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>>> WELCOME BACK TO "RELIABLE
SOURCES."
THE INFORMATION COMING FROM
MALAYSIAN AUTHORITIES ABOUT
MISSING PLANE HAS BEEN A MESS.
SOMETIMES THE INFORMATION HAS
BEEN INCOMPLETE, OTHER TIMES
IT'S TURNED OUT TO BE TOTALLY
WRONG.
TRANSPARENCY HAS BEEN LACKING TO
SAY THE LEAST.
IT'S KIND OF LIKE WATCHING A
CASE STUDY ON HOW NOT TO HANDLE
A CRISIS.
IMAGINE WHAT IT'S FELT LIKE FOR
THE FAMILIES OF THE PEOPLE ON
THE PLANE.
THEY'VE BEEN PLEADING FOR MORE
INFORMATION.
SO WHY HAS IT BEEN SO BAD?
MAYBE ONE MAJOR REASON IS
BECAUSE MALAYSIA DOES NOT HAVE A
FREE PRESS THE WAY WE'RE USING
TO HAVING HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES.
THE MEDIA THERE IS MOSTLY
GOVERNMENT CONTROLLED, SO
OFFICIALS ARE NOT IN THE HABIT
OF ANSWERING QUESTIONS THEY
DON'T WANT TO ANSWER.
YET, THERE ARE SOME MALAYSIAN
REPORTERS ATTEMPTING TO DO WHAT
WE TAKE FOR GRANTED TO COVER THE
GOVERNMENT'S ACTIONS WITHOUT
FEAR.
ONE IS THE EDITOR IN CHIEF OF
THE MALAYSIAN INSIDER AND JOINS
ME NOW FROM KUALA LUMPUR.
>> THANKS, BRIAN.
GLAD TO BE HERE.
>> IT'S CLEAR MALAYSIA IS
DEALING WITH A NATIONAL TRAGEDY,
ONE STILL UNFOLDING.
HERE WE'VE BEEN SURPRISED BY
SOME OF THE LACK OF INFORMATION
WE'VE HEARD FROM THE COUNTRY
YOU'RE IN.
IS THAT TYPICAL THERE?
IS A LACK OF INFORMATION A
CONSTANT PROBLEM FOR SOMEONE
LIKE YOU WHO IS REPORTING ON THE
GOVERNMENT ALL THE TIME?
>> THEY'RE NOT USED TO LIVE,
24-HOUR LIVE COVERAGE WHERE
EVERYTHING IS EXPOSED.
THEY'RE USED TO EDITS THAT COME
OUT IN 8:00 NEWS BULLETINS.
THE TV STATIONS ARE CONTROLLED,
RADIO STATIONS ARE CONTROLLED,
PRINT MEDIA IS CONTROLLED SO THE
ONLY FREE MEDIA IS ON-LINE
MEDIA.
>> ON YOUR WEBSITE, FOR EXAMPLE,
YOU REPORT SOMETHING THAT
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS DON'T LIKE,
WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES SOME.
>> WHAT THEY DO IS THEY
INVESTIGATE YOU FROM COVERING
SOME OF THE EVENTS.
WE HAVE A TAG THAT SAYS, WE ARE
JOURNALISTS BUT THEY BAR US FROM
SOME OF THE EVENTS.
THEY BAR US FROM BRIEFINGS.
ONLY HAVE EXCLUSIVE EDITORIAL
BRIEFINGS FOR PRINT MEDIA AND
ELECTRONIC MEDIA.
WE CAN'T CONTROL THEM.
>> I'M INTERESTED TO HEAR WHAT
IT'S LIKE TO OPERATE IN A
COUNTRY WHERE THERE IS SO MANY
DIFFERENT KINDS OF GOVERNMENT
RESTRICTIONS ON THE PRESS.
ARE THERE SPECIFIC EXAMPLES
YOU'VE BEEN BARRED FROM COVERING
A CERTAIN STORY OR HAD
INTERFERENCE IN SOME WAY?
>> YES.
I MEAN, THE FACT THAT WE ARE
IMPARTIAL, NEUTRAL AND WE ASK
QUESTIONS, THAT REALLY MAKES
PEOPLE UNCOMFORTABLE.
THEY'RE NOT USED TO BEING
QUESTIONED THIS WAY.
THEY'RE USED TO PEOPLE JUST
ACCEPTING THE ANSWERS AND
PRINTING OUT THE NEXT DAY OR THE
LATE NIGHT NEWS BULLETINS.
>> ARE YOU APPREHENSIVE TO TALK
ABOUT THESE EXPERIENCE?
DOES IT MAKE YOU FEARFUL OF
CONSEQUENCES DOWN THE LINE.
>> THERE WAS A TIME FEW YEARS
AGO WE WERE FEARFUL SOMETHING
WOULD HAPPEN TO US.
FROM THE PREVIOUS PRIME MINISTER
THEY STIED THEY WOULD TAKE A
HANDS OFF FROM THE INTERNET
MEDIA.
THEY HAVE NOT ACTUALLY HASSLED
US IN ANY WAY, OR CALLED US IN
FOR QUESTIONING OR TAKEN DOWN
OUR STATEMENTS FOR ANY OF OUR
COVERAGE, BUT I HAVEN'T
PERSONALLY HAD ANY OF MY SERVICE
CONFISCATED OR ANYONE HASSLED.
ONCE IN A WHILE YOU MIGHT GET
YOUR SERVERS.
YOU DON'T KNOW WHO DOES IT.
YOU MIGHT SUSPECT SOMEONE LINKED
TO THE POWERS THAT BE BUT YOU'RE
NEVER SURE.
>> IN YOUR SITE IN PARTICULAR OR
JUST IN GENERAL?
>> IT HAS HAPPENED TO US A
COUPLE TIMES.
BEFORE THE GENERAL ELECTIONS,
YOU KNOW, WE EXPERIENCED HEAVY
DENIAL OF SERVICE ATTACKS.
AND WE HAD TO USE SOFTWARE LIKE
CLOUD, GOOGLE SPEECH, JUST TO
GET OUR SERVERS UP.
IT WAS MASSIVE.
ONE OF THE ATTACKS NEARLY
KNOCKED OUT MY INTERNET
PROVIDER, THAT HE HAD TO BLACK
HOLE US FOR A FEW DAYS.
THEY COULDN'T TAKE THE TRAFFIC.
>> WELL, IT'S A BRAVE THING TO
BE DOING, TO BE REPORTING ON THE
WEB, GOING AROUND THE GOVERNMENT