- Published on Wednesday, 12 March 2014 11:51
- Written by Zuhaila Sedek-De Booij
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Australia's A Current Affair news agency trampled on what's considered as good ethics yesterday when it featured two teenage Australian girls who claimed they had full access to the MAS aircraft cockpit when they were invited by two Malaysia Airlines (MAS) pilots who were on duty. They claimed that they even stayed in the cockpit for a considerable amount of time and witnessed the pilots smoking.Amid investigation on the missing MH370, the video created a huge spectacle as one of the pilots in the footage happened to be the First Officer of MH370 Fariq Abdul Hamid.An avid social media user, Engku Emran, posted the screenshot of the video on his Instagram account @iamkumbre where it received a lot of feedback and had gone viral.Columnist and former journalist Datuk Johan Jaafar when contacted said that the principle of journalism should be the same anywhere in the world.“It doesn’t matter where the news came from but this principle is the same for all journalists everywhere. It is an unwritten rule that should serve as a guideline for all newsman,” said Johan.The video to him was uncalled for as it is one sided and based on hearsay.“It is purely gutter journalism and I personally believe it was not purposely meant to discredit MAS per se, but more to create a sensational story for their own benefit,” Johan said.At this moment, he suggested for MAS to clear the air and carry out a thorough investigation about the allegation.“MAS has to get the other pilot in the video to explain what actually went down that day,” he said.Former Managing Editor of the New Straits Times Datuk Nuraina Samad was saddened by the video that had gone viral.“It made me cringe to see the way the girls told their story. It is bad journalism, but then again Australian media is known for such media behaviour,” she said adding that the news was presented so distastefully.What’s worrying to Nuraina is the report can influence those who lack better judgement.“Those who are well-aware may make a rational decision but this is not the case for people who are easily influenced. Unfortunately, there are many of them in the cyber world,” she explained sounding displeased with the report.Former Bernama (Malaysia’s National Newswire Agency) General Manager Datuk Azman Ujang said for any reports to be fair, it has to address the views from all sides.“The freedom of the press shouldn’t be abused. The media has to be responsible,” he said.The video by A Current Affair reflects unethical journalism and this is apparent especially when Fariq wasn’t around to defend himself.“They are taking advantage of the current situation and trying to pick on MAS. With the rapid growth of online media, this report is being widely distributed and this can be detrimental for the airlines’ image,” Azman believed.Bernama present General Manager Datuk Yong Soo Heong also commented on the nature of the video. To him, the teens in the footage appeared to exaggerate and it was illogical for them to spend time in the cockpit throughout the whole duration they were in the plane.“After 9/11, airline security is becoming stricter… and it is very unlikely for pilots to invite passengers into the cockpit.“The question is, why did they show the video now? Why not when the incident took place?,” asked Yong.He personally thinks that the pilots looked seemingly harmless in the video and the report by the Australian agency is an embodiment of a serious case of unethical journalism.“There was a posting on Facebook regarding to the missing MH370 plane and there were some who commented that the plane’s tragedy was caused by the pilot because he was a Kelantanese. This is proof that people can be very judgemental on social media and this latest video can spark such negative sentiment to an extent it can affect our unity,” he said.For that reason Yong strongly urged the public to gain better understanding of ethics in disseminating information especially in the case of MH370.The Star's Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai who was previously the local daily's editor-in-chief found that it is very distasteful of the Aussie agency to showcase such a report."This is because the pilot was not in a position to defend himself and how can we be sure that her accusations (of being allowed in the cockpit during take off and landing) is true?," Wong said.One allegation that the pilots were smoking the plane, Wong questioned the legitimacy of this claim."There is no evidence to prove that the pilots were smoking in the plane as alleged," he was quoted as saying.As for Astro AWANI's managing editor Suhaimi Sulaiman he said it is of utmost importance for journalists to get both sides of the story before publishing a report."At Astro AWANI, we will never feature a story if there's no views from all the parties involved. In journalism, we have to give people the right to reply to an allegation. This is the basic of journalism," he said.Failing to do so can result in an agency ruining its own reputation and this is can reflect badly on the agency's business reputation."It is not all about the ratings. In Astro AWANI's case, if our reputation is tarnished it can affect thousands of people working here," he said in the end adding that there's no place for sensational news in this world.Currently, MAS was reported to be investigating the claim by the Aussie agency.--MD
1836 – 1846 * During this period the first English-language newspaper was launched under British-ruled Tenasserim, southern Burma . The first ethnic Karen-language and Burmese-language newspapers also appear in this period. March 3, 1836 —The first English-language newspaper, The Maulmain Chronicle , appears in the city of Moulmein in British-ruled Tenasserim. The paper, first published by a British official named E.A. Blundell, continued up until the 1950s. September 1842 —Tavoy’s Hsa-tu-gaw (the Morning Star ), a monthly publication in the Karen-language of Sgaw , is established by the Baptist mission. It is the first ethnic language newspaper. Circulation reached about three hundred until its publication ceased in 1849. January 1843 —The Baptist mission publishes a monthly newspaper, the Christian Dhamma Thadinsa (the Religious Herald ), in Moulmein. Supposedly the first Burmese-language newspaper, it continued up until the first year of the second Angl
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