Online Journalism Should Be Controlled

Based on the statistics issued by the IWS (Internet World Stats), it is approximately 39% of Malaysians use the internet during the year 2010. The latest statistics has been updated on June 30, 2010. From the statistics, it shows that the internet usage is widespread in Malaysia.

Web has made our world smaller by connecting people with the same interests and it has made our possibilities endless with the amount of information available. It has also made our lives easier than we could have ever imagined by saving us time and money. The web is changing our culture. And while the web is definitely saving us something, whether it is time, money or confusion, what are we paying for in the end?

This question becomes particularly important when it comes to the news media. News has been gravitating online and blogs have enabled more selection, opinion, links and user commentary—leaving print journalism and the news“paper” in the dust. 

Online journalism can be defined simply as "A Journalism in Online", more specifically, it is a new form of journalism which is used for conveying public opinion and published by the primary news provider with various text, video and link.


While blogs and other emerging forms of online news communication are widely acknowledged as significantly influencing mainstream news content both on and offline, they are considered here a distinct phenomenon and treated under the category of alternative media.

The whole idea behind online journalism is that anyone can be a journalist—it doesn’t have to be left to the professionals. The ability to blog allows access to a medium that was traditionally dominated by big business and few elite. Blogging's low barrier to entry, meaning that anyone can start a blog in a matter of minutes without cost.

Blogging gives the amateur a chance to voice his or her opinions, ideas and thoughts without an editor. Today, blogs are more popular than ever and some blogs are considered news sources to many people who get their news on the internet.

Here we can see that people are too depends on the news from internet. It is very dangerous when people simply accept the news without any doubt and they totally believe the source of the news. The thing is some people are not able to filter and verify the truth. So, online journalism should be controlled in order to avoid the readers to false information as it may be hard to find out if the information is in fact accurate.

There is some debate as to whether online sources are reliable and credible. It is said that anyone with a modem can become a journalist and names as well as entire organizations can be made up and who's to say that the articles are not fake or invalid as well. Even well known news organizations have the potential to give unreliable information through links.

In addition, the content of the news is very important. The content of the news can change the reader's perception on the certain issues. Writer's can manipulate the content of the news to a particular purpose.


According to Deuze (1998), content is an important influence in setting the public agenda. Content determines to an extent the way we perceive the world around us. Journalists are responsible for the content of the media. Therefore journalists influence our agenda, which fully justifies an examination of these communicators—knowing who they are and why they do what they do.

Therefore, online journalism needs to be controlled to make sure that it doesn't affect any parties besides providing a benefit to everyone.

Kebiadaban Dunia Siber

Kesan Kebiadaban Di Dunia Siber, sebuah artikel oleh Dr Rahmat Ghazali yang menyentuh tentang kebebasan siber yang telah disalahertikan oleh pengguna internet di Malaysia. Seperti mana yang diunsurkan dalam artikel ini, pengguna-pengguna internet di Malaysia menjadikan internet sebagai wahana untuk meluahkan rasa marah dan caci-cerca terhadap sesuatu perkara dengan tidak mengendahkan akibat daripada perbuatan tersebut.

Secara tidak sedar, perbuatan sedemikian telah menular dalam kalangan masyarakat Malaysia bagai cendawan tumbuh selepas hujan. Pengguna-pengguna internet yang tidak bertanggungjawab ini telah menyalahgunakan kebebasan bersuara yang telah diberikan kepada mereka.

Di Malaysia, konsep kebebasan bersuara diiktiraf sebagai salah satu hak kebebasan asasi manusia. Perkara 10(1)(a) Perlembagaan Persekutuan menjelaskan berkaitan dengan hak ini iaitu semua warganegara Malaysia berhak untuk bebas bercakap dan mengeluarkan buah fikiran. Walaupun begitu, ia bukanlah merupakan kebebasan yang mutlak.

Jadi, hak kebebasan bersuara yang diberikan oleh Perlembagaan Persekutuan itu adalah selagi mana hak kebebasan itu tidak disalahgunakan seperti sesuatu ungkapan itu tidak menjadi suatu fitnah, ungkapan yang tidak menjadi suatu hasutan dan ungkapan yang tidak melanggar hak keistimewaan Parlimen dan Dewan Negeri.

Para pengguna internet menyalahgunakan kebebasan bersuara kerana mereka beranggapan bahawa pengguna internet bebas menulis apa sahaja di bawah  Akta Komunikasi dan Multimedia 1998. Oleh itu, semakin ramai pengguna internet berani melemparkan ideologi-ideologi yang boleh menggugat keamanan negara termasuklah mengkritik kerajaan. Ideologi-ideologi yang mengkritik kerajaan tidak harus dipandang enteng oleh masyarakat kita.

Seperti yang tercatat di dalam artikel oleh Dr Rahmat Ghazali, pengguna-pengguna internet tidak terlepas daripada Akta Fitnah, Akta Hasutan, Akta Rahsia Rasmi dan juga Akta Keselamatan Dalam Negeri. Sungguhpun begitu, ramai di antara pengguna internet masih tidak serik melakukan perbuatan tidak bermoral ini.

