The Digital Grapevine 6:12 AM

Blogging is hard work ain't it?

Maybe not if you think a blog is your online vent-space, something most people end up doing. What could be better than kicking off your shoes off at the end of the day, settling into that lazy chair, laptop on lap and music in ear, to type your frustrations away? It can be relaxing to write about the boss' bitchy secretary or the nosy clerk sitting next to you. In fact, it is easy.

But that's not how it should be.

I think our words betray not only our intentions, they also convey a kind of power. Case in point: two colleagues of mine had a fight where hurtful words were hurled and friendships frayed. Colleague A takes the liberty of reporting the incident, not so discreetly, in his blog. Colleague B incidentally has her blog linked to his, and ends up reading said post. Needless to say, it didn't end neatly for either party. I don't know how, but the blog incident actually leaked all the way to upper management, deepening the conflict and feeding the drama. Such is the capacity of blogs that demands blogger ethics.

Some people keep blogs as digital diaries. That's fine - I'm all for saving the trees. However, there is a limit to what we should or should not write, can or cannot do, especially since blogs are open to the entire world. Where are our boundaries? Its up to you. Do with it what you will, as you please, but be mindful that it is not a space to sully anyone's name or reputation. Gossip should not be recorded or immortalized for the world to see, it is best kept for water cooler conversation (and despite how juicy it gets, it never did anyone any good anyway).

That said, I am not suggesting that blogging shouldn't be fun. By all means, criticize the government, your parents, your bosses, the movies, the music, Hollywood, Paris Hilton etc etc. Never self-censor, the world needs more honesty and transparency! Just remember that people can actually read what we put out there and take it to heart.

The Mumbai Massacre 6:07 AM

I would like to take one moment to remember the victims of the recent Mumbai terrorist attacks. There are no words, no media reports, and no video footage that can adequately convey the sheer horror of the massacre and the feelings of those close to the victims.

For several excruciating days, the whole world followed this incident with jaws agape, hands over mouths. I was in disbelief. It reminded me of the Munich Olympics massacre in 1972 when 11 Israeli athletes and coaches were taken hostage and murdered by Palestinian militant group Black September (for an unstinting look at the violence, check out Steven Spielberg's acclaimed movie 'Munich'). The Mumbai murders unfolded before our eyes like a well-scripted movie, only we weren't watching it in the cinema but in the nightly news.

There is no need to go over the sordid details here - suffice to say, mass murder was conducted in the name, or misuse, of religion. Witnesses described the gunmen spraying bullets with a smile etched on his face. I don't know what training these people underwent to attain such barbarism. I'm just glad the whole ordeal is over, but it revealed significant cracks in the government.

Why, people are asking, did the Indian armed forces react so slowly? They apparently took 3 hours to arrive on the scene where they could have taken 2, and after the slew of terrorist attacks plaguing India in the last 5 years, why is the government still responding at a snail's pace? The rule is that crises of this scale must be dealt with in 30 minutes or it will spiral out of control.

Home Minister Shivraj Patil's resignation is too little too late. It is small compensation for the dearly departed and the government's failure to swiftly resolve the crisis. This just goes to show the importance of an efficient government mechanism. If a country is to adequately defend itself and its people from certain death, there is no room for complacency.

As India, and in some way the world, recovers from this tragedy, one can only hope that more is done in the future.

R.I.P.

Negaraku 4:54 AM

This post is dedicated to the media blackouts in Malaysia, which, as I have recently discovered, are more common than people think.

They have never been so apparent as right now, in this time of political upheaval and uncertainty. The recent spate of ISA (Internal Security Act) arrests have put the media on its edge. They are, and perhaps justifiably so, scared out of their pants, afraid to print, write, or broadcast news concerning the opposition (the term used to refer to the non-ruling party, not the bad, opposing party).

That's another thing about Malaysian politics. In North America, they have Democrats and Republicans, but in Malaysia, they have the ruling party and the opposition. One would be deceived into thinking the opposition were 'bad' people based on this discriminatory label. So anyone outside the ruling party in Malaysia - the Barisan Nasional, would be 'opposing'. But I digress.

Because the government issues licenses for media organizations, they are forced to comply to state rules. In other words, if the media don't self-censor, the government does it for them. Either way its rampant media-blankoing.

