Role of independent media in debates on Malaysia's political economy

Abstract

This dissertation will look into the role of independent media in debates on Malaysia’s political economy. Issues such as crony capitalism, financial mismanagement and Malay rights have been key issues in Malaysia. These issues often surfaced and are debated in high-profile controversies that question the government’s credibility. The significance of the study is to explore the potential impact of blogs and independent news websites particularly in Malaysia on offline politics and/or in promoting dissenting views. From the findings, based on the case studies, in Malaysia, the mainstream media and the independent media do focus on different angles and at different depths. The mainstream media’s coverage seem to be more superficial and lacks depth. They have the tendency to act as the mouthpieces of the government. The independent media like the alternative media, however, tends to fill up the gaps left by the mainstream media. They adopt a more investigative and critical role in their reporting but they do so within the boundaries set by the government. Hence, independent media are increasingly gaining attention from the offline community in particular the mainstream media and political community.