What Does Press Freedom Mean to You?

What does Press Freedom mean to you? We asked this question to local journalists and citizens, as well as international media advocates. Here's what they had to say...

Writers for Women's Rights Workshop

Have you ever disagreed with or felt angry about something a politician, or a reporter said or did, and wanted to raise your concerns but didn't know how? Have you ever felt like you have something to say about an issue, but didn't know who to tell? Come and see how you can use the media to voice your concerns, and bring about change. Learn how to write a letter to the editor, and make your voice heard. The AWAM's Writers for Women's Rights (WWR) will show you how to do this and how to use the media as a mode for activism. This will be a 1 1/2 hour session on Portrayal of Women in Media and How to Write Letters to the Editor.

The workshop is on 3 May at 4pm.

Trainer's profile:
Ng Tze Yeng runs Mosaic Street, a 4 person design and advertising outfit; and writes for Freespace, an opinion column in The Sun. She is on the AWAM's Working Collective and the co-ordinator for the Writers For Women’s Rights Programme. She loves feminism because it’s an ideology that helps her question ideologies, and challenge her own assumptions about herself.

Vizla joined the women's movement in Malaysia in 2005, when she began working at WAO. She joined AWAM's Writers for Women's Rights Programme (WWRP) in 2006, and is now in the Planning Team. She is also on WAO's Executive Committee. A full time student now, she is in training to become a Clinical Psychologist.

This event is open to the public - so, please do come if you have been itching to find out about media freedom issues and to get effective tips on writing letters to the editor - forward it on to friends who have been complaining about the news, and tell them here's a chance to do something! :)

Note: This workshop was wrongly stated in the banner as happening on Sunday, May 4. We wish to remind those interested to come on May 3 (Saturday).

May 4: Towards Media Law Reform-Speakers' Profile

Teo Nie Ching
Teo Nie Ching is the new member of Parliament for Serdang, and one of the eight-member team of MPs to table the Freedom of Information Act Bill in the parliament. Nie Ching is a lawyer and has been active in politics and human rights issue. Politics runs deep in her family. Her father was the secretary of the DAP Labis Campaign Committee, and her sister and brother-in-law are the Chair and the Deputy Chair of DAPSY in Labis respectively. In 2007 Nie Ching represented a UM student who was charged under the UUCA for political involvement and the Malacca pig farmers in the community's controversy with the state government. Nie Ching was also the commentator for AiFM and had a column in Nanyang Siang Pau.

Andrew Khoo Chin Hock
Andrew Khoo is the Bar Council's Co-Deputy Chairperson of the Human Rights Committee, having joined the Bar in 2006. He has been a practicing lawyer for 13 years, specializing in commercial and corporate laws and has a law firm of his own.




HR Dipendra
HR Dipendra has been a lawyer for eight years. A passionate believer in freedom of expression, Dipendra was part of the Southeast Asia Media Defense Network initiated by the Southeast Asia Press Alliance (SEAPA) and University of Oxford. He is currently the chairperson of the Kuala Lumpur Young Lawyers Committee. Dipendra has an LLB from the University of London and master in law from the London School of Economics.

Moderator: Wong Chin Huat
Wong Chin Huat is the chairperson of the Writers Alliance for Media Independence (WAMI), a position he held since 2006. His involvement media freedom activism began in 2001, during the take over of Nanyang Siang Pau and the China Press by MCA. He was in the Committee Against Takeover (CAT) formed in response to the crisis. Prior to that he was the feature writer for Nanyang covering politics, social and cultural issues. Wong is a PhD candidate from the University of Essex and now lectures in journalism in Monash University, KL.

Setting the stage for WPFD

The 12th General Elections have presented some interesting opportunities and a platform to reiterate some of the issues related to freedom of expression that have been highlighted in the past.

The most notable was the extent to which the newspapers echoed the Barisan Nasional propoganda before and during the elections campaign, and possibly in ways that did more damage to the party. Readers have complained about the overly biased articles and reports, and a media monitoring initiative revealed the numbers to describe the bias.

The case of Makkal Osai, whose application for 2008 was rejected then given after an appeal raises questions about the minister's absolute discretion under the PPPA. Makkal Osai is happy, but for how long and for that matter, the other newspapers as well, especially Oriental Daily News which has yet to get its permit. See Chin Huat's article in theSun today on the PPPA.