Pada masa sekarang, internet membentuk dunianya yang tersendiri yang dikenali sebagai dunia siber (cyber world). Manusia sebagai makhluk yang mempunyai ‘akal’ telah menyalahgunakan kemudahan internet dengan melayari dunia siber untuk tujuan hasutan, pembohongan, fitnah dan prejudis yang tebal dengan sentimen perkauman.

Pengguna-pengguna internet memasuki dunia siber ini tanpa had dan sekatan, tanpa mengira agama, bangsa, ras, negara, warna kulit, budaya, gaya hidup bagi berhubung dan bertukar maklumat melalui internet. Kemudahan internet disalahgunakan dan dijadikan medium untuk memaki-hamun dan mencerca sesama sendiri. Oleh itu, pembinaan hubungan etnik yang harmoni dalam kalangan rakyat Malaysia hanyalah angan-angan yang tidak dapat direalisasikan.

Menyedari hakikat ini, tindakan yang sewajarnya perlu diambil untuk mengekang permasalahan ini. Jika ia dibiarkan begitu sahaja, kuasa siber ini dapat melumpuhkan pentadbiran sesebuah negara dan hasrat murni kerajaan untuk melahirkan Gagasan 1 Malaysia adalah laungan semata-mata.

Improve Your Memory

Memory can be a tricky thing. People of all ages often have trouble remembering things, from the answers to test questions to where you left your car keys. There are many tips and tricks to use to improve your memory. Employing memorization techniques, such as mnemonic devices and efficient note taking, will give your brain a workout while also increasing your ability to remember things.

 

Mnemonic Devices

• Mnemonic devices are an efficient and often fun way to remember information. Mnemonics create associations using cues such as acronyms. HOMES is an example of an acronym used to remember the names of the Great Lakes. The letters in HOMES stand for Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, and Superior. You can also invent sentences where the first letter of each word represents an important fact. For example, to remember the order of notes on sheet music, use the mnemonic device "Every Good Boy Deserves Fudge." The first letter of each word, E, G, B, D and F, are the notes you need to remember. Mnemonic devices can be used to make rhyming associations, such as "In fourteen hundred ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue." Visual cues can be used to connect images to ideas. To remember the name of a person named Mike, for example, imagine him holding a microphone in his hand.

Note Taking

• Writing important information is aneffective way to remember things, allowing you to look at it later for reference. The act of writing something helps your brain to remember. One study found that students who take notes remember more key facts than those who don't take notes. Writing is in essence a way to re-learn information that your brain has already taken in. For example, when a professor gives you an important fact during a lecture, you hear that fact and your brain takes it in. If you write the fact after hearing it, then your brain processes that fact a second time in a different way. If you re-read your notes, you've allowed your brain to take in the information a third time. Note taking is not just for students, though, and can be beneficial to anyone's memory. Keeping a small notepad in your pocket or purse to jot down important things you need to remember and writing lists when needed will assist you in remembering key information of any kind.

Other Tips

• Tips and tricks can be helpful when trying to remember things, but just as important is making sure your brain is healthy and happy. Too much stress can have a negative impact on a person's memory by releasing the stress hormone cortisol and other enzymes that can damage the parts of the brain that control memory. Regular exercise is important for good brain function. Exercise increases blood flow and oxygen to the brain and is also an effective stress reducer. When studying, make sure you do so in an environment conducive to learning. Avoid distractions, such as television, and don't attempt to learn important information when you're tired or hungry.

Fight Stress with Healthy Habits

Healthy habits can protect you from the harmful effects of stress. Here are 10 positive healthy habits you may want to develop.

1. Talk with family and friends. A daily dose of friendship is great medicine. Call or write your friends and family to share your feelings, hopes and joys.
2. Engage in daily physical activity. Regular physical activity relieves mental and physical tension. Physically active adults have lower risk of depression and loss of mental functioning. Physical activity can be a great source of pleasure, too. Try walking, swimming, biking or dancing every day.
3. Accept the things you cannot change. Don't say, "I'm too old." You can still learn new things, work toward a goal, love and help others.
4. Remember to laugh. Laughter makes you feel good. Don't be afraid to laugh out loud at a joke, a funny movie or a comic strip, even when you're alone.
5. Give up the bad habits. Too much alcohol, cigarettes or caffeine can increase stress. If you smoke, decide to quit now.
6. Slow down. Try to "pace" instead of "race." Plan ahead and allow enough time to get the most important things done.
7. Get enough sleep. Try to get six to eight hours of sleep each night. If you can't sleep, take steps to help reduce stress and depression. Physical activity also may improve the quality of sleep.
8. Get organized. Use "to do" lists to help you focus on your most important tasks. Approach big tasks one step at a time. For example, start by organizing just one part of your life — your car, desk, kitchen, closet, cupboard or drawer.
9. Practice giving back. Volunteer your time or return a favor to a friend. Helping others helps you.
10. Try not to worry. The world won't end if your grass isn't mowed or your kitchen isn't cleaned. You may need to do these things, but today might not be the right time.

Tongue Twister

Betty Botter bought some butter, but she said "this butter's bitter! But a bit of better butter will but make my butter better" So she bought some better butter, better than the bitter butter, and it made her butter better so it was better Betty Botter bought a bit of better butter!