Freedom Forum, International Press Institute honor Malaysian online journalists

Malaysiakini.com challenges press restrictions.

01.26.01

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ARLINGTON, Va. — Malaysiakini.com, an independent online newspaper that challenges government restrictions on the press in Malaysia, will receive the 2001 Free Media Pioneer Award from the International Press Institute (IPI) and The Freedom Forum. The award will be presented on Jan. 29 by Chris Wells, senior vice president/international of The Freedom Forum, at IPI's World Congress in New Delhi, India.

"These journalists are heroes," said Wells. "They are putting themselves at risk for a freedom we take for granted in the United States."

The online publication, based in Kuala Lumpur, was founded by Steven Gan and Premesh Chandran to "test and push the boundaries of free speech and press freedom in Malaysia by providing credible and up-to-date news analysis" and to "counter the culture of self-censorship in the mainstream media," according to its mission statement. The Malaysian government has imposed severe restraints on newspapers and broadcasters, but has not, thus far, censored the Internet publication. So-called "new media" are currently the only means of establishing a free and independent press in Malaysia. According to IPI, Malaysiakini.com has become highly popular by providing "unbiased news coverage, investigative journalism, in-depth analysis and commentary written in English and Malay."

Gan was honored last year by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) for his courage as editor of the publication. CPJ said Malaysiakini.com "routinely tests the government's tolerance for press freedom by publishing articles on the Internet that could never appear in Malaysia's tightly controlled press."

The Free Media Pioneer Award was established in 1991 by IPI to honor individuals or organizations that have fought for press freedom. The Freedom Forum cosponsors the award and enables journalists from around the world to attend the IPI's meeting of editors and media executives. This year, The Freedom Forum is sponsoring the attendance of the following journalists at IPI's World Congress in New Delhi:

Owais Aslam Ali, secretary general, Pakistan Press Foundation

Sheeram Singh Basnet, executive director, Media Point, Nepal

Azer H. Hasret, chairman, Journalists Trade Union, Azerbaijan

Sunanda Deshapriya, acting secretary, Free Media Movement, Sri Lanka

Faraj Sarkohi, journalist, Iran

Bul-Bul Monjurul-Ahsan, executive director, Media Watch, Bangladesh

U Thang, journalist, Myanmar

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