The month of August marks one year since Dato’ Sri Ismail Sabri became Prime Minister and during this period there has been furious speculation over the potential timing of GE15. With Perikatan Nasional reportedly threatening to withdraw support from Ismail Sabri's government over unkept promises, could GE15 happen sooner rather than later? We discuss the political signals with Shannon Teoh, Malaysia Bureau Chief for the Straits Times Singapore. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy informatio...
Aug 08, 2022•22 min
The SRC International 1MDB corruption trial heads into the final leg this month, as the appeal is heard by the Federal Court on 15 August. We discuss the latest developments in the trial, including the sudden change in legal counsel for former Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Razak as well as what's at stake for the parties involved and the nation with independent writer P. Gunasegaram. Image Credit: YuriAbas / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Aug 01, 2022•21 min
Last week, Parliament passed the Anti-Sexual Harassment Bill, which was decades in the making, and the Kedah state assembly raised the minimum age for Muslim marriages to 18 years old. But amid these welcome developments, the case of a Malaysian-born mother who was detained along with her three children by immigration authorities highlights the glaring inequality that women face in getting legal recognition as citizens. We run through these headlines with Tehmina Kaoosji, independent journalist ...
Jul 25, 2022•22 min
Sri Lanka has witnessed dramatic developments over the past few months as the country faces an unprecedented economic crisis, culminating in massive public uprisings that finally forced the resignation of Gotabaya Rajapaksa as President last week. For a better understanding of the situation on the ground, we speak to Faraz Shauketaly, Editor of the online news portal, the Ceylon Independent. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 18, 2022•21 min
The 2022 Digital News Media Report compiled by the Reuters Institute details trends in digital media over the past year in 46 countries. We go through the findings with Prof. Zaharom Nain of the University of Nottingham Malaysia and get his outlook for the media landscape in Malaysia in the run-up to GE15. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jul 04, 2022•21 min
The emergence of LIV Golf, a new organising tournament seen as a direct challenge to the established PGA Tour, has been controversial partly due to being funded by a Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth fund. We speak to Bob Holmes about why this is being seen as an example of sportswashing by some parties, and how the rivalry could play out. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 27, 2022•22 min
News media is an increasingly difficult business to break into in the digital age. But Malay masthead Sinar Harian is making a foray into the English-language media space with the launch of its online portal, Sinar Daily . What’s the strategy for Sinar Daily to carve out a space of its own in the Malaysian media landscape? We speak to Editor Tasnim Lokman to find out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jun 20, 2022•18 min
The renewed statement of intent by the government to abolish the mandatory death penalty is widely lauded as a step in the right direction, but it also puts a spotlight on the effectiveness of Malaysia’s overall criminal justice system, and reforms that should be considered alongside sentencing reform. SUARAM and the Collective of Applied Law & Legal Realism (CALR) recently published a report on proposed reforms to prisons and places of detention . We speak to Umavathni Vathanaganthan from t...
Jun 13, 2022•22 min
The latest school shooting in Texas last week has once again put America’s fixation with guns and gun ownership in the spotlight. This is the 27th US school shooting to happen this year alone; in 2020, gun violence became the number one cause of death for children and teenagers in the country. Why is it so difficult to legislate against gun violence in the US? We discuss the issue with Mike Lawlor, Associate Professor of Criminal Justice at the University of New Haven. Image Credit: EPA-EFE See ...
May 30, 2022•22 min
Keith Kam speaks to Andriy Taranov, a board member at the Public Broadcasting Company of Ukraine, also known as Suspilne. They discuss the challenges of broadcasting during wartime and ensuring the correct information is disseminated to the public. They also talk about the role of radio as a medium that can get this information out as widely as possible. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 23, 2022•22 min
May 9th is celebrated as Victory Day in Russia to commemorate the defeat of Nazi Germany in World War II. It’s being watched closely this year as it takes place amid the ongoing invasion of Ukraine, with many observers expecting President Vladmir Putin to signal his next strategy in the war. We speak to security expert Alexey Muraviev of Curtin University to better understand the significance of Victory Day for Russia as well as updates on the Ukraine frontline. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystu...
May 09, 2022•23 min
French President Emmanuel Macron won a second term in office yesterday, defeating right wing rival Marine Le Pen. However, despite securing a seemingly convincing majority of 58% of the vote compared to Le Pen's 42%, the fact that a third of French voters did not turn up at the ballot box indicates lacklustre public support for his policies. How will he tackle the immense challenge of uniting a divided France? Journalist Gabrielle Marechaux provides insight into French public sentiment on the el...
