BuzzLife

Jeff Ooi Screenshot and Oon Yeoh, and possibly a third blogger (Lim Kit Siang ah??) will be sharing their voices live on Ntv7 tomorrow (1st August 2006) at 8.30 am. Amidst the call to regulate the internet media, bloggers, do call in to lend your ears and share your voices when our "colleagues" go on air. I may have to miss the show, so please keep me updated ya..

Extracted from Bernama:

Internet, Websites Must Be Controlled, Says Zainuddin

KANGAR, July 31 (Bernama) — The Government must control the Internet and websites to curb the spread of rumours and news that can harm racial unity in the country, Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin said.

He said he agreed with Deputy Internal Security Minister Datuk Fu Ah Kiow that stern warning must be issued and action taken against rumour-mongers for causing problems to the extent of disturbing public order.

The control was not to muzzle press freedom but to stop the spread of news based on rumours, articles and features with racial undertones, he said.

"In one aspect, the control on media content will boost credibility of a website as the people will know the news published was accurate and no longer based on rumours," he told reporters at the "Seiring Melangkah Bersama" (Together We Move Forward) in conjunction with the 60th anniversary celebrations of the state-level agencies under the Information Ministry here last night.

Zainuddin said so long the mainstream media was not involved in publishing rumours and articles that are seditious in nature, the people would not be influenced or take it seriously what was posted on the Internet.

He slammed the media for often publishing crime stories as important news with sensational reports merely to sell the newspapers or to boost viewers’ rating for a particular television programme.

"If we do so, we are indirectly portraying a picture that our country is not safe, with a high crime rate and this will bring adverse effects to our economy and tarnish the image of our country," he said.

At one time, news on murders and recovery of bodies were rarely published with gruesome pictures, but nowadays some newspapers were boldly printing such photographs without realising it was against journalism ethics, he added.

– BERNAMA