Home Minister Syed Hamid Albar talked about relaxing the licensing provision under the PPPA, a recommendation made many times before from the media community and civil society groups. Examples, see CIJ, KAMI , WAMI, Charter 2000 and SUHAKAM.

How will the change in the political landscape with 82 Parliament seats and 5 states in the hands of the Pakatan Rakyat affect the media freedom agenda?

Will we have a Freedom of Information law in this term? Prime Minister Abdullah Ahmad Badawi has reiterated his commitment towards openness and accountability, but nothing much can happen as long as we have secrecy laws that protect abuses and wrongdoing. The opposition is proposing an FOI bill in Parliament, drafted by civil society, while the Selangor state government is pledging to introduce a state legislation within the year. How will BN respond?

One of the topics hardly mentioned in Malaysia is the need for community media, mainly in the form of community radio. Even the most developed nations have community media that add to the diverse and plural media environment, but importantly, to ensure that marginalised and dissenting views can reach the wider public through their own media. The internet is being exploited to get these through, as in the case of the communityforests.org that provides news roundups on issues of relevance to indigenous peoples. Examples of issues are the recent International Fact Finding Mission (IFFM) for Indigenous Peoples Land Rights that got very little coverage, and the Ipoh Echo, available in print for the Ipoh folks and online.

These are some of the issues that set the stage for this year's WPFD and we look forward to an engaging crowd at the forums as well as the exhibition.


"Freedom of Expression, Access to Information and Empowerment of People"
Some background to the theme, taken from the UNESCO's website for World Press Freedom Day.

Press Freedom contributes to Empowerment
In order for citizens to engage in public debate and to hold their governments and others accountable, key elements of living in a participatory democracy, citizens must have access to free, pluralistic, independent and professional media. The idea that communication and dialogue between different members of society will occur naturally cannot be taken for granted, and the media provide a means of access to information and igniting dialogue.

The role of community media
Even though many media outlets have made provisions for audience participation and have therein become more accessible to the people they serve, nowhere is accessibility and specificity of purpose so well defined as with community media. Currently radio is the most widespread form of community media in the developing world because it is cheap to produce and to access, can cover large areas, and overcomes illiteracy.

Access to information
Information can change the way we see the world around us, our place in it, and how to adjust our lives in order to maximize the benefits available through our local resources. Fact driven decision-making can significantly alter our political, social and economic perspectives. The right to access information can be interpreted within the legal frameworks that support Freedom of Information as it applies to information held by public bodies, or in a wider sense to encompass both access and circulation of information held by other actors, where it becomes intrinsically linked to Freedom of Expression.

Excerpts from UNESCO.

May 3: Towards Ethical Media- Speakers' Profile

Zainon Ahmad

ZAINON Ahmad is the political editor and consultant editor of theSun. Before joining theSun in 2002, he was the assistant group editor of the New Straits Times. Zainon also conducts training for jounalists and serves as media consultant in Malaysia and abroad. He was a visiting fellow at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Boston, and holds a masters degree in history. His column, What They Say appears every alternate Tuesday in theSun.

Jacqueline Ann Surin

Jacqueline Ann Surin's 14 years experience in journalism first started in The Star newspaper. In 2003, she joined The Edge as a business and economic writer and rose to be the assistant news editor of its sister publication, theSun in 2006. She and two other colleagues started malaysiavotes.com, a news portal dedicated to the reporting of the 12th General Election. Jacqueline is the winner of the Society of Publishers' Excellence in Opinion Writing Award in 2007.

Moderator: Gayathry Venkiteswaran

Gayathry Venkiteswaran was a journalist in The Sun for five years and was thrown into media activism as a result of a retrenchment exercise in 2002. She joined CIJ in 2002 as editor for the RadiqRadio project and took over as CIJ director in 2003 and as the Executive Director in 2007. She has also been a lecturer in two private colleges and worked with an international body as a communications manager. She has her first degree in journalism from Universiti Sains Malaysia and a Masters in International Relations from the Australian National University.

