The Book... We're All Journalists Now....

That day when I went to Kinokuniya while trying to kill time and browsing the rows and rows of books, I was not sure of what book to buy. I just had to buy a book since I have just finished reading a book and had non to read after that. So I thought that I might as well browse along and have a look of what new books are around or just look at the noticeboard which shows the bestseller of the week. While doing just that I notice this book which is so relevant to what I am doing now, Blogging as well trying to get more Malaysian to understand what blogging is all about. As a Blogger I have written many articles on Why Malaysian must Blog, Appeared on TV, Featured on a mainstream newspaper The Star and interviewed by a few students. All these efforts are to pass the messages that Blogging is good for Democracy as well it is good for the bloggers.

What a coincidence that I found this book ' We're All Journalists Now' by Scott Gant' and reading through it found that my thoughts on this subject are in tune with what this author wrote. I have just gone through the book on my first reading and have to do a second reading before I could digest all the thoughts and ideas that have been put so brilliantly by this author. For now let me summarise that it is a godsend book for our time especially so for Malaysian where blogging is beginning to made its impact on the socio political scene. Although the contents of this book are of the American socio political/cultural scene, I found that there are so much in common with our ideal. The need to have a free flows of information and ideas especially from the ordinary folks. In the past it is not possible to do that but blogging has made the flows of information and ideas now possible. To quote the author "a Marketplace of Ideas, which provides the best chance for uncovering truth". And the New Media [Blogger] would be playing that part well. The new Media, Blogging or Citizen Journalism is a term use by the author Scott Gant in this book.

Another aspect that I found to be in agreement with the author is that Journalism should be part and parcel of a good governance. The author address this issue at length and I find this part is very important...In the past government has always been referred as the sharing of power between the Executive,the Legislative and the Judiciary only. The author pointed that the role of Journalism especially Citizen Journalism could made government more accountable and transparent. So a good government in a democracy should be the sharing of power that includes Journalism/Press, first dubbed as the Fourth Branch by another author Douglass Cater in 1959. Thus the four branches should now be The Executive, The Legislative, the Judiciary, and the Journalism/Press. With the element of Journalism in it, it would made information and ideas flows both ways which surely would create good governance for any country and in turn would be good for its citizen too. To me this is a tall order indeed but if it is good for the country, why not!. After all what the people want is good governance and with that provide for a better quality of life for its citizen.

That the old media would still there and continue to play its parts in the dissemination of information and ideas. And as usual with things it would evolved in its own ways. Citizen Journalism would play its role and evolve as it goes. Changing the ways we get news. Quote from the book " The days of the mainstream media as the "voice of God" are over, declared Dean Wright, a vice president at Reuters". The author also highlight one very important aspect of journalism, much debated in the US and already implemented in some States. That is what he call as the 'Shield Law'. He also pointed out that Journalism should be an endeavor and not just a job title. And that Journalism should be look at as an activity rather then a profession. As for the future of Journalism, the author wrote "Journalism is essential" and that it is a vital part of sharing information needed for the functioning of the socio political systems.

In most countries including Malaysia before Blogging news has always been a one sided affairs. What the Publishers want us to know and that's is. And because in Malaysia you need a licence to start a Newspaper, only a few got it. Thus the limited numbers of Newspapers in the country. The author stated that in the US no licence is needed to start a newspaper. So in Malaysia with Blogging, the citizen journalists has open up the Pandora box on the flows of news. Now the information and ideas comes from the people as well. The status quo has changed. The flood gates of news has been open by bloggers and there are no ways of stopping, except with the truth. It is a fair game now, the playing field is getting even day by day. Those who refused to accept these facts would surely be swept by the new waves.

Friends, this is a good book for us Bloggers. It is about us and our involvement as the pioneer of this new media. The understanding of the power of Blogging [citizen journalism] in our [Malaysia] young democracy. I believe we the Malaysian Bloggers could made the differences in the coming years in making democracy works as democracy should. Have a nice day..