Another Chinese daily panned by DAP
PUCHONG: Chinese daily, China Press was panned of “amplifying distorted truths” regarding the DAP by Kluang MP Wong Shu Qi.
The DAP lawmaker claimed the Chinese newspaper hit a new low for running an article sourced from a dubious Facebook page without vetting the information regarding the emergency meeting held over the khat controversy.
“A mainstream newspaper China Press has published a piece of ‘disinformation’ about a DAP meeting recently by quoting a questionable Facebook post created an anonymous and possible fake account,” Wong said in a statement.
“This is the new low of Malaysian media ethic in the post-truth era when a mainstream media allowed themselves to be deceived by a fake account on social media,” she added.
Wong, a former journalist, suggested China Press continued to report relevant information.
“Perhaps they too knew that such news was fake and dangerous for society… we know fake news exist in social media, or as it was before, in kopitiam and mamak stall gossip,” she said.
“But when a mainstream media — our last bastion of truth — resorted to fake news, this is a bad sign indeed.”
The MP, a former journalist, said the episode should draw attention again to the need for ethical media practice.
“Mainstream media, including the increasingly popular online news portals, should do their best to stop disinformation, and not to amplify distorted truths,” she said.
This is the second time the Chinese media was flayed by the party over the same issue.
