Some media outlets approached the Social Welfare Department and the department’s Selangor branch and confirmed that the man has had a “learning disability since childhood”.
This information has little bearing on the case and the alleged action, but media attention has put a spotlight on and made the man’s disabled status the focus of public attention.
The media has chosen to invoke the disabled label to sensationalise the alleged crime. As Norman Goh, producer of the “Bicara Minggu Ini” podcast has aptly observed:
“A careless headline can destroy years of advocacy, shatter trust, and fuel discrimination.”
This example of irresponsible media reporting and...