The basic rules of journalism should apply, says the writer: Be able to back what you’ve reported, especially when it involves sensitive matters. — This visual is human-created, AI-aided.
WHEN the Bloomberg editors approved the story about on-going talks to open a casino in Forest City in Johor, they must have been absolutely convinced by their information’s accuracy.
The three reporters, too, must have completely believed in their sources’ whispers to them.
They claimed their information came from “people familiar with the matter”. It must then have solid and credible evidence.
In fact, they even said that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had met with Berjaya Corp founder Tan Sri Vincent Tan and Genting Group’s Tan Sri Lim Kok Thay recently to discuss reviving the troubled RM478bil property project.
The New York-based financial news agency has since reported a denial from Genting, quoting the New Straits Times, alleging its involvement in starting a casino.
The supposedly credible news agency has, however, not retracted its story, which conspicuously indicates its stand.
Unfortunately, the report has detrimentally affected those named in the article. The impact is bad because Malaysiakini and The Edge apart, it was also picked up by a few news outlets in Singapore.
A police investigation is imminent, and the three reporters will likely be called up for questioning, too. Berjaya Corp legal representatives filed police reports on April 26, and it wants the cops to determine the source of the reporters’ information. The editor of a financial portal is expected to be called to Bukit Aman tomorrow, with more journalists asked to do the same in coming days.
Bersatu information committee member Badrul Hisham Shahrin has already been charged for publishing seditious material on the purported casino project.
There are grave consequences from the story. It’s not just a simple speculative news piece which can be dismissed and denied later.
Its faraway ignorant American editors may be forgiven for not realising the implications of the article, but surely their Malaysian bosses should know better.
It may seem like a story that’s too juicy to spike, as veteran journalists would recall the term, but this would simply be put on hold or just deleted.
Still, the basic rules of journalism apply. Be able to back what you’ve reported, especially when it involves sensitive matters.
Bloomberg hasn’t officially denied its story, which means it’s sticking by its report. For impressive stats, their reporters are 100% accurate.
Naturally, they won’t reveal their sources, like any self respecting journalist. The agency ran the story trusting the accuracy of the information and credibility of its sources.
It’s optimistic to expect the sources to vouch for them at the expense of needing to defend themselves instead. Perhaps the media house believes the government is powerless since retribution infringes on press freedom.
However, the aggrieved parties in this article include Sultan Ibrahim, the Sultan of Johor, and the King of Malaysia.
He’s also a stakeholder of the massive Forest City project, and His Majesty has been unfairly dragged into the controversy of the news report because of the article.
Surely Bloomberg is aware that the King is the head of Islam, so there won’t be any approval for a new casino in his state.
The timing of the report certainly raises an eyebrow, and could it also be injurious to the King, PM and even China?
In a nutshell, the purported casino can’t be approved in Johor without his consent.
There are many businessmen and leaders, who may have access to the King, but that doesn’t entitle them to speak with authority or expect credibility.
It may be wishful thinking on their part because over the past few years, many have explored all kinds of ideas, including possibly starting a casino to revive Forest City, but they remain propositions at best.
For the media, which gets fed with all kinds of information daily, good and seasoned journalists would still know how to exercise discretion, maturity, wisdom and remain aware of the impact of what they write.
They would crosscheck with other sources to verify the accuracy of their information.
In this scenario, Bloomberg said “people familiar with the matter.” So, we presume that’s plural?
But in this contentious report, Muslims, who comprise most of this country, will surely be anxious and unhappy with what’s been reported.
It also involves two Chinese tycoons, whose motives will be questioned and likely interpreted as insensitive by Muslims, while for China, it will, again, be seen as the villain and greedy country, like how the Western media merrily spins the narrative.
Fake news? No. It’s a story that has a lot of red flags and a new casino in present day Malaysia is a non-starter.
