Pressing Matters

When Aung San Suu Kyi and the National League for Democracy (NLD) came into power in 2015, there was optimism that this would usher in a new era of democracy for the long-time military state. However 5 years later, as Myanmar goes to the polls for only the second time on Sunday, there are serious concerns that the NLD government is rowing back on its democratic pledges. Andrew Nachemson, a Yangon-...

Florida is the quintessential swing state, in that it can be won by either the Democrats or Republicans. President Trump carried the state in 2016 on the back of the senior vote, and Republicans also have sizeable support within the Latino community. But with Trump’s pandemic record under scrutiny, can he win Florida this time around? Today on the show, we’re featuring voices from the...

In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, we are also battling what’s being called an infodemic, which the World Health Organization defines as an overabundance of information that makes it hard for people to find trustworthy sources and reliable guidance on the virus. To get a better picture of how widespread the infodemic is in Malaysia, we speak to Harris Zainul, analyst at the Institute for...

Although both Malaysia and the US have federal systems, there are key differences in the way federal-state relations are governed in the two countries. The decentralized nature of the US federal system and the independence of states explains why national popularity doesn’t really matter when it comes to electing the next President. With three weeks to go until the US elections on November 3r...

While Thailand is no stranger to people protests, the current pro-democracy movement is significant for being driven primarily by Thai youth and university students, and for the bold calls for reforms to the monarchy, a long-time taboo topic. We discuss the motivations for political change and observations from the latest rally on September 19th with Tara Abhasakun and Wanpen Pajai, reporters with...

Amid an existential crisis in the media industry, more and more newsrooms are foregoing investigative reporting, which can involve a lot of resources without the certainty of a payoff. But Sonia Randhawa, Co-Director of the Center for Independent Journalism argues that there should be continued funding for media investigations that hold power to account. We also speak to Malaysiakini's Aidila Raza...

Former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe caused a splash when he unexpectedly resigned due to health concerns earlier this month. Abe has the distinction of being one of the longest-serving leaders of Japan - but what does he have to show for his time in office? We discuss his legacy and the future of Japan under new Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga with journalist and author William Pesek. Image Cr...

The Daily Express is one of Sabah’s oldest newspapers, established since the formation of Malaysia in 1963. We speak to long-time Chief Editor James Sarda on efforts to stay relevant in the changing media landscape, as well as thoughts on bridging the knowledge gap between East and West Malaysia. Image Credit: Augustine Bin Jumat / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy inf...

China’s strategy to expand its economic influence, through ambitious projects such as the Belt and Road Initiative is well-documented and monitored. But perhaps less paid attention to is China’s parallel effort to boost its global media presence - which observers say may not be as innocent as it seems. A recent report published by the International Federation of Journalists assesses th...

Indonesia has recorded over 150,000 confirmed case of Covid-19, with the number of infections rising by the hundreds daily. How did it get to this point and what is being done to tackle both the healthcare and economic costs of the pandemic? We speak to writer and political commentator Johannes Nugroho for insight into the situation in Indonesia. Read his latest commentary on the pandemic in the S...

The warehouse explosion at the Port of Beirut on August 4th has brought a global spotlight on the political and economic fault lines within Lebanon. We speak to Lebanese journalist Michael Karam, on his experience of what happened and the political situation in the wake of the disaster. You can read his article for The GroundTruth Project on observations of the aftermath here. https://thegroundtru...

Some 129 countries have a right to information or RTI law - but what does the right to information really mean? The Centre for Independent Journalism, Malaysia has been advocating for a Malaysian RTI law for the past 16 years. We discuss how this law would look like and its practical benefits with CIJ Malaysia co-Director, Sonia Randhawa. Image Credit: Giulia May/Unsplash See omnystudio.com/listen...

How do radio and television differ as a medium for journalism? How big is the market for English news programming beyond the Klang Valley? We discuss these issues and more with radio-turned-television presenters Melisa Idris and Sharaad Kuttan, who host the current affairs programme “Consider This” on Astro Awani. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Al-Jazeera documentary, “Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown,” and the ensuing government response has sparked controversy over what laws apply in news video productions. We discuss the implications of licensing requirements for news video reports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Public media, or public broadcasting, is sometimes conflated with government-run media. But the mandate of public media is not simply as a a mouthpiece for the state, but to provide a shared space of discussion for the people. Furthermore, Sally-Ann Wilson of the Public Media Alliance argues that in times of crisis, public media stands out as a credible sources of news and information. She speaks...

Singapore became one of only a handful of countries to hold general elections amidst Covid-19. Did the governing PAP party miscalculate in their strategy to hold polls during the pandemic? And what does the outcome mean for Singapore’s future? We chat with Singaporean journalist Kirsten Han on her observations. You can check out more analysis and coverage on Singapore issues at wethecitizens...

In Malaysia, the narrative on migrants and refugees has taken a particularly ugly turn lately amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. This narrative exists in other countries too, but in parts of the developed world, there’s also parallel conversation recognizing the contribution of migrants in essential services. Can Covid-19 provide an opportunity to reimagine how we view migrants and migration poli...

With the proliferation of misinformation through social media, fact-checking has become a critical tool to combat “fake news.” Politifact was one of the fact-checking pioneers, set-up over a decade ago under the Tampa Bay Times in Florida and now housed under the Poynter Institute of Media Studies. We speak to Jon Greenberg, one of its senior correspondents on the process of fact-check...

The Philippines’ constitution expressly protects freedom of the press, earning it the distinction of having the freest press in the region. And yet while freedom of speech may be protected by law, media practitioners and human rights activists have long decried the culture of impunity endangering human rights and the weaponization of laws against journalists, particularly under the current a...

The movement control order (MCO) has upended the way media practitioners of all stripes carry out their work, particularly multimedia and video journalists. We sit down with the brains behind Fat Bidin Media to find out how they’ve been coping, as well as discuss their latest project to counter disinformation, Berita Busters, and the future of video journalism in Malaysia. Check out more of...

What happens to your things once you’ve dropped them off for donations or recycling? In his newest book, Adam Minter explores the global — but often murky — nature of the trade of secondhand goods. We also discuss the culture of buying secondhand and recycling in Malaysia. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first Parliamentary sitting of the Perikatan Nasional administration this week has raised serious concerns about the sanctity of Malaysian parliamentary democracy. Electoral system expert Wong Chin Huat argues that people should demand more from their parliamentarians - and highlights several actionable reforms that could enhance the role of Parliament as a check on the executive. See omnystud...

The Movement Control Order (MCO) in force from March 18 has upended daily life and confined most people to their homes. Under such circumstances, community media outlets such as the SJ Echo in Subang Jaya become a vital source of information and interaction. We catch up with Managing Editor Teoh Teik Hong on how the MCO is affecting life for Subang Jaya residents. See omnystudio.com/listener for p...

Coverage of women, across and within media organisations, is the focus of the Global Media Monitoring Project, one of the largest studies in the world that looks at the intersection between gender and the media. Following International Women's Day last week, we speak to Gayathry Venkiteswaran, National Co-Coordinator of the GMMP, about how women are portrayed across different segments of the news,...

Last year, photojournalist S.C. Shekar stumbled across a community of Orang Asli families living in the vicinity of a landfill in Bandar Muadzam Shah. Subsequent media reports on the living conditions of the community, particularly young children, sparked a range of reactions, from disbelief to denial. We speak to Shekar for his take on the story. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...