By Chung Yee Man
Sensationalised news versus Pure news.
Which is your choice?
In this era of technological innovation and constant need for speed, various
media channels and websites have not much choice but to provide exaggerated information
to satiate human interest. Indeed, news sites have grown to be an important
player in the industry of conveying accurate information. Nowadays, most people
update themselves conveniently with the latest news by surfing onto news websites
instead of buying physical newspapers. More importantly, lots of online
newspapers could be accessed without any payment! Netizens may get their news feed
updated throughout the day, as long as they are connected to the internet.
Albeit this convenience, a
handful of unsubstantiated opinions and rumours (which often harm the public)
are being disseminated DAILY. Essentially, a good piece of news should have
been ‘judged’ by the editor as newsworthy, credible and interesting before it
is published, be it on papers or websites. Nevertheless, it is only human
nature to show curiosity in the surprising, astounding, unexpected details of
happenings. Some news companies are very intelligent as they exploit that human
instinct to justify their reasons in ‘sensationalising’ news issues. Countless
readers have fallen into the trap of false information and displayed their
anger unnecessarily online, causing them to stand a chance of being punished
under the Sedition Act. On the other hand, the news blogs that published their
readers’ comments without filtering were also affected and penalized.
Out of the 25 news sites in our
country, Malaysia Today, The Ants Daily, and New Straits Times are found to be
more reliable than the rest. Malaysia Today is popular for being the news blog
which critically reports on both the governing BN and opposition parties in
Malaysia. The Ant Daily is also a recommended news website as it offers
comprehensive news in three languages: Bahasa Malaysia, English and Mandarin,
which are updated hourly from 8 o’clock in the morning until 9 o’clock at
night. Simple-minded readers may also prefer the NST Online as this news site
is more organised and easy to understand. NST Online readers are not allowed to
give their opinions on the news, thus various ‘heated discussions’ which
distract readers could be avoided.
All in all, I believe that
~A pen is
mightier than the sword~
Hence, as a reader, I seek credible news sources. And that’s the
ultimate criterion I insist. So should you. But, do you?
I would not deny that I (sometimes) enjoy reading sensationalised news more than purely factual news. Having learnt communication theories myself, I should know better that readers are often intrigued to read information from an interesting perspective instead of simple facts. I want to know facts but I want to read them from a thought-provoking news angle. Humans are complex, aren't we?
ReplyDeleteHi Yee Man. As a reader, I'm always seek for the interesting and captivating news. Basically, i would wary my news sources which are print and electronic media. But, sometimes i like to read the news written by the citizen journalist as it give me the different perspectives and view on social networking sites(SNS).
ReplyDeletePersonally, as interesting as one finds the sensationalized news to be, I’m not a fan of sensational news unless I’m reading the entertainment section. Nevertheless, I have always been the hard factual news person. One does not need to sugarcoat or stretch the truth. Even if it is straightforward, monotonous news, I will always choose the former over sensational news anytime.
ReplyDeleteHi Yee Man,
ReplyDeleteI cannot deny that I more interested to sensational news compare to purely factual news. Maybe its look more interesting and as a reader I will always look for captivating news. But, in other situations I also seek for factual news.
Hi Yee Man, i also cannot deny about my preference of news are most towards sensational news others than factual news. Sometimes i know the issues that i read is not the factual one. But still, i prefer to the sensational because sometimes its make my heart pound. I feel like.. "woah! Is it true!" Even though i know its not true.. hahaha
ReplyDeleteAs for me, I do prefer sensational news first in order for me to dig in more facts into it. This is because if we just read the factual news, it might be a little bit boring.For example, when I read the Kpop news or Malaysian political news, the sensational and controversial headline always attract my attention. Then, after I read the news, I will make my own assumption and start to find the truth facts through the other newspapers or blogs. I think it is a newspaper strategy to sell their newspaper by using the controversial news of human interest then reveal the facts one by one. Maybe because they want to see our reactions and opinion towards the news. Arnold H Glasow once said, " the fewer the facts, the stronger the opinion."
ReplyDelete