WPFD update

The annual World Press Freedom Day is drawing near on May 3. This year, the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) is organizing a two-day event inviting Malaysians to shape the road map to media freedom. If, as people say, all roads lead to Rome, what sort of direction would you, as Malaysians, want to see the media take? How do the stakeholders, i.e media practitioners, and political leaders see the future of media freedom in Malaysia post election?

All events to take place at the Annexe, Central Market, Kuala Lumpur.

This will be a two-day get together to discuss, give input, and engage with opinion-makers on reclaiming media freedom. There will be public talks, workshop, exhibition, wall-painting, survey and activities to spell out the path(s) towards a future of media freedom. Here is the highlights of the main events:

3 May
Public talk I- Towards Ethical Media

The public rejection of the mainstream media (MSM), the shift towards alternative media during the elections, and the recent boycottof the MSM organized by the People's Parliament can be read as an angry response over perceived unethical and unprofessional media coverage. Most common, the complaint was around biasness and media blackout of the opposition. With the opposition currently receiving relatively more and prominent coverage in MSM due to their big time electoral victory, does it mean that the public has no more reason to be critical of the MSM?

The discussion would take advantage of the spark already ignited to heighten the public awareness on what constitutes ethical media practices, so that participants can move beyond the awareness of biasness and media blackout and are capable of assessing both the MSM and alternative media from a broad ethical perspective. Rather than boycotting the MSM, the discussion encourages an active and discerning media user who embraces both types of media and yet critical of them.

Time: 12:30- 2:00pm

Speakers: Zainon Ahmad, Jacquelin Ann Surin, Wan Hamidi Hamid
Moderator: Gayathry Venkiteswaran


4 May
Public talk II- Towards Media and Information Law Reform

The electoral results opened many windows of opportunity for legislative reform in the area of media and access to information. While many may think that changes at best can only happen in the opposition controlled states, the discussion attempts to impart information on various mechanisms available in introducing and pushing for nationwide legislative reform, specifically on free media and access to information. Participants will be also getting an idea of CIJ's commitment to media and information law reform and lobbying work.

Time: 12:30-2:00pm

Speakers: YB Teo Nie Ching, Andrew Khoo Chin Hock, HR Dipendra
Moderator: Wong Chin Huat

Don't miss out on the weekend space for you to chart the course for the media you want!

World Press Freedom Day Ideas and Contributions..

Hie there readers,
Well the World Press Freedom Day (WPFD) is coming up, and i would love to get some new and interesting ideas about activities that we can actually do to make the event a successful one. Success in this matter is referred to the idea of making the public more aware about their freedom to express their feelings and their thoughts out into the world. Here are some of the ideas that Katy, Gaya and I have come up with so far:

a) Handing out disposable cameras to minority groups of the society thus, allowing them take photos of what they think is actually freedom of expression from their perspective or way of life. For an example, Ted Adnan's blog shows a great deal of Freedom of Expression. Some of his photos, which are currently being exhibited in The Annexe in the "What now? Malaysia After 50 " exhibition.

b)Have a debate with groups consisting of University students collaborating with Blogger(s) and arguing out about the facts of "Freedom of Expression" in Malaysia and how it has changed over the years.

c)I personally believe that a blogger giving a speech about the Press Freedom and Freedom of Expression in Malaysia, would seem like a more approachable idea, when compared to it's counterpart, an elderly person (Generally a man), who has great knowledge and experience on the topic at hand, but just lacks the presentation skills to bring forth the message to the public.

d)Invite salesmen/saleswomen who have cool and creative shirts/shoes or any other sort of products that consumers might like. These products should be a form of Freedom to Express, like shirts with messages imprinted on them/ paintings embedded with messages for a free world to express the artist's feelings, so on so forth.

I would love to get more ideas from the readers/ Commentors. Thank you for taking your time. Have a good day.
Cheers
-Sarnan-

Getting ideas for WPFD2008

Hi all,
We know we are a bit early, but better to start thinking soon of what to do next year. CIJ is open to ideas on how we can celebrate World Press Freedom Day. We have some ideas, like organising gigs in different places, a press freedom tour and exhibition, people's forum and handing a memo to Suhakam, just to remind them that they haven't done much about promoting press freedom in Malaysia ().

