Yasmin Ahmad, editors and politicians

Many of my friends are outraged over an article in a Malay tabloid yesterday about the late Yasmin Ahmad, the award-winning director whose works have stirred our consciousness of what it means to be a Malaysian.

I am equally upset that the paper chose to resurrect her past, knowing full well that she was not able to defend herself or clear the air. It was a cheap shot at sensationalism.

But hey, wait a minute. Nobody forced anyone to read the article. In fact, most of the people who bawled at the tabloid's ill-treatment of Yasmin barely flipped through the tabloid on any other days.

The publisher and editors there, it doesn't take a genius to figure, was just trying to sell its paper using the tried and tested formula of cheap sensationalism. Sex sells. Violence sells and let's not even get started with scandals. That's Business 101 for you.

Ok, I am not trying to defend the paper. In fact, if I were the editor there, I would have spiked (journalism slang for "delete") the story immediately. But, I am not and the editors there obviously thought that it was a a topic that appeals to their readers. And considering that the tabloid has been in operation for half a decade, the editors there must have been fairly accurate about what its readers want to read or not. Bottom line is and without referring to any specific examples, sometimes it's the readers who determine what kind of news the editors choose to put out.

I guess in that sense, politicians too are like editors. Their words and deeds are dictated to a large extent by what the populace wants. Although somehow or rather, "populism" has earned a somewhat negative connotation in the media. People use the phrase "so and so is a populist politician" as though it's a bad thing. People also pass remarks like "he / she behaves like a clown in Parliament" forgetting that it was the voters who put him or her there.

We can go on a debate about whether newspapers should shape the minds of the people instead of succumbing to commercial considerations. Or whether wakil rakyat should be leaders, not followers and play to the gallery. But that's another topic for another day.

But for now, everytime I come across a headline that say, reeks of racism, in say, Utusan Malaysia, I remind myself that there are some who can identify with the paper's editorial stance. And when I come across "clowns" in Parliament, I remind myself that others like myself put them there.