'Malaysians will need to wise up given that the Internet is increasingly flooded with not just news, but spins dressed up as news.'

For Malaysiakini, content is king

AkuMelayu: Malaysiakini editor-in-chief Steven Gan asked and answered, "So is Malaysiakini selling out to Umno? Over our dead bodies", which I found to be very arrogant.

And the question arise, does that make this news portal truly independent? My answer is a definite ‘No'. Malaysiakini may not bow to BN, or Umno in particular, but as it is, the news churned out by Malaysiakini is under the influence of the opposition.

No matter how hard they tried to deny this, it is very obvious. That makes Malaysiakini no different from the other MSM (mainstream media) - only their masters who called the shots are in different camps.

So, there is nothing for Malaysiakini , or Steven for that matter, to crow about, or the need to ‘lay dead' for anyone to walk over them.

Not Convinced: In a world where information is getting ubiquitous, it is important that Malaysians learn to differentiate between facts and spins. This Malaysiakini-Malay Mail case is illustrative. Malaysian Insider first reported that " Malay Mail is in talks to take news from the Malaysiakini in exchange for shares in the tabloid."

That turned out to be wrong. As Steven Gan has clarified , Malay Mail wants to buy content from Malaysiakini (and nothing about any transaction in shares).

Malaysian Chronicle took this a few steps further by connecting two disparate dots and suggested to its readers that the deal would end up with Umno controlling Malaysiakini .

After Steven's clarification, Insider ran this report - 'Malaysiakini confirms talks with Malay Mail' . But wait a minute, didn't Insider get it wrong about the share swap? Meanwhile, Chronicle spun it as 'Malaysiakini owns up' . But again, shouldn't Chronicle be owning up for its mistake?

Malaysians will need to wise up given that the Internet is increasingly flooded with not just news, but spins dressed up as news, and sadly, outright lies. God has given us a brain. Use it when reading news, even from Malaysiakini .

And AkuMelayu has illustrated how facts can be twisted. No, Steven did not only single out Umno when he said Malaysiakini would not bow to political interests.

This is what he said: "And we say that not only to Umno, but also to MCA, MIC, PAS, PKR and DAP. Political parties have no business in owning media, and journalists have no business making such deals with politicians."

Wanderer: Not everything can be bought! Not everyone is without integrity and principle.

Thanks Malaysiakini , you have helped to turn the table against Umno-BN in their brand of dirty politics - the Umno dogs are gasping for air to survive. Long live freedom of the press!

'Don't sell your soul to the devil'

Anonymous_4031: Malaysiakini is for all Malaysians. Its credibility lies in its independence. Readers trust Malaysiakini . That is why millions turn to it for the latest information.

In the last general election, it provided first-hand information and within seconds! Radio and TV, for reasons best known to them, did not announce the results as quickly, especially those favourable to Pakatan Rakyat.

Anonymous_VV: Never mind, sell Malaysiakini and make money and then start another one like Malaysiakini under a different name. And sell again - this is teach them that in the end they can't keep on buying an independent paper.

Moreover, you have the money to bring out a better website than Malaysiakini , which if sold will eventually lead to its natural death.

Wu Ling: I don't think anyone with any common sense will believe that Malaysiakini will be sold out to Umno. The two portals making this suggestion really don't have other more important issues to cover.

Arbeena: Imagine Malaysiakini being taken over by Umno. Padan muka hampa .

M'kini selling out to Umno? Over our dead bodies

Cheong Sai Fah: Steven, thanks for your clear explanation. It was original and independent content that you and your team provide that attracted me to Malaysiakini . (The views of your independent columnists helped too.) It still is. And that's the reason why I am still a subscriber.

I think selling content to Malay Mail is a good move and an additional source of revenue. Through this, the Malaysiakini brand of news will get wider dissemination. In turn, you will probably get new subscribers who want the real thing.

Occasionally, I do copy and paste Malaysiakini news and commentaries onto emails to my friends so that they get a wider audience.

Jiminy Qrikert: Yes, by all means, do sell content to Malay Mail . It will do the rakyat good to read Malaysiakini content in Malay Mail .

But content can also be skewed to serve business interests. It is all too easy for the ruling regime to influence Malaysiakin i through buying content.

Once the sale of content to Malay Mail becomes so huge, principles can go out the window. And the content becomes increasingly skewed to appease the buyers.

In the end, the rakyat ends up reading the same crap that MSM (mainstream media) dishes out except that now, through Malaysiakini , the content is 'legitimised' and sanitised the Umno-BN way.

I will continue my subscription with Malaysiakini even when content is sold to Malay Mail but I will cut my subscription the moment Malaysiakini is used to legitimise the ruling regime without a fair, balanced and uncensored response from the opposition.

Anonymous_3f1f: Dear Steven Gan, I dare to vouch that Malaysiakini has opened the eyes of the most Malaysians including the GOM (government of Malaysia).

It gives us the space to air our views and displeasure. I have been subscribing Malaysiakini from the day it was launched and I will continue to support Malaysiakini so long that Malaysiakini is not aligned to any political party and report the truth, nothing but the truth.

Chew Phye Keat: Thanks Steven, I am with you all the way and will always give my support to Malaysiakini .

You and your team are a credit to journalism - the way it was meant to be, serving civil society to make Malaysia the homeland we want it to become. God bless you and your team in your endeavour.

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For Malaysiakini, content is king

'Don't sell your soul to the devil'

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