to Reporters Without Borders. We chat with Independent journalist Norman Goh, host of podcast Bicara Minggu Ini on his reflections on freelance journalism and the state of media fre...

Political artist Fahmi Reza was arrested on Friday for investigation under the Sedition Act and the Communications & Multimedia Act. We discuss the facts of the case and the problems with regulating free speech in Malaysia’s legal framework. Image Credit: Gwoeii / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Member states of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) are gearing up for the Conference of Parties (COP 26) in November. 2021 marks the starting point for ambitious carbon emission plans that countries promised to implement under the Paris Agreement, but many details remain unresolved. Ahead of Earth Day on 22 April, we speak to an independent consultant and researcher...

The global Covid-19 vaccine roll-out is providing yet another arena in which geopolitics is playing out. Countries like India and China have jumped at the opportunity to leverage vaccine diplomacy, while the richer countries are preoccupied with supply concerns resulting in vaccine nationalism. Dr. Lindsay Newman of IHS Markit gives her analysis on how political calculations are being made, as wel...

China’s top legislative body, the National People’s Congress, approved major changes to the electoral system of Hong Kong last week. What does this mean for Hong Kong’s democratic landscape and the pro-democracy protest movement? We discuss the implications with Hong Kong political analyst Sonny Lo. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...

Last week, netizens and government officials rapped Malay daily Harian Metro for a controversial headline, which appeared to link the Covid-19 vaccine with the death of a nurse. Amid the national push to achieve herd immunity through vaccination, how can media better frame vaccine stories to encourage confidence and allay fears? We discuss this issue with Dr. Wan Norshira of IIUM. Image Credit: Sh...

In 2019, thousands of schoolchildren and residents of Pasir Gudang suffered from chemical poisoning believed to have come from the illegal dumping of toxic waste into Sg. Kim Kim. However, the actual source of the toxic gasses wasn’t as clear cut, as the Academy of Sciences Malaysia task force discovered in their investigation. We discuss the findings of the task force and the lessons learne...

Indian farmers have been gathering at the borders of the capital New Delhi for over 100 days to date in protest against controversial agricultural laws passed by the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Independent journalist Monika Mondal walks us through the issues being debated, and shares her observations of the situation on the ground. You can read more of Monika’s work here . Im...

The Myanmar military coup on 1 February has sparked widespread street protests and public sector strikes by citizens outraged by the junta’s power grab. We speak to journalist Zeya Thu on the situation in Myanmar and the different perspectives being hashed out on how to uphold democracy in the country. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On Friday, the Federal Court held Malaysiakini in contempt of court for publishing readers’ comments that were deemed to have insulted the judiciary. We unpack the legal judgment with lawyer Farah Shuhadah Razali, and discuss the implications for the media industry with Radzi Razak of media rights coalition Gerakan Media Merdeka. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy...

How have radio broadcasters adapted to work life under a pandemic? To mark World Radio Day 2021, we speak to BBC World Service presenter Manuela Saragosa on the nuts and bolts of putting together an episode of the Business Daily, as well as broader trends facing the media industry in an age of digital consumption and misinformation. Image Credit: Hadrian / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/liste...

Progress towards establishing a Malaysian Media Council to oversee standards in the industry has gathered pace over the past two years. We discuss how a self-regulation model of oversight can benefit both media practitioners and the broader public, as well as rebuild trust in media institutions. Image Credit: Chere / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Right to information (RTI) regimes began gaining traction from the 1990s, amid a global wave of democratization, and to date there are 129 countries with some form of RTI law. How does a right to information law help strengthen democratic ideals and press freedom? We discuss why Malaysia should consider implementing an RTI law, and the practical benefits for media practitioners and the public with...

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is facing extradition to the US to answer to charges of espionage. He’s been granted a temporary reprieve by the UK courts, which last week rejected the extradition bid, but observers say the decision is a Pyrrhic victory for freedom of the press. We discuss the implications of the case for journalists and the media with Peter Greste, veteran journalist and U...

Wikileaks founder Julian Assange is facing extradition to the US to answer to charges of espionage. He’s been granted a temporary reprieve by the UK courts, which last week rejected the extradition bid, but observers say the decision is a Pyrrhic victory for freedom of the press. We discuss the implications of the case for journalists and the media with Peter Greste, veteran journalist and U...

 We recap the biggest Malaysian news stories of 2020 and the experience of reporting in a pandemic with Tashny Sukumaran, Malaysian correspondent with the South China Morning Post. She also talks about an upcoming initiative to platform more female experts in the news called Project 5050. Sign up for the Project 5050 database here .  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In our last episode for the year, we’re taking a look back at some of the compelling conversations we’ve had with journalists around the region chronicling the impact of Covid-19 on our everyday lives. From the initial outbreak of the pandemic in China to elections in Singapore and Myanmar, we bring you some of the highlights. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener...

Xinjiang province, home to over 12 million Uyghurs in China, has been the center of controversy for the past few years, as reports of state oppression and human rights violations against the Muslim minority group emerged. In his recent book , expert Dr. Sean Roberts argues that the present situation stems from policy responses to the Global War on Terrorism. We find out more about the Uyghur commu...

Government-linked companies (GLCs) are a controversial but omnipresent feature of the Malaysian corporate landscape. The pandemic and political upheaval this year have thrown a spotlight on how GLCs are run. We reflect on some of the issues concerning the governance of GLCs with Emmanuel Samarathisa, business journalist and Executive Editor at The Vibes. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystud...

From a newspaper business in Adelaide, Rupert Murdoch has built a multi-billion dollar empire spanning print and broadcast media, leveraging on populist sentiment and political relationships. However, he’s come under fire in his home country, with former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd arguing that Murdoch’s media monopoly is damaging to democracy. We discuss the history and controversy over...

There is unprecedented scrutiny on the parliamentary process of passing the budget, given the high political stakes - it’s widely seen as a de facto confidence vote on Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin’s government. We speak to journalist Hadi Azmi on his observations of the parliamentary budget debates, particularly the policy stage vote last Thursday. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystu...

Have social media platforms learned from the misinformation debacles of 2016? And how will America navigate the post-truth legacy of President Donald Trump? We discuss social media and misinformation in the aftermath of the 2020 US elections with Alexander Howard, Director of the Digital Democracy Project at the liberal think tank, Demand Progress. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener...

The Special Affairs Department (JASA) was perceived by many as a propaganda unit of the Barisan Nasional government, which is why its RM85 million allocation in Budget 2021 is viewed with unease. We discuss broadly the problems with state propaganda, as well as the history behind JASA and whether it can shed its stigmatized reputation. Image Credit: Shutterstock See omnystudio.com/listener for pri...

Budget 2021 is being tabled under extraordinary times, both in terms of economic pressures being faced as a result of Covid-19 as well as the political turmoil over who holds the confidence of Parliament. We discuss the budget and the possible political implications with regular guest and business commentator, P. Gunasegaram. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...