KUALA LUMPUR: The channeling of “news” via cyber media by the public poses a threat to journalism because those engaging in this care little about credibility, said Universiti Sains Malaysia’s (USM) Communication Studies Faculty senior lecturer Assoc Prof Mohamad Md Yusoff.
He said news contents in cyber media from these people were often manipulated or “spinned”.
“They do not have the knowledge and credibility of journalists but try to play the role,” he said here last night.
He said real journalists were well-trained would not write news stories there were not factual or credible.
“The “news” posted by the so called cyber journalists are nothing more than opinions,” he added. Mohamad said this in commenting on the unhealthy speculation taking place in the cyber world in the wake of the missing of Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370.
Earlier, he had appeared as a guest on BernamaTV’s “Soal Bicara” programme entitled ‘MH370-Fakta dan Spekulasi’ (MH370 Facts and Speculation).
MAS Flight MH370, carrying 227 passengers, including two infants, and 12 crew, went missing en route from Kuala Lumpur to Beijing about an hour after taking off from the KL International Airport at 12.41 am Saturday.
It should have landed in Beijing at 6.30 am the same day but is still missing without any trace till now.
-Bernama
