Sunday, February 28, 2010

DEAD WOOD FLOATS, YAH?


If there is one word that I would not like to be associated with, it would be RENEGADE….worse if it was bestowed on me by associates or people who depended on me for succour, support or leadership in their hour of need.

I opened this blog in late January 2007 to support Jeff Ooi (Screenshots) and Ahiruddin Atan (Rocky Bru) when both were sued by by the New Straits Times. Subsequently, I walked beside Haris Ibrahim (People’s Parliament) when we launched the “NO BUY NO LIES” ( now, HARTAL MSM) in the first quarter of 2007. Since then I stopped subscription to both NST and the STAR. I remember at one forum I sat beside Datuk Kadir ex NST and I was wearing the yellow NO BUY NO LIES Tees. He remarked that he still buys the MSM as he has many cats in the house.

However I bought from the stands, NST on Tuesday and on Thursday, the STAR, to read Syed Nazri and Pandian respectively. I don’t read both now because they have lost what I always thought they had as senior journalists.  They are writing as if their job is to fill the pages between the ads. Who was it who warned: Seek the truth. Set it right, write tight.  


I now read Marina Mahathir (Wed) and Azmi Sharom (Thursday) online.


But since P Gunasegaram (formerly the Edge) broke into the Star I buy the tabloid on Friday which also has the Football pullout. I have always enjoyed Guna who has always subscribed to “feed the watchdog (the rakyat) and euthanize the lapdog” (no need to elaborate here.)

On Friday last his column did not appear! Was it because of this?  

 

Is there a parallel here in Colonel David Hunt, U.S. Army (Ret.),  military analyst and the author of the New York Times bestseller They Just Don’t Get It who had extensive operational experience in counter terrorism, special operations, and intelligence operations. He has trained the FBI and Special Forces in counterterrorism tactics, served as the security adviser to six different Olympic Games, testified as an expert at many major terrorist trials, and lectured at the CIA, the FBI, and the National Security Agency.  In his book ON THE HUNT he cited an instance when the top brass betrayed their soldiers.

Two great Special Forces soldiers, along with their team, tracked down a terrorist who was on the 10 Most Wanted list in Afghanistan. The Special Forces soldiers were operating under the much-hated rules of engagement, which said to capture or kill the bad guy, who was a bomb maker and terrorist leader. The soldiers followed this killer to his house/compound, used guile and trickery and lured the waste of life out of his lair and put a bullet in his head.

It was a perfect operation — a “Nice going guys,” high fives, take the day off, “Get ready for the next one,” type of operation. So how do you think our Special Forces soldiers were rewarded — or if not rewarded, treated — after this? THEY ARE BROUGHT TO TRIAL, INVESTIGATED AND FORCED TO SPEND THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS FOR LAWYERS.

Can another parallel be drawn with this Star episode when the “General” seemingly compromised his “troops”.  No wonder blogs are re-purposing real journalism since 1997. It would be a sad day for the Mainstream if the true-blue hacks gave the finger to their bosses: I’d rather blog now…..thanks for those awful memories.”

Then what do you have remaining. Dead wood.

And Deadwood Just Floats along…….

FOLLOW-UP STORY HERE

25 comments:

Anonymous said...

and the editor-in-chief preaches to you how to live your life every weekend.

uh, truly hypocrisy abounds.

Li Huat Chai said...

Ha ha ha ....

Zorro, I, too,piss on the Star...

I read Azmi Sharom on Thursday from the net, i dont buy star for quite a long time already.

I sms-ed the star to tell them that only cheap paper bother to publish Nalla's comments.

I also tell them, it will be more of Nalla's comments against Anwar comes the next GE. Cheap papaer !!!

Anonymous said...

Some similarity to you, Zorro. I used to buy on Thursday where Azmi's article use to appear.
Now The Star's Joceline Tan seems to be working hard to earn her Datukship after Wong and Atan of The Malay Mail got theirs.

Unknown said...

The MSM papers will all die as a product.The selflife of news is short and 24hours which most papers operate are for too long to satisfy current readers,as internet coverage will soon update by the hours for major news item

Retired Journalist said...

Other than deadwood, shit also floats especially when it has the right consistency.
I have worked for NST, Sun and Star and it is normal practice that when anything bad happens, the first thing the top management do is to look for scapegoats to take the fall.
It is rare for the top bosses to take the responsibility. Don't take my word for it, ask NST Man.... heheheh... NST Man will have stories to tell you all about being a scapegoat!
I had to resign from one main stream paper because I refuse to allow the senior management to use one of my subordinates as a scapegoat. That is life in the mainstream papers... screw the top management of all mainstream papers... shit floats.

Jonathan Bebe said...

Are we trying to whip BolehLand fellos including believers and non believers to accept the punishment decided by the state by the compulsion method, using threats, show cause letter, using the law and arrests to whip those who question them into submission of what the state dictates noone can question?
Are we some kind of Taliban like regime that imposes compulsion to obey and say that it is the dictate of God? rest of story 'Compulsion not persuasion' at www.yah-meh.blogspot.com

Donplaypuks® said...

The knives are out for Guna, for sure. And in true fashion, the Star will scarifice him and journalistic principles!

Let's see if WCW sticks up for or sticks it into Guna!!

dpp
We are all of 1 race, the Human Race

Anonymous said...

When I was much younger, I read NST & Utusan.

Later in the 90s, dropped both and begin subs to The Star. (Now NST are only read by 2% of the population)

Now The Star appears to be moving toward same standard as tabloids.

