KUALA LUMPUR – The Malaysian National News Agency (Bernama) yesterday dismissed an allegation that it has received a “directive” on how to shape its stories on the ongoing Umno General Assembly 2020.
Editor-in-chief Abdul Rahman Ahmad stressed that Bernama is providing balanced coverage of the assembly and dismissed the claim published in the Getaran news portal, the agency reported.
“Bernama has never received any directive as alleged by Getaran on the coverage of the Umno general assembly scheduled for two days at the Putra World Trade Centre,” he said.
Getaran and The Vibes had reported that Bernama’s PAU20 coverage has not been as comprehensive as in earlier years.
This was because, according to sources, any criticism of Bersatu or Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin was to be blacked out.
The Getaran report had quoted “a Bernama source who declined to be identified” as saying that a “directive” had been given not to publish any negative report about Bersatu.
Rahman said Bernama had assigned a team of 20 newsmen, comprising reporters, photographers, cameramen and TV and radio broadcast journalists, to cover the assembly.
He said Bernama’s instruction to the team was to handle the coverage professionally, as has been done in the coverage of annual meetings and conferences of political parties in the past, Bernama reported.
Despite Rahman’s denial and assurance of professional reporting, at press time, there have yet to be any Bernama reports of Bersatu being taken to task at the assembly. – The Vibes, March 28, 2021
