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Expert: Hone individual skills to improve journalism standard

KUALA LUMPUR: The communication skills and competence of individuals involved in journalism need to be improved to ensure that the quality of information and news disseminated to the people is of the highest level possible, according to a communication expert.

A former professor at the Faculty of Communication and Media Studies of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Datuk Prof Dr Ahmad Redzuan Abd Rahman, said quality news can enhance the thinking power, integrity and wisdom of society in decision making.

"The information we convey is meant to increase knowledge in society. We want information that is positive and educational, giving society access to the latest information so that they can have high levels of thinking," he said on Bernama TV's "Malaysia Petang Ini" programme today.

He said as there are now many media channels providing information to the public, readers need to be more open to various types of information and be smart in choosing a reliable news source.

"The public have access to multiple sources of information but more information is not necessarily good because it will have an effect of splitting opinions and cause divisions (in society)," he added.

He said journalists were now exposed to various challenges including legal action but they should persevere and strive to continue providing the truth to readers.

Meanwhile, chairman and co-founder of ARUS Anak Muda, Dr Zokhri Idris, said due to changing trends and technology, young journalists now need to understand the preferences of millennials for effective news delivery.

He said the approach of using modern and constructive language in news writing is also capable of attracting the interests of young people to make mainstream media their main source of reference as opposed to social media.

"The presentation needs to be tweaked a bit but done cautiously so that the language used is not difficult to understand," he said on Bernama TV's "Young Blood" programme entitled "Millennials: Dot Com News Generation" today.

Zokhri said he sees journalism not just as a form of employment but also as a role model which could direct millennials towards something good.

He also advised young people to be careful when sharing information so as not to cause unnecessary alarm. -- BERNAMA

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