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It's the lawyer who remembers our 1st Anniversary for being sued for defamation by an Umno-linked newspaper and its journalists (and Rocky would add its CEO).

One year on with the suit going nowhere near closure -- and I remain muzzled from discussing the behaviours of certain journalists in Malaysia due to an ex-parte injunction against me -- a 'Boycott Mainstream Media" (MSM) campaign is simmering. It gives thinking Malaysians a context to start thinking aloud about the notion of "Sponsors" (Panaung/Penaja).

Quote Malik Imtiaz:

Media is obliged to report matters truthfully and fairly, no matter the perspective adopted in the reporting. This responsibility arises not only by reason of laws requiring responsible, accurate and truthful reporting so as to prevent injury to reputation and misinformation but also, I suggest, by reason of the special relationship that media enjoys with the reading public.

Put another way, the truth cannot be jettisoned in favour of an agenda. The boycott MSM campaign suggests that the MSM has jettisoned truth in favour of an agenda and the argument advanced in support is persuasive.

Significantly, in their claim against Rocky and Jeff Ooi, the NST and key management figures of the newspaper have claimed that by suggesting that the newspapers was involved in spin-doctoring, the two bloggers had defamed them. Defamation proceedings being what they are, it is highly likely that the issue of whether the NST does in fact spin doctor will become a central issue in the ongoing proceedings.

Whatever the case, in considering the MSM campaign, we will have to decide whether MSM does report fairly and accurately, no matter the slant. [...]

The practical reality is that there being minimal space for alternate viewpoints or perspectives, there is only one agenda being promoted; that of the owners of MSM, in this case the government through its links to MSM.

Has anything changed? I will use this as a case study when I speak to a group of journalists assembled by Deutsche Welle's DW-AKADEMIE, in March, at AIBD next to Angkasapuri.