Blogs Are More Credible

Of course, you don't need a former premier to say it before we believe it. We've known this all along.

From The Straits Times:

TUN DR Mahathir Mohamad yesterday backed bloggers who criticise the government, saying their websites are gaining credibility among Malaysians.

The former premier said many people now turn to blogs for information suppressed by the mainstream media.

'If you suppress news, alternate news will be given credence. Attempts to control bloggers are bound to fail,' he told a forum on the media held at his Perdana Leadership Foundation.

He said he believed that bloggers have, by and large, been responsible, and urged them to stick to the truth without embellishment in order to stay credible.

No rocket science there. People know that there is hanky panky in the government - they just don't know what.

And when the blogs manage to produce information, OF COURSE they become instant hits!

I still feel sorry for the mainstream media.

They are trying to do their job, but they're restricted.

I hardly recall it being any better during the days of Tun, but he disagrees:

When asked to compare current media controls to previous times, he said: 'As far as I am concerned, it's worse than before.'

But he defended the restrictive media laws that require newspapers to renew their licences yearly, and his own record in the matter as prime minister.

He said the laws were intended to keep the media from inflaming racial sentiment, or publishing pornography, but they were not meant to shut out dissenting views.

'My conscience is clear. People can oppose, I don't arrest them. But some people are afraid that certain information can undermine their authority, and they try to stop the information,' he said.

Yeah? I don't recall anyone having the guts to oppose you, Dr M. You were fearsome.