NECF 40-Day Fast & Prayer - Part 6: Media

September 3 - 7

Though most people attribute the start of modern media to the beginning of radio in the early part of the 20th century, it really started with foot messengers of ancient days. They carried all manner of information. The most sought after news and information was about wars. The Gibeonites tricked Israel into thinking they came from a faraway country instead of Canaan. Joshua could have been helped by efficient media when he was tricked into entering into a treaty with the Gibeonites (Joshua 9).

From the foot runner, to the town hailer, the pony express, the printed daily newspaper, television, radio and now the internet--one thing has not changed: people want and need news and information. The types of available media, and its pervasiveness (or accessibility) has increased considerably with time. In the process, it has made media more powerful. It has the capability to set up and to bring down governments, corporations and individuals. Facebook and Twitter (the most popular social media platforms today) have provided a user friendly and an efficient manner in which news and information can be disseminated. Media is a key pillar of society that people are prepared to go to great measure to control.

In today’s circumstances, many media organisations are operated on profit motivation. This has added to the challenge of having media that builds society. Like money and many other things, media can be used to build or abuse. There is no doubt about its power.

The Malaysian media scene is fast developing. In the pre-1983 era, the only daily news and information sources were television and radio run by the government (except for a wired radio service called Rediffusion) and the privately owned printed newspapers. Since then, new licences were given for private operators of television and radio but many, if not all, were related to the ruling government of the day. While this was not bad in itself, it created some conflict of interest in the way news was presented. With the advent of the internet, and a growing hunger for independent news and information sources, internet news has become very popular and attracts audiences of all ages and strata of society.

As the prophesy in Daniel 12:4 says, many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased. Truly media is an important pillar for transforming this nation.

Sreedhar Subramaniam

CEO of GoodTimes (Online magazine)