That was not all. As Dr Mahathir spoke, a foreign TV reporter appeared before his camera, using the on-going summit as a backdrop, to say that the G-15 had little substance to work on.
It was the first day of the summit but that did not stop the western reporter, based in Singapore, from passing off a prejudicial comment as fact.
Completely ignored was the huge amount of intra G-15 trade that had been generated as a result of the grouping.
The western press, which loves to lecture the rest of the world on objectivity, impartiality, fairness and freedom of speech, seems to have forgotten such ethics, preparing to sacrifice all these values to suit its prejudices.
Accuracy is no longer of paramount importance, in the case of many western reporters based in the region, with opinions and comments passed off as news and analysis.
The hardest cut for these news agencies over the past week has been the chorus of support from many countries for Dr Mahathir's call to regulate currency trading.
Dr Mahathir has again become the subject of their tirade simply because he has been proven right.
The Fortune financial magazine, in its Nov 24 issue, spared no punches against Dr Mahathir, criticising Malaysia for not adopting sufficient reforms in its economy.
But the saddest blow comes from Bangkok's Nation, which has a sizeable number of expatriate journalists, including many former backpackers, who found themselves stranded in Thailand and in need of a job after running out of money.
Their only talent is their ability to string a sentence correctly in a country where it is difficult to find reporters who can write proper English.
Last month, the newspaper said in an editorial that it was time for Dr Mahathir to go because he had outlived his usefulness.
The same newspaper wrote another editorial on Nov 8 running down the Malaysian media, saying it was “long known for their selective publication of news distort views'' as it continued paddling the same tired arguments against the Malaysian economy.
It is incredulous that this paper, which is said to have ordered a pay cut for its staff because of deep financial problem, has seen it fit to lecture the Malaysian media and how Malaysia should run its economy.
The newspaper has also ignored the fact that it was Thailand's economic crisis that sparked off the region's economic woes.
It might be a good idea that this newspaper should make sure that its reports are written and edited by locals. It is sad that the Nation, which has earned a reputation for good journalism, is prepared to forego its respectability to try to be a pseudo-western news outfit.
For the employers of many western agencies, their correspondents are incapable of writing misleading news reports because “native reporters'' are supposed to be sycophantic, apologetic and fearful.
In the tradition of Tarzan and George of the Jungle, white is right and might. They are supposed to know better than the locals. After all, they can even decide when the Malaysian Prime Minister should resign.
In all fairness, there are many credible western journalists, who sometimes have better access to contacts than their local counterparts, but unfortunately they are dictated by their employers who have their own agenda and motives.
The current diplomatic tiff with the 34 US Congressmen has given these western agency reporters plenty to write about.
Last week, Reuters sent out an incredulous report about an unknown group called the Malaysian Moslem (the agency's spelling for Muslim) Martyrs' Movement and had claimed responsibility for a threat to kill four Americans in Malaysia.
Quoting an unnamed diplomat, the report added: “This may not be a serious threat but we have to take it seriously.''
If it's not a serious threat, why take it seriously?
Earlier, there was another report on the alleged death threats to Americans living in Malaysia. The damaging part was that Malaysia was lumped together with Karachi in the news report.
The purported gag on the media by Malaysian authorities has not stopped the flow of foreign correspondents, many with little reporting experience, to Kuala Lumpur.
The blue skies which Malaysians have enjoyed for the past weeks doesn't seem to be newsworthy.
Foreign journalists, instead, continuously make long-distance calls to Malaysian editors seeking their views on the “worsening haze problem.''
When told that the haze is gone and is probably in Australia now, one could detect disbelief on the part of these foreigners.
Dr Mahathir is said to be anti Semitic but the western media does not seem to be interested to report the fact that it was Dr Mahathir who risked his political career by bringing in the Israeli cricket team.
Admittedly, Malaysian leaders and opinion makers realise that they need the foreign press to put their views across to the international audience, but they need to be cautious.
Malaysian leaders have become front-cover material, at least for the Asian editions, because these international magazines realise the importance of the Asian market.
But it's time to be tough. The Malaysian Government should take the western media to court for distortion of facts, let them pay a heavy price for their misinformation, insist on clarifications and corrections and even restrict the sales of their publications here they should learn to respect the hand that feeds them.
