Without access to facts, journalists risk lawsuits, says Zaid
Ex-law minister says contractors, developers and concessionaires, however, have to operate within a closed system designed to hide the abuse of power.
Former Malaysian law minister Zaid Ibrahim warned journalists that without access to crucial facts, they risk facing legal action when reporting on corrupt practices. In a Facebook post, Ibrahim cautioned that journalists may not have access to the terms of a particular deal, which puts them at risk of being sued over their reports.
He explained that contractors, developers, and concessionaires operate within a "closed system designed to facilitate corruption and hide abuse of power by decision makers". Ibrahim criticized journalists for focusing on "soft targets" like contractors and developers, instead of the government or the approving authority, who he believed are the real culprits behind corruption.
He urged journalists to expose these "hard targets" before attacking the "soft targets" in the system.
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- Without access to facts, journalists risk lawsuits, says Zaid freemalaysiatoday.com