Apr 25, 2022•21 min
Tensions are heightened in the city of Jerusalem, with a rare convergence of religious occasions over the weekend leading to confrontations between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in recent days. Middle East expert Dr. James Dorsey breaks down the causes and implications of the uptick in violence, and what this could mean for the Israeli-Palestinian peace process. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Apr 18, 2022•20 min
As the war in Ukraine rages on, calls are growing louder for Russian perpetrators of war crimes to be held to account by an international tribunal. What is the likelihood of such a trial taking place, in light of geopolitical dynamics? We discuss the complexities of the international criminal justice system with expert Dr. Maria Varaki. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 11, 2022•24 min
Revelations over the MySejahtera app controversy have dominated media headlines for the past week. Independent writer and consultant P. Gunasegaram weighs in on the issues at stake, including the data protection protocols in place to safeguard personal data that could be worth an estimated RM3.8 billion. Image Credit: Alen Thien/Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 04, 2022•20 min
The war in Ukraine is taking place on multiple battlefronts - on the ground, as well as in the digital world. How is social media shaping the narratives of the war on both sides, and how can media consumers be more discerning in identifying disinformation? We discuss social media trends in the war with Dr. Anatoliy Gruzd of the Ryerson University Social Media Lab. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 28, 2022•25 min
At the latest UMNO General Assembly, top leaders put forth a united front, with Prime Minister Dato' Sri Ismail Sabri saying that any decision to call for snap general elections will be made in consultation with Umno's senior leadership. But how solid is Umno’s comeback, in light of continuing factionalism within the party? We discuss the dynamics at play with political columnist Mohsin Abdullah. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Mar 21, 2022•19 min
The Johor state elections were held on Saturday and as predicted by many analysts, the Umno-led Barisan Nasional coalition staged a convincing return. BN won two-thirds majority in the state assembly, amid subdued voter turnout of around 54% of the electorate casting their vote. We speak to BFM’s resident Johorean, Dashran Yohan for some colour on what happened over the weekend and what these election results could mean for the country in GE15. Image credit: YuriAbas/Shutterstock.com See omnystu...
Mar 14, 2022•23 min
Although women make up roughly half the population, women remain underrepresented both as news subjects and within the media industry. This was one of the motivations that spurred Reta Lee, Editor-in-Chief of Yahoo Life Southeast Asia to pursue a project focusing on the experiences of women journalists in the region. We speak to her about the compilation of essays, "The Stories Women Journalists Tell" and whether newsrooms are adequately empowering women journalists. Image Credit: Shutterstock.c...
Mar 07, 2022•22 min
Human rights organization Pusat KOMAS conducted a social media monitoring project during the Melaka state elections in November 2021, among others collecting data on the incidence of race and religion based political messaging. We discuss the findings of the project with Programme Director Ryan Chua and the importance of viewing social media messaging with a critical eye. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Feb 28, 2022•23 min
Over the past two weeks, the issue of Malaysia’s 5G deployment has been debated extensively in the media, with different stakeholders offering their input on the issue. The flurry of discussion was initially sparked by Member of Parliament for Bangi, YB Ong Kian Ming, who on 7 February penned an open letter to Digital Nasional Berhad, the state-owned special purpose vehicle tasked with implementing the 5G roll-out. We speak to the Bangi MP to discuss the different threads of the 5G picture in Ma...
Feb 21, 2022•20 min
In the Indian state of Karnataka, protests have been taking place for weeks over a recent policy decision that female Muslim students cannot wear the hijab in colleges. The issue has gained international attention after a video of a Muslim student being heckled by far-right protesters went viral. The case has put a spotlight on religious freedom in India and the worrying rise of sectarian politics under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. We speak to independent journalist Kavita Chowdhur...
Feb 14, 2022•20 min
One year ago this month, Myanmar’s fledgling democracy was struck down by a military coup which unseated the civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD). Since then, public protests against the junta have persisted, despite a violent crackdown by the military. Will the political unrest in Myanmar stretch into a civil war? We discuss the state of play with Dr James Gomez, Regional Director of the Asia Center. Image credit: EPA-EFE See omnystudio.com/listener ...
Feb 07, 2022•22 min
This week, China gears up for two major events in the 2022 calendar: the annual Spring Festival or Lunar New Year and the Beijing Winter Olympics. We speak Beijing-based journalist Karoline Kan on the impact of China's zero Covid policy on festivities as well as the sustainability credentials of the Winter Games. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 31, 2022•22 min
On Saturday, 19th January, youth protesters took to the street to voice their dissatisfaction over the government's handling of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) securities trading scandal. We speak to journalist Radzi Razak on what he observed that day. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 24, 2022•18 min
The prevalence of hate speech in public discourse, amplified by social media, is a problem multicultural societies the world over are grappling with. Researchers at The Centre have recently launched an initiative called #TrackerBenci to gather data and contribute to further study of hate speech in Malaysia. We discuss the aims of the project and the challenges of monitoring hate speech online. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Jan 17, 2022•22 min
The news media industry is undergoing seismic shifts in the wake of digital transformation, and alternative business models are cropping up as journalists try to find their footing in the new landscape. Subscription-based newsletters are one such vehicle gaining traction, with several available for Malaysian newsreaders. We speak to Emmanuel Samarathisa, founder of The Malaysianist on the burgeoning media trend and corporate themes to watch in 2022. Image Credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio....
Jan 10, 2022•20 min
Thousands of Malaysian households rely on foreign domestic workers, but they aren’t actually recognized as workers under Malaysian employment laws. A recent Malaysiakini special report looks at the dilemma that domestic workers face when they are forced to flee their workplace for government or NGO-run shelters. To shed some light on the situation, we speak to Alyaa Alhadjri, journalist at Malaysiakini, who authored the report. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...
Jan 03, 2022•21 min
We look back at some of the major news stories of 2021, including the height of the Covid-19 pandemic; the Kuala Langat National Forest Reserve degazettement saga; and the citizenship ruling that finally gave equal rights to women. Image credit: Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 27, 2021•22 min
We speak to BFM’s Freda Liu that traveled back to Kuching over the weekend to vote, and on what she observed during the polls. Image credit: Hazreen Mohd / Shutterstock.com See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Dec 20, 2021•18 min
