Television

Since I work for a news agency, I decided to explore the strengths and weaknesses of broadcast journalism, particularly television.

Television plays an important role in everyday life. It carries the latest and most popular programs including news from the world over. In addition, television carries documentaries of world cultures and international artists.

It makes people feel like "they witness the news when they can see and hear it" (see Quinn and Filak - Convergent Journalism, Page 26).

I certainly agree with it. For example, in Sabah, Malaysia, television has done wonders to the world of broadcasting. Before 1999, we were only banking on RTM, a government TV station and a private TV station - TV3 to deliver the goods.

At that time, only 70 per cent of the area in the state of Sabah (East Malaysia) could access or receive RTM or TV3 programs or signals whereas there was none at all on NTV7 -- another private TV station in Malaysia.

However, the advent of broadcast satellite and cable programming like CNN and Astro in 1999 which cover a wider area compared to terrestrial system, improved tremendously TV receptions including RTM and TV3.

And now all RTM, TV3 and NTV7 programs are offered as a package by Astro, a cable TV provider. That means more viewers can watch -- the round the clock news.

They can even watch live news coverage on Iraq war, World Cup soccer and the Miss Universe program parading beautiful ladies in the world including sweet smiling Down Under contestant on TV in their respective villages in the middle of the jungle.

In other words, the people are more knowledgeable of what is happening around the globe, thus helping them become an informed society.

However, there are also weaknesses of television, especially news program. Television journalists usually do not have as much "space" to present information in their reports as print journalists.

In my own observation, more than 50 per cent of RTM news items feature the activities of the government, leaving little space for other news items or stories such as sports and business.