Building stronger, competitive nation through constructive journalism

New Straits Times

08-05-2025

GEORGE TOWN: Mainstream and alternative media must continue to play a major role in disseminating positive narratives to help build a strong and competitive nation on the global stage, Malaysian Press Institute (MPI) president Datuk Yong Soo Heong said.
He said constructive or positive news reporting could highlight the country's achievements and development plans, thus providing a true picture of the nation's progress to both local and international communities.
"In efforts to build a healthy, strong and competitive nation, we need positive content and values that can be shared, even internationally, to show how good and extensive the country's development plans are.
"So, we must emphasise important developments in this country because, on one hand, the government may say many things have been done, but the public may not feel it.
"In reality, there are many good things to highlight, for instance, economic growth, the expansion of the tourism sector, palm oil commodity exports, electronic chips, and so on," he said when met at Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) here today.
Yong was one of the panellists at a mini forum organised by MPI titled "Solo and Brave: The New Dynamics of Journalism," which was also attended by MPI chief executive officer Ainol Amriz Ismail and television personality Margaret Gambang, at USM's School of Communication.
Yong said although social media is currently seen as the dominant news platform, excessive focus on sensational and negative issues could erode the country's development image.
Hence, he said, mainstream media needed to be more active in delivering messages that foster public awareness and intellectual growth.
He believed some citizens might not directly feel the impact of development, and it was the media's responsibility to highlight high-impact issues to help people better understand government policies.
He also encouraged journalists to use creative storytelling when reporting serious topics like the economy, to make them more relevant and engaging, especially for younger audiences.
"It is very important today for every message about the economy and development to be delivered in an engaging and easy-to-understand format, especially for the younger generation.
"For example, we can relate economic stories to daily life or tie them to market sentiments, this makes economic stories more relatable to young readers," he said.
He also emphasised the importance of mastering analytics and algorithms in modern journalism so that media organisations can better identify readers' interests and preferences.
"Although it is difficult and tedious, mastering analytics is important.
"It helps us understand readers' preferences and take appropriate actions.
"In this regard, MPI will continue to run courses to help journalists grasp this area," he said.
The forum also served as a platform to discuss the challenges, opportunities, and need for professionalism in the modern journalism landscape, acting as a bridge between the industry and academia, particularly for communication and journalism students at USM.