Malaysians increasingly use social media to bypass censorship...

Malaysia bumps along the bottom of international rankings for press freedom, but the explosion of social media like Twitter and Facebook is revolutionising how journalists work.

Dissenting views, which for decades were screened out of the government-linked mainstream media, are now everywhere, including the blogosphere and mobile SMS messages, making repression extremely difficult. One veteran reporter with one of the country’s leading newspapers said that for most of his career it was virtually impossible to write about the opposition or any issues deemed off-limits by authorities. “But today, government MPs are forced to engage and debate their counterparts across the aisle in social media like Twitter and Facebook, allowing us to report on the opposition and avoid much censorship,” he says. “Where previously we had to accept at face value a minister’s version of events or policies, today their disgruntled aides and opponents are already tweeting or leaking details on Facebook, giving us uncensored access.” More...

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