Screenshots

Deputy News Editor M. Veera Pandiyan wrote an interesting piece in The Star yesterday, commenting on a known minion who "urged the local media not to quote from blogs as such information was not 'authoritative'.”

In case some of our politicians haven't noticed, newspapers now come in tandem with interactive online versions, offering more space for readers to post comments or send text messages.

Could they also be unaware that an increasing number of newspaper readers also visit blogs and websites to get a wider view of what is going on around them?

For the record, there are an estimated 100 million bloggers in the world today and their numbers are growing, especially in Malaysia, where more than 11 million – a third of the population – access the Internet.

Since statements by Cabinet members can have far-reaching consequences on the country's image, maybe it is time that the less web-savvy among them catch up on current ICT realities. Surely, they don't want to be ketinggalan zaman (outdated)?

In his piece, Veera just managed to squeeze in a little on the MOI:

With due respect, sir, as a veteran of the vocation, surely you would agree that the same sins have been and still are being committed by opportunistic hacks skulking in newsrooms and television stations. Black sheep can be found everywhere, even in lofty places where they masquerade as mountain goats.

You know who the black sheep masquerading as mountain goats are, don't you? They are still around!