So not only do I stink at making a habit of reading the news, I obviously don't deserve it for my lack of appreciation. In Malaysia, I just learned, the government owns and control all of the major newspapers. The only exception to this is when the government would grant permission - usually only to small publications. This changed today though, when according to the New York Times, the court "ruled that the right to freedom of expression includes the right to publish and is a fundamental liberty." According to the executive officer of the Center for Independent Journalism in Kuala Lumpur, described the decision as "very significant" because few permits for print newspapers have been given out recently. The Internet is relatively free and unregulated in Malaysia, and now the new court ruling will certainly aid the furthering of free-speech in the country. However, the government has one month to file a appeal against the decision if it so decides. This really struck me: "many Malaysians, particularly those in rural areas, still rely on print." What an interesting thought - if I had to read the newspaper to get information, and couldn't just scroll through my Twitter feed to cherry pick what I thought was interesting. I hope that this case changes the regulation of the newspaper industry in Malaysia and I hope this also motivates me to take advantage of what the first amendment gets me.
http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/03/world/asia/malaysian-court-rules-that-publishing-a-newspaper-is-a-basic-right.html?_r=0
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