As a shining example, look no further then the recent Petaling Jaya Candlelight Vigil. Since Raja Petra was released the weekend before, about 100 people had decided to gather at the MBPJ Civic Hall on November 9, 2008, to protest against the blunt use of the ISA on journalists, writers, and opposition Members of Parliament as well as to remember the BERSIH rally from one year ago.

The protest reached a crescendo when the group started singing 'Negaraku' - the national anthem. While the general rule for Malaysians is to stand at attention when the song is played, the police saw a perfect opportunity to surge into the crowd to disperse them. No shots were fired that night, but violence spilled over in ugly cuts, wounds, and other such brutality. PJ Utara MP Tony Pua and Kampung Tunku state assemblyman Lau Weng San were reportedly punched.

The very next day, they filed public complaints during a press conference. I was shocked and dismayed at how NTV 7's nightly news glossed over the subject matter. They never once mentioned the event's name in full nor had they bothered to show any footage other than that of the press conference. Cut to a scene of Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar saying that the protest was unlawful as they didn't have a permit. I can tell you it was handled 'delicately' because I had prior, inside information about the protest. Had I not known, I would've been one of the fools tricked into dismissing the event as 'some rowdy opposition event,' which I assume is what NTV 7 thought.

Let me quote Shufiyan Shukor, Malaysiakini producer:

"When our cameraman Shukri was detained, all he felt was an arm around his waist and a question, "Nak bagi tape dan camera ke nak pergi balai..?" (or something to that effect -- u can read it in malaysiakini.com or watch the interview here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7MVKFjqPSo)

... but before he could say anything, camera taken and he's in the black maria.

When we deal with advance democracies, we can rely a lot on the law, especially since the police in those countries usually are more educated and well briefed on their boundaries in enforcement ... but even this doesn't guarantee safety for the journalist, cameraperson or blogger.

What more in this country when the boys in blue don't get pass SPM?

To survive in this country as journalist, blogger, cameraperson, you have to be a little 'street-wise' ... be on the lookout for the plainclothes guys and gals -- sometimes they wear vests clearly showing they're cops, but sometimes they don't. Normally they give warning -- they scream 'Reporter sana! Reporter sana! Reporter sana!' and point their fingers at you telling you to move away -- turn the camera down and move away ... if you feel brave and willing to push the limit, move away to another scene and begin shooting again. But that night, no warning.

In short, when the cops here want you ... they'll get you. Try quoting the Constitution and the right to peaceful assembly and the UN convention on human rights and media freedom etc... and they don't even bother re-quoting the Police Act on you...they just bundle you in the black maria. You are considered lucky if there is no kick in the groin or a truncheon to the face. Or worst! A smashed up camera!

Last year, they very much left journalists and camerapersons alone. This year we are seeing a lot more harassment."

It seems we have a long way to go.

A Moment Please... 3:20 AM

I've never seen the point of blogging. Really!

It just seemed like another cybernetic trend people jump to much like Friendster/Facebook or the newest phone-laptop-PDA-telegraph. Alas, I am wrong.

Plus, my perfectionist tendencies of writing the perfect blog post (there is NO such thing after all) always gets in the way. I write halfway, then I delete and put it off till the next day (and on and on and on... you know how it goes) - but my ignorant assumptions recently came to a standstill. Blogs, or the internet in general, perform that essential democratic function of connecting people and ideas in a space that is uncensored, unfettered, and unstoppable (well mostly). Goodness knows how many essays we've written on this topic for college.

Like radio, television, or the printing press in their early days, the internet is still a largely uncommercialized mediascape. With the exception of a few countries like China or Malaysia, the internet gives people uncensored access to the world's information. For many people, it is the only sanctuary left for the silenced, shut-out voices of the minority.

So this is what its all about. With this blog, I would like to own your attention for Just One Freaking Second, and direct it towards the people, groups, or organisations that I feel are ignored or undervalued by society. As a student of media studies, I have never been more aware of the insidious censorship or what I like to call 'media-blankoing' that goes on behind the screen, things we take for granted because shutting one eye is easier than opening them to the injustice that surrounds us.

I hope, most of all, for feedback, debate, and vigorous discussion to take place here, for I do not claim to know everything. Perhaps together, we can make the internet, nay, the world, a better place for free expression and democracy.