WE’VE been there and done that. In our call of duty we journalists have been assigned to all kinds of reporting and we have met all kinds of characters; from the humble to the arrogant to the downright rude. But we take it all in our stride. It is our job, a job that feeds and clothes us.
It goes without saying that people have flaws but in dealing with humans (even animals for that matter) we must have respect. And sadly, many of us are disrespectful, using foul language as a weapon, thinking no one knows who they are and so can easily get away with it, at least that is what they think. Name callings and unkind remarks posted in the comments section are uncalled for. And at the end of the day, they actually reflect our characters and our level of professionalism. It shows our weak communication skills.
The thing about blogging is that most times readers do not exactly know who the person behind the site is. Readers do not know the person’s background, unless of course all is revealed in the ABOUT section, which again is the site owner/owners’ prerogative. But event organizers and owners of businesses who extend the invite for coverage should and this is where respect becomes even more important.
NewsFlashMedia is made up of seasoned writers, journalists and professionals in their respective fields. NewsFlashMedia is just our space to communicate on other things besides work. It is also our room for ‘practice’ so as not to get rusty and laid-back because understandably when we do the same thing every day we fail to see that other side of life besides the computer that we stare at from morning to night while on the Desk.
A lot of people, especially business operators and owners, see journalists as a ‘helping hand’ when they need publicity. A majority of us are seen as freeloaders. To some extent we cannot blame the general conscientious of us because there are journalists who are, but as with everything else, we cannot generalise and should evaluate each one of us through our interactions with them.
As journalists we have had free room stays with family in tow offered to us. Free food vouchers, free drinks, free gifts, free perfumes and cosmetics, free everything. The writers on NewsFlashMedia are reputed to be a disciplined lot who will not sacrifice their integrities and work ethics for some freebies, which in the first place they can afford to buy themselves. As such, how great the freebies given out at the event is none of our concern and so we do not include them in our reviews to reflect the generosity of the organisers and business owners. It is, however, a great publicity stunt, and has proven to work.
And being journalists who have slogged on the Desk for many years, a majority of our contacts are PR agents and business operators and owners. Some are mere networks while the more genuine in intentions become our friends. But, being friends do not necessarily mean we cover up their flaws by saying only the good things in our reviews so our friends appear perfect. As journalists, a review that has a balance of good and bad is justified as it allows organisers and business operators to review their strengths and work on their weaknesses.
We have had in the past restaurant owners sending hate mail to our ‘big bosses’ simply because journalists sent for food reviews have little praise of their menu. Unknown to most of them, we do check-out their establishments on the quiet upon an invite to see if they actually warrant an interview. At times they didn’t live up to the standards but we obliged just to help them out. The same goes when clearing an unimpressive review copy. In fact some of us would visit the outlet reviewed (again on the quiet) just to know if it was really as bad as what our journalists told us. Well, for example, if you find expired baklavas on the cake counters still being sold to customers and wait staffs who take ages to serve just one cup of coffee, what do you think the review would be like?
Some of us in NFM are seasoned club reviewers. And we have had DJs and dance club operators getting all hot and bothered after reading one or two negative sentences in the review of their performance. Our advice is, do not just single out the negative sounding sentences and ‘explode’. Read the entire article, digest it and then decide if the writer has been fair overall.
One other thing that most people don’t see is the difference between negative reviews to the point of defaming and negative sentences that are based on what the journalists see, hear or picked up from interviews they have while at the venue. Some words are quoted by others present and are not necessarily the writers’. Defaming is when someone or something is falsely accused of something that has no proof to the truth.
All that is said here is just a tiny fraction of the journalism and journalist world. There are bigger issues that we are also concern with. These are probably just tiny drops in the ocean but it would do a whole lot of good if these tiny drops are understood so people can go about their work without unnecessary animosity.
We remember what one Public Relations guy used to tell us: “I believe any review is a good review. If it is good it is a plus point. And if it is bad, we still become known because people get curious and want to know who we are”.
To end this, below is a screenshot of the comment we received from Shin Kajiwara, Chief Executive Officer of Monhan Holdings Sdn Bhd that owns and operates GoMakan.com. Because we have closed the comment thread and because we have high respect for his professionalism, we’ve decided he deserves the space again. We were expecting a respond from Mr Shin but we did not know what the response would be like. His comment truly reflects an educated and open mind. To Mr Shin and GoMakan.com, we share your triumph and wish your business grow from strength to strength.
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