KOTA KINABALU – The Vibes bagged one gold and two merit awards at the Kinabalu Press Awards last night in its debut year for the news portal.
Sandakan-based The Vibes journalist Rebecca Chong won the Covid-19 news gold award, and the merit award for news reporting and environmental journalism.
Her winning entry for the Covid-19 news category titled “Sandakan hospital struggling to cope with rising Covid-19 cases” combined a series of reports about Duchess of Kent Hospital’s struggles and challenges during the pandemic.
Elated over her inaugural win after personally submitting her entries for the awards, Chong said her victory was possible due to the support and teamwork in The Vibes family – especially with her colleague and state bureau chief Jason Santos, as well as the editorial team.
The gold award saw Chong winning RM2,500 and an award certificate. She also received two more certificates for her merit awards.
One of the merit awards were for her series of news stories on the Batu Sapi parliamentary constituency and its by-election, and the other was for her reporting on pangolins and clouded leopards facing extinction.
Earlier, The Vibes team bagged its first prize from the prestigious Malaysia Press Institute-Petronas Awards 2020 for outstanding journalism.
During the ceremony at the Majestic Hotel in Kuala Lumpur on November 30, The Vibes former specialist writer Muhammad Zaidi Azmi clinched the trophy for the Petronas Excellent Environmental Journalism award for a report published last year.
Zaidi, who now writes for The Vibes’ Bahasa Malaysia sister publication Getaran, won the award for his compelling story titled “Temuan tribe decries Kuala Langat degazettement” published in October 2020.
The Vibes journalist A. Azim Idris also bagged a consolation prize a month ago from the Selangor Department of Environment for his reporting on the slew of dead fish in Sg Damansara.
Sabah Chief Minister Datuk Seri Hajiji Mohd Noor, who officiated the Kinabalu Press Awards, expressed his gratitude to the state’s media fraternity for their fair and balanced reporting.
He said the state government has always recognised the mainstream media as one of its important partners in helping to disseminate government policies and developments in the state.
You are the bridge between the government and the rakyat. Hence, it is very important that, through your work, factual information is shared with the masses.
“This is more so at a time when social media platforms have been misused or abused to spread fake news, along with many untruths and half-truths,” he said during the awards ceremony held at Shangri-La Tg Aru here last night.
The ceremony was held in collaboration with the state government, Shell Malaysia, and Petronas.
Hajiji said good journalism plays an important role in society, and that journalists are able to influence the thoughts of the people through reporting – and even change the political landscape of a country.
“In this regard, journalists need to report wisely. I am happy that the media (personnel) in Sabah have carried out their duties with pride and honour. Most importantly, they have provided news coverage responsibly and professionally.
“The Hala Tuju Sabah Maju Jaya is our commitment to develop the state for the good of the rakyat. We hope the media will continue its role to report on the government’s development agenda,” he said.
Also present at the event was Sabah Journalists Association president Datuk Muguntan Vanar.
Meanwhile, Hajiji said the state government is concerned with the closure of media outlets such as Sabah’s oldest newspaper, New Sabah Times, and the retrenchment of media personnel as cost-cutting measures.
I am also fully aware that the mainstream media, especially the print media, continues to struggle in the face of dwindling circulation and advertising revenue due to the challenges already posed by social media – and aggravated by the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I am told more than 70 media personnel in Sabah have lost their jobs, or faced pay cuts this year alone.
“I urge media companies (in Sabah) to retain their employees while relooking at media business models – as what is being done by media houses across the world. I believe it is still a lucrative business, and it is a matter of packaging your contents to draw your readers and advertisers,” he said.
Attending the Kinabalu Press Awards for the first time since his appointment as chief minister, Hajiji said the past two years have been challenging for all due to the battle with the Covid-19 pandemic.
“We all have had our fair share of difficulties to carry on with life and our work, and all of us have made sacrifices along the way.
“The movement control order and subsequent restrictions have somewhat clipped our wings, but through all these challenges, there have been lessons learned that have forced us to do things differently to live in the new normal – most of all, it has taught us resilience and to soldier on.
“We are not out of the woods yet, but I believe it is also time that we must hit the ground and get to work.
“The government has taken various measures to cushion the negative impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, and to restimulate the growth of our economy.
“We are confident that the implementation of the National Recovery Plan and various stimulus packages by the federal and state governments will spur efforts in Sabah’s economic recovery,” he said. – The Vibes, December 11, 2021
