I have never really held BERNAMA in high regard, choosing to get my news elsewhere, but what they are doing with the homosexuality issue and the features they are coming up with this week, given it’s timing with the DSAI case, is in one word - disgusting.
I urge you all who read this, to please write a Letter to the Editor too. Show they that we are not so easily manipulated with such ridiculous stories, that they try to pass off as “News Features.”
Thank you.
*
Here is what I sent in, after reading this rubbish:
http://web7.bernama.com/bernama/v3/news_features.php?id=344763
Dear Editor,
I refer to the piece, “Homosexual’s Life Of Moral Decadence, written by Melati Mohd Ariff, written July 8th on your News Features section.
I have a huge contention with this article and the views of the writer that is expressed in it.
Firstly, all Malaysians have their views on homosexuality based on their personal religious and cultural beliefs, and that is their right as citizens of this country.
I also think the people interviewed for the piece have a right in expressing their views as seen in the statements they provided in the writing of this piece.
However, your writer/journalist Melati and her overbearing views do not give any merit to this story, in fact it ruins the credibility of this story instantly. She is judgemental, biased and places more importance in injecting her views into the story than actually sticking to the facts.
As a journalist myself, I understand that in news features the writer is given a little more freedom with what they are to write, which is well and good. But, upon reading the article any discerning reader can see the bias and slant that she takes.
Here is one example:
“In the West, the morally wrong and corrupt homosexual act has turned into a sort of plague, spreading its tentacles far and wide, engulfing individuals with the tendency of adopting this immoral self-indulgence.”
Who is Melati? Is she from a religious body? Is she a psychologist? An anthropologist? A person who studies different cultures or human behaviour? Is she God?
How does a writer come to these heavy handed judgemental statements? What references does she have to make these claims? I don’t understand. She is merely a medium. This is not some personal blog, where she can push forth her agenda and platform, her duty in working for a national news agency is to produce QUALITY well-research stories with truth, fairness and accuracy. And by truth, I do not mean a truth she makes up in her writing.
She does it again in the following statement:
“This act, which is like a malignant cancer, should not be allowed to spread its tentacles, as it threatens to bring destruction and devastation to the society.”
Firstly, your writer writes horribly. And your sub-editors aren’t doing a good job either. Cancer IS malignant, there are no benign cancers, so her words are redundant, and the entire article is written with horrible, unprofessional English, grammar and sentence structure, but I will leave that part out, although I shouldn’t have to.
You are a national news agency, don’t your writers and editors take pride in their work?
I am forced to think that you do not. That statement she made is vile and bilious. She is of no authority to be pontificating on these issues, or to be making such claims of moral devastation and degeneration.
As a journalist she is merely a medium to the message, no one cares about your opinion unless you have standing. Why is hers so important?
The fact that you have published such a ridiculous, half-baked piece with little to no facts, and a complete inadequate examination of the situation at hand, and simply allowing Melati here to lay blame on the West for homosexuality is utterly disgusting.
You have no statistics, no figures and this piece is just completely unsubstantial and in my opinion used to fuel hate to minority groups in this country.
How you, BERNAMA, a mouthpiece for the nation’s dissemination and providing of news have allowed your quality to be so compromised is beyond me.
I hope you will not allow this to happen again, it is one of the shoddiest displays of journalism I have had the misfortune to see recently.
The public are the stakeholders in this country and the timing of this article is suspect as well. Suddenly, after certain persons in the public eye are accused of sodomy allegations there is a scathing attack on homosexuality, with no substantial facts and figures too I might add, is a little odd, don’t you think?
The Malaysian public reading this piece may very well agree with some of the views expressed, if they are ignorant and have no intention of being inquisitive and learning more, because if this is going to cause the devastation your writer claims, then more attention to the FACTS are necessary, aren’t they?
But, I assure you, there are many of us who are watching the news intently and it is not in your favour to publish articles like this which further go to ruin yours and the mainstream media’s already fragile credibility.
With this, I take my leave, and ask you humbly to uphold some semblance of journalistic integrity and honour in your content.
Michelle Gunaselan, AMPANG
1 Comment
July 9, 2008 at 10:50 pm
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