AS a newspaper, the New Straits Times was 100 per cent so before the arrival of the digital age. It has been dubbed the voice of the nation over the years.
Its long and illustrious presence in the national life as a source of reliable information has benefited the people and kept public opinion reasonable.
As we welcome the 176th anniversary of this newspaper (July 15), it is timely to reflect on the media's greater purpose for the country and its people. The media is a vital arm of democracy, an essential institution in ensuring the balance of power, to encompass the voice of the people as a mechanism of democratic moderation, always protective of the people's interests.
This is why it is often called the Fourth Estate. It represents freedom of speech and expression, two core principles of democracy.
If we agree that democracy is the foundation upon which Malaysia will continue to chart its course for generations to come, then the media in whatever form — printed newspapers, online portals, radio, satellite TV or digital streaming — will remain an important cornerstone of the democratic edifice.
The NST has, for all of the 176 years it has been around, strived to remain truthful, objective, fair, insightful and responsible. The media landscape has been disrupted by technology many times over, and the NST has sought to transform and adapt in the best way possible for its audience, stakeholders and itself.
Digitalisation of information has brought in its wake a burgeoning of the global flow of information, enabling the spread and broadcast of both fact and fiction, truth and lies.
Yet any attempt to control that flow, with the exception of national security grounds, destroys democracy. The challenge to information is real. This latest development clearly has the potential to destroy democracy and cause chaos.
That the country has been a model of peace since independence suggests nothing short of an editorial line that gave priority to the shared vision of a nation. The proliferation of fake news opens a new frontier for journalism — a fight to maintain a credible information industry.
For a country like Malaysia —a multi ethnic, multi-creed and multicultural society—where cultures do not easily blend, the "freedom" of news broadcasting does not bode well for the country.
As government after government fights to realise social justice for the population as much as possible, NST, with its affirmation as Malaysian, has dutifully functioned as the voice of the people.
As a news organisation, NST has also embraced technology, reaching out to a larger audience through social media, online, podcasts and videos.
With greater reach also comes greater responsibility.
And NST will continue to transform, all the while staying true to the cherished principles of journalism, and fulfil its responsibility to the readers and nation, as the Fourth Estate.