When Musa Scully started journalism in 1962, never did he imagine the media landscape would change so vastly to what it is today.
The advancement of technology has resulted in faster Internet speeds and quality handheld devices where news can now be disseminated by anyone just by the touch of a few buttons.
This has resulted in the downfall of print worldwide. Several major media titles in Malaysia have also suffered the wrath of a host of “attacks” that have resulted in dwindling sales – from being a political mouthpiece, unattractive advertisement rates and a poor monetisation plan.
Some of these establishments were forced to “kill” print while others, with the latest being The Star Media Group, had to retrench their staff.
Also narratives today seem to be dictated by the number of “likes”, “shares” and “retweets” – oftentimes sacrificing quality journalism.
“If you look at the trend worldwide, more and more of the big names like The New York Times have a subscription model even for their online version. Some have resorted to a paywall and print a limited number of papers. You pay for quality journalism and good opinion pieces,” said Scully, 78.
“There are also brands that have gone fully online and are free. They tend to bank on sensational news or images.
“In Malaysia, there is a sudden revival of news websites. Who is behind these websites? For now, I would like to call them well-wishers,” said Scully, who started his career in Straits Times when it had an office in Pudu, Kuala Lumpur before serving The Malay Mail, Singapore’s Eastern Sun and national news agency Bernama for three decades.
Scully admits the way business is done is no longer the same.
“It’s not just in journalism … even in public relations and event management. In the past, these companies could rely on retainers. Today, it’s all project basis. So the way of doing business has changed.”
Scully is now a sub-editor with the newly established The Vibes. The news website is the start of Petra News’ ambitious plans of being the new media house in Malaysia.
Datuk Ahirudin Attan, Petra News executive advisor and executive director, revealed the group will launch a Malay news website next month and a financial news website in the first quarter of next year.
“We will also launch an online television and a weekly Malay paper in 2021,” said Ahirudin, who is also the National Press Club of Malaysia (NPC) president.
In such uncertain times, can Petra News sustain with such bullish plans?
“We’ve seen the advertisement industry take a dive. We’ve seen companies having to cut salaries. But we can see that not all industries are suffering.
“If I can use a simple example, the bicycle industry. You will not get to buy your dream bicycle for the next six months. That’s how big the demand is. It’s the same with Proton. You can’t get your X50 till next year,” added the cycling enthusiast.
“So things are picking up, borders (worldwide) are opening. We have to be optimistic and it’s just a matter of timing. We should be there during the upswing.
“We are not in the print industry where the investment is like what the New Straits Times or The Star have to go through. It’s about being reasonable in our investments and not rushing into making profit but to be a long-haul player.
“We are pretty confident we will get the returns. In the journalism business, our ROI (return of investment) is not just money. It’s about solving issues, solving problems and exposing wrongdoings.”
As inspirational as that may sound, is it realistic?
Ahirudin believes so.
“I bought into this plan in the middle of this year and in September we launched The Vibes with many more offerings lined up in 2021. All this is happening at the same time when people are retrenching and downsizing.
“Organisations are reducing their numbers but we now have 50 press people. That is big by any standard in this country.
“News organisations strive to be as professional as they can and fair to all.
“However, most news websites in the country are funded by politicians or linked to political parties. In political terms, we will be fair to all … notwithstanding the personal views or links I or the other journalists in Petra News may have.
“We will champion the people, the people’s rights and aspirations.”
Ahirudin also added that the mushrooming of news websites showed there is a future in journalism.
“That’s one thing we want to do … to inspire the youths to view journalism as a viable, flourishing profession … as something they can pursue.
“We really hope universities do not give up on their mass communication and media studies schools. The room for a professional journalist has now become larger, thanks to the Internet.”
Establishments must also be mindful of how youths consume news. The media industry in Malaysia is also battling with websites that aggregate news and pass themselves off as news portals – minus the accreditation from the government or adherence to ethics.
In reality, advertisers spend money on these platforms instead of media outlets due to the “numbers game”.
While some believe it’s time for the younger generation to take charge of newsrooms, Zaidi Azmi who started his journalism career in October 2014, believes newsrooms should have the combined force of the young reporters and seasoned journalists.
“Without doubt the younger generation has fresh ideas but the common problem is executing their ideas,” said Zaidi, who together with Ahirul Ahirudin won the Best Online Portal News Report Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) Award 2018 for their coverage of the Lynas rare earth production issue.
“I’m not generalising but there are those in the newsroom who have all these big fancy ideas but when it’s executed, it’s ordinary, dry and lacks oomph. This is why we need guidance from those who have served newsrooms longer and are able to see things differently.”
Zaidi, 29, who was with The Mole before joining The Vibes as a specialist writer this year, admitted it was tiring for those in his age group worrying about the uncertainty in the media industry.
“Just look at the big names, even they are getting rid of their staff, including those who have served for years. If an organisation can offer a journalist a job and remains true to the principles of journalism, it’s best he or she takes it.”
The NPC secretary hopes for better times ahead for the industry.
“It’s been tough seeing friends lose their jobs but with new news websites coming up, I hope things will get better soon.”