Well, I don't think the Star 9% readership will stand very long.

teo siew chin said...

hey u crappy newspaper - how's about you being sensitive to my belief that journalists of integrity should have the balz to hunt down the truth and report it?
you owe it to those who PAY you everyday!

nstman said...

Veera Pondan and Syed Nadzri have sold their souls to the devil. Syed, especially, is now one of the chief attack dogs of the New Shit Times, a peripheral paper whose circulation has dropped to about 50,000 a day, and counting. Star lost its balls (probably half balls) a long time ago. And since they dont have balls, they probably have nothing to lose, except to offer Guna as the sacrificial lamb. As for Rocky's Malay Mail, word has it their readership is so abysmal, they are thinking of revamping again. The public are so cheesed off by their blatant anti-Pakatan stand that they are boycotting the paper even though its free. Just look at the huge stacks of MM lying around in stores, supermarkets, and you get a clearer picture of public anger. In the meantime, Rocky gets richer preaching the language of hate and lies.

Anonymous said...

My ass hurts every morning because I use The Star to wipe my ass. That's why I call it the Toilet paper.

LC Teh said...

It's not just in newspapers that bosses pass the shit to scapegoats to take the blame. In other organisations too bosses have picked up the trend. The last boss I worked for who stood up for his men was 15 years long ago. And I have since retired too. I haven't met any manager who's mind operated like his after that. The trend of scapegoat rearing is definitely spreading fast.

Anonymous said...

The fat ass, Ahiruddin Atan (Rocky Bru)......I really abhor the lies he spins on his blog.

The last time I visited his blog, I told him he better watch what he spins becuase "what goes round comes round". I have stopped visiting his blog...

He is a sick man.

Anonymous said...

It's not only the paper media needs to be flushed down the toilet bowl, but there is this ASS-LICKING THIRD TV station which needs to be boycotted. There go all around Malaysia with their JOMSIBUK FANFARE!

ANTI-TV(2+1)

ex-newspaperman said...

For people who professed not to read MSM, you guys sure know the goings-on there.
If you guys work there too, you have to toe the line.
You have your datukship to protect, kids to feed, buy wives diamond, make your mistresses happy..
So stay and just do what you are asked to do.
Or resign.

Anonymous said...

hahaha.. dear zorro, padan muka guna.. I think most of you non-muslims are ignorant of the fact that in Islam, the religion is a way if life.

There should be no separation between politics and religion in Islam unlike in the western world!

So you see, even for a guy in the street, when you comment and belittle Islam, he will get very upset, although he is a good Muslim.

You see, the Malay Muslim is watching how the non-Muslim is behaving, commenting and even perceiving Islam as the Federal Religion.

I bet you most Muslim Malays are leaving PR now, as most are upset with PKR flip flop in defending Islam, also people sees PKR as DAP lapdog.

We are tired...

You can't win election with votes from one community only! Tell that to DAP.

-mamanview

zorro said...

/retired journalist....dang, yes shit floats....that's one good one and spot on. Thanks buddy.

Anonymous said...

Dear Zorro, the Star died in 1987 and is still dead, for all intent and purpose.

BTW, what's the full name of VK Chin? No one seems to even know much about its seedy and shady management. I gave up reading that shitty noose paper 2 decades ago.

~wits0~

Anonymous said...

I too buy the Star or Straits Times or Utusan the sat copy very tick good for my dog to shit on.

Anonymous said...

It's the Master and Servant story. And it happens anywhere. The British taught half the world to sign off as "Your Obedient Servant". Likewise, prisoners are not supposed to take over the jail.

A GOOD MAN DOES NOTHING.

Anonymous said...

That Guna bloke is being used by The Star.
You think he would write such things if the top management did not sanction it.
It will not pass the gate-keepers if it was not okayed by the powers there.
That's normal in The Star to use Indians to write about Malays and Malays to write about Chinese.
The management are the unseen hands behind some racist stories in the paper.
The idea may be even from Wong Chun Wai. But he will not stick out his neck to write such stories for fear of his position.
He's collecting strings of Datukships like collecting prized trophies.
Do you see Wong or Jocelyn writing negatives about their poltiical masters - the MCA.
At first Wong tried to write articles glorifying Ong Tee Kiat and bringing down Chua Sol Lek.
But he later found out that OTK is in a shaky sittuation.
They even offered CSL as Chairman of Star after denigrating him.
It's wise of CSL to turn down the offer.
This time Guna will be forgiven since Wong grovelled to the Home Ministry.
If he has to go, Star will not defend him.
This is happening in all papers.
All the top peope get Datukships when the lower rung are doing the shit work.
Who has heard of Datuk Meor of BH, Datuk Mustapha Omar of BH and Datuk Yong Soo Heong Bernama.
Datukship because of position, Hahaa.
So Nuraina Samad and Jocelyn can hope for one too.

Anonymous said...

Shit floats too

Anonymous said...

MSM like the STAR/UM are all under the command of their UMNO masters. What do one expect from their reporting?? Their views and comments are fit for the garbage dump.

Anonymous said...

Pakatan Rakyat is a sinking 'tongkang'... the captains are well prepared with their "luxury lifeboats" leaving their passengers behind without any life jackets. Jump! passengers, jump!

Anonymous said...

Zorro, we all do not want to be associated with renegades but sadly some welcomes renegades http://thebrokenshield.blogspot.com/2010/03/pkr-welcomes-renegades.html
PKR never learn do they?