Deputy minister urges journalists to go for in-depth reporting

KUCHING: Journalists need to go beyond reporting facts to explain the ‘what’ and ‘why’.

Deputy Minister in the Sarawak Premier’s Department (Corporate Affairs, Information, and UKAS) Datuk Abdullah Saidol felt that while media practitioners and journalists need to disseminate accurate information to the public, they should strive to enhance their news writing by providing a comprehensive analysis.

He noted that journalistic writing often lacks sufficient analysis.

“Journalists sometimes need to conduct deeper research and analysis when reporting, rather than relying solely on the speech texts of dignitaries,”  he said during the Ngiling Tikai ceremony of the Sarawak Public Communications Unit (UKAS) here yesterday (July 7).

The Semop assemblyman added that in-depth journalism can counteract negative voices that attempt to spread propaganda against Sarawak.

The event, attended by UKAS staff, included the symbolic ‘ngiling tikai’ ceremony officiated by Abdullah.

The event also featured a lucky draw and performances of songs, and dances to add to the festivities.

Present, among others, were UKAS director Samuel Simon, Kuching Division Journalists Association (KDJA) president Ronnie Teo, TVS chief media officer Mohamad Sardon Zainal.