It's been years since I last bought and read the mainstream papers. I thought I'd give it a go during my week's stay in Penang for Chinese New Year.

Besides the usual sycophantic reporting of ludicrous comments by BN politicians, the mainstream papers have, again, failed in fairly representing the public sentiment.

For instance, the prime minister's eager attempt to engage with the Penang crowd at BN's Chinese New Year open day at Han Chiang College on Feb 11.

‘Najib wins over crowd in Penang,' says the NST headline. ‘A tight slap in Najib's face,' says Malaysiakini . Same event, different takes.

You have to be in Penang to know which take is closer to actuality, although journalists' perceptions are not immune to ideological sway, thus the selective coverage.