Yesterday, our editor asked us how important is objectivity to us. It got me thinking seriously…..
I admitted that from 1-10, 10 being most important, I rated only 5. I explained that it is hard to be very objective (i.e. report without bias, leave to readers to make their own conclusiion) when we have the video camera in our hands.
For e.g. during the Bon Odori festival, I went ronda-ronda without turning on my video camera when the Exco I don’t like was giving his speech. He was going on and on about how Penang is mentioned in New York Times (the second time I hear the same speech) and I wanted to shout from below the stage, “HOI! That’s my blog New York Times is talking about lah! Don’t lah belagak how great Penang is. Give me a bit of credit lah. Nay…see? Here? Me? I am the owner of the blog NYT mentioned mah. And you kept staring through me like I am made of glass every time I bumped into you. Next time, say thank you, ok?”
Anyway, people, it is very hard to be objective. Sometimes, I purposely shift my camera so that it doesn’t capture faces that I don’t like to see. Sometimes, I ask questions to get the answers I want to hear.
So, you tell me, so far, if you have watched my videos on issues like the Kampung Buah Pala, the Catholic church eviction, Al Islam interview with the Catholics, and etc, do you think I have been fair in reporting? Or is my reporting skewed to my #1 fansee obssession or my religion? Heh. I am beginning to wonder if people may accuse me of being Lim Guan Eng’s mouthpiece. No matter how much I admire his caustic style blended with a big heart, I like to remind myself not to get suck into bodek-king.
The above video has been greatly edited. I would have wanted to put more but I have to be objective. Objectivity is important.
…why must be objective? so dull…be obnoxious ler…
this shouldn’t be asked in the first place.
i don care if u r objective/subjective. u r a 1man-show. if i dun like u… i just dun read yr blog. kau-tim.
tell me which newspaper editor in m’sia is not subjective??
if ppl c u as LGE mouth, so be it..who cares ?
this is not like u to ask such question.
JT´s last blog post..Billingsgate Market ..a trip down memory lane
JT – Cannot…..It is indeed very easy to twist stories with video. All I need is to pretend to shoot someone who drives a big car, acting like a villager and it says a thousand words. Really, I almost did that. But I asked myself, is that relevant to the message I was to report? And I stopped. And I am not a fan of DAP members, only LGE LOL. So, I don’t fancy people thinking I am pro-DAP. And now, it is not about my blog and my blog readers mah, it is the pit against what I show on my video and what is being reported by the BN controlled media. Not that I am pitting against them but when we are in the same location, telling the same stories, I do feel tensions when I see a story angle and what they will report the next day.
Aiyor, you don’t know my initial fears and tensions. Like when I have made a video, and then, when I read the news reported by the media which have trained journalists and bureau chief, I do freaked out if we are seeing the same thing. When it is not, I do wonder if I have wrongly reported.
But lucky lah, I got my #1 idol to encourage me so I don’t feel so chicken anymore. Cos hor, other reporters have editors to tell them what to do, what to look out for and what questions to ask. Me? I am surviving on my own.
Jed – If I use the MSM as a measure, I can afford to be plain biased. But I want to be fair and without prejudice also. And hor, obnoxious has no place in journalism lor. It involves my ego, my pride, my opinions so it is not reliable lor.
Whatever you need to do, let your conscience be your guide lor. See you there at Wisma Penyayang tonite! err…You need tripod-assistant there or not? hahaha!
9pek9bo´s last blog post..The Love Letter
9pek9bo – I auto tripod and leave my video cam running bcos I want to take photos of faces of Penangites. I got my story in my head liao. I hate listening to politicians talk. I want to hear the people there talk. If you want, take close up shots of expressions for me hor? Angry faces, sad faces, don’t know-don’t care faces, cynical faces…
Aiyor, chialat, I belum sampai, I already got story.
I think a journalist should do their best in keeping the stories they report as objective as possible. Having said that, every one is biased to something. It is up to the reader to decide, readers can read multiple sources to form their own opinion.
this is an example of an objective but STEWPID piece of reporting:
“No CCTV recording of political secretary leaving complex, say police (headline fr The Bintang)
SHAH ALAM: Police have revealed that there was no closed-circuit television footage showing DAP political secretary Teoh Beng Hock leaving Plaza Masalam here where the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Agency office is located.
Selangor police chief Deputy Comm Datuk Khalid Abu Bakar said there were, however, recordings of him entering the building last Wednesday afternoon.”
niamah, what kind of useless info is that??? of course we know he went inside the building, and of course we know he never left the building when the whole world is aware that he flew down from the 14th floor!!
while the info may seem objective, is there any underlying implication in it? to me, there is. the useless info is somewhat meant to cool down the fire that is currently raging in MACC. u know la, talk kok talk shit a little bit and hope ppl don’t think too much abt the issue at hand. so what is objectivity anyway? technically, objectivity = “truth”. but what is “truth” anyway? IMO, the truth is different for different ppl with different agendas. i like what 9pek9bo sed…just let ur conscience be ur guide lor hor? all d best!