Double Standards & Non-performing Precedent

It is not going to be easy writing about this topic of press freedom. Even writing it now could lend me in trouble of being "indefinately suspended" from blogging about my dogs acting like they are Oh-sama or some mad man saying he is some prophet or just simply rambling. The very famous and precedent setter case of Sarawak Tribune (1945 - 2006) deceased certainly started the ball rolling. I have not done any proper research into this issue but by gathering information from other blogs, newspapers and tv, I dare to comment a little.

Just recently, Guangming Daily has been suspended for two weeks for publishing a picture-in-picture of the controversial caricature. Only two weeks? Alright, it seems less harsh from the "punishment" on Sarawak Tribune but that's because of how the caricature was published. On the other hand, TV3 did not get the deserved "punishment" although they did the same thing as did Guangming Daily. Is the government practising double standards here when they are "effortlessly trying to promote equality and transparency". There is no justice in this judgement. Or! there could be a possibility that TV3 is run by different people group. A stench of racism!

If precedents has been set by Sarawak Tribune and Guangming Daily (both based on the degree of severity), then TV3 should be more urgently suspended from airing. No Malaysian will die of TV3-deficiency-disease. Now with such precedence, the local printed and electronic media will be less juicy. Perhaps focusing more on the rakyats complains and so on and so forth. No matter what, the Internet is still regarded and I would say proven to be the more reliable source of information pertaining to current events world wide as one would know the story of both sides. It is good somehow to have a restraining power to stop printed and electronic medias from reporting irresponsibly.

I'm against any thing that offends people to be posted. Therefore, I am not in favour of this particular middle easten newspaper which is going to print a caricature related to the holocaust. This will only provoke anger and disappointment that would lead to a war. It begins always with war of words. I think it is best to just forget about this issue and move on. I recognise the job of the newspapers to report events and it is the readers' curiousity that most often fuel the publication of certain offensive reports. With this, do not only blame Sarawak Tribune or any other parties. After all the caricature was published last year around October and because of a certain party that had used it to stir up a protest by Muslims worldwide against the West it has been blown out of proportion. I cannot wait to see them grow up!