My SinChew
by Tay Tian Yan/ Translated by Soong Phui Jee
See, it is all right just as expected! Utusan Malaysia is all right.
Did you say that Utusan Malaysia incites racial sentiment and creates confrontation among racial groups?
No, that was “the freedom and rights of the press”. Oh, it should be the freedom and rights of Utusan Malaysia. How could the government intervene? Wouldn’t it be suppressing the freedom of speech?
However, DAP Adviser Lim Kit Siang said that “if any Chinese or Tamil newspaper had published an article of the same nature but replacing the term Malay racism with Chinese or Tamil racism, there can be no doubt that not only the writer would have been instantly arrested by the police and charged for racist incitement and sedition but the newspaper concerned would have been banned immediately!”
After revising one of the dicta in the novel Animal Farm by George Orwell, it should be: “All presses are free, but some presses are freer than others.”
It is an unrestrained and far-ranging freedom that they can do whatever they like without the restrictions of law and morality. Just like the freedom enjoyed by the American “yellow journalism” 100 years ago.
At that time, in order to achieve his political objectives and to stimulate his paper’s circulation, William Randolph Hearst resorted to every conceivable means. His papers were highly sensational, distorted and provocative.
The Spanish–American War in 1898, which could have been avoided, was started as Hearst launched a lot of propaganda for war as he found that the war could actually bring him personal benefits.
He smeared the image of Spain and played up the anti-Spain civil movement. At the same time, he also stirred up American-chauvinism, calling to declare war on Spain.
He once told his editors that: “You furnish the pictures and I'll furnish the war.” The extent of his arrogance had flushed law and morality into the toilet.
Under the pressure of civil fanaticism, the United States declared war on Spain. Hearst was immensely proud of his success without caring about the harmful effects caused by the war.
Hearst did not get along well with the then President William McKinley and had always been looking for an opportunity to attack him. In 1901, Kentucky Governor William J. Goebel was assassinated and Hearts took the opportunity and blamed McKinley for Goebel’s death, insinuating that McKinley was the killer behind the scene.
Such means had created hatred over McKinley among the people. Shortly after that, McKinley was assassinated. And when the murderer was arrested, he brought along a New York Journal with malicious articles against McKinley.
After the incident, the people realised that Hearst had seriously lost control to the extent that he could harm the society and the country. Together, they boycotted his papers, causing the circulation drastically declined and ultimately, the kingdom of Hearst’s press collapsed.
Hearst is a notorious figure in the press’s history. His glorious era was the dark times in the press’s history. Since then, the American press use Hearst as a negative example; they carry out social responsibility and are self-disciplined. They avoid repeating the same mistakes.
However, Hearst’s way of journalism can now be found in Malaysia and it rides with a loose rein. It is a misfortune and we have to avoid imminent disasters. (By TAY TIAN YAN/ Translated by SOONG PHUI JEE/ Sin Chew Daily)
( The opinions expressed by the writer do not necessarily reflect those of MySinchew )
MySinchew 2009.08.06
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