KUCHING: The practice of ‘pen for hire’ whereby journalists are sponsored by certain quarters to write articles that are devoid of facts and basic journalism ethics was panned by Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier’s Department (Corporate Affairs and UKAS), Datuk Abdullah Saidol.
Alluding to the recent article published on a national portal criticising Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg, Abdullah described it as neither justified nor factual.
“The mercenary writer’s article represents a form of journalism that fails to engage with the facts and resorts to personal attacks. It is essential to address and debunk these unfounded criticisms.
“We must reject garbage journalism and embrace a commitment to truth and fairness,” he said in his closing remark at the Sarawak Media Conference (SMeC) 2024 on Monday (May 27), quoting phrases from a separate article by New Sarawak Tribune columnist M. Rajah.
Abdulah said he agreed that baseless criticisms levelled against the Premier portrays the dangers of unethical journalism.
“It is important for journalists, columnists and writers to base their articles on facts and balanced perspectives.
“Misguided and sensationalist journalism does a disservice to the public and undermines the integrity of the profession,” he said.
In an article written by an author published on content aggregator platform Newswav recently, the writer dismissed Abang Johari’s success being down to good luck, predicting that it would soon end.
The article also questioned the intelligence of the Premier and claimed discontent from other communities over the former’s leadership.
This prompted backlash on social media from Sarawakian netizens as well as from the local media fraternity over shoddy journalism and baseless claims made by the writer.