So, if you have any ideas, just let us know, post your comments and we'll try to organise fun and serious stuff! We've seen cool ideas here from Loesje and takebackthetech, just to name a few.

Cheers, and a Happy New Year.

Gayathry
Executive Director, CIJ

Pictures from WPFD People's Arts Fest

The instant expert goes instantly!

The ComeBack Kings "teaching" the public about press freedom

Exhibition on communication rights

At the poetry reading session...Han, Melissa and Sharon





Zunar and his political cartoons

50 years on...the untold stories of workers


Mei Chern playing at the concert



A real troubadour...off the plan and on to the stage! Azmyl Yunor

Malaysiakini.com: Press freedom or nothing at all

By Bede Hong
7 May 2007
The children were tasked to draw anything they wanted. Freedom of expression. From self portraits to seashells, the results were as varied as the opinions of adults that hovered over them.

As many parts of the world observed World Press Freedom Day last Thursday, it passed without a major blip on Malaysia’s calender.

The few who did pay attention converged at the Central Market over the weekend, where events where held as a reminder of what the country has yet to achieve.

Political cartoonist Zunar, who exhibited his work at the Annex building, said real changes come through a change of government.

Noted for his stinging cartoons, Zunar is an unabashed Opposition man. He is editor-in-chief of Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s newspaper Suara Keadilan.

Blogging, the new force

His cartoons, banned by mainstream media, finds its way to the public through malaysiakini and several other alternative publications.

“The media is one with the government. I don’t think this government is willing to change. Since they don’t want to change, the best way is for a new government to be elected into power,” he said.

“The mainstream needs to do their part. If they don’t the only way to affect them is to ignore them. We don’t want their news,” he said.

In the case of a boycott, Zunar offers bloggers as the alternative “news providers.”

“They are a new force to be reckoned with,” he said.

Blogger Ahirudin Attan or Rocky's Bru while supporting this, said there should be some constraints.

The former executive editor of the Malay Mail, currently facing multi million ringgit suit by News Straits Times Press (NSTP) Holdings, disagreed with a total repeal of all laws concerning the press.

“There is a need for [certain elements] of the laws,” he said, referring to the 30 odd laws that govern the local press, including the Sedition Act and the Printing Presses and Publications (PPP) Act.

Free up the press

It was not so for Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ) executive director Sonia Randhawa.

“There is no way that press freedom and the PPPA can exist together. You can't have more freedom or less freedom. You either have freedom or you don't,” she said.

She said power comes from defining the limitations on the press. How comments could be determined as an insult by those in power is an example, she said.

“We need to take examples from countries that have a history of peaceful co-existence [among groups]. The only way to achieve this is to free up the press, talk about issues, talk about problems,” she said.

All laws that govern the press must be repealed, she added.

The World Press Freedom Day was organised by CIJ, Traubadours Enterprise and malaysiakini. In addition to the arts workshop for kids, there was poetry reading and screening of several documentaries on discrimination.

A dozen children of Kampung Berembang settlers who were evicted by developers early this year, held a ‘wayang cardboard’ on Saturday night. They played out the eviction.

Also performing at nights were Panda Head Curry, Pak Pandir, Azmyl Yunor, Mei Chern, Modar, Peter Brown, Tan Sei Hon, Kamasutra and local rock band Carburetor Dung.

Watch a 10-minute video clip here.

In case you missed the flyer...

Drawing in kids to express themselves

By Chai ML

The painting clearly shows a smug, white cat bathed in a background of light and dark brown hues.


The painter Tan See Ling asked me what I thought of it.

A non-connoisseur’s reply?

Simple. The use of soft pastel colours coupled with short, delicate brush strokes which make up the cat, and a pink ribbon wrapped around its neck show a painting lavished in feminine touches.

A contented feline drawn by a female artist, I said, with the same expression donned by the cat.

Tan motioned to me to observe the backdrop of the artwork more closely. I ran my fingers over, and realised how coarse and thick the brown splatter of paint was.

It was done out of sheer force and all spurred by negative feelings, said Tan.

Obviously, the cat couldn’t be that contented.

“Surrounded by the filth of the world, which is represented by the colour brown, the cat closes its eyes and looks away. It remains pure and untainted,” she said.

I couldn’t help but mull over how off on a tangent my answer had been.

Sensing my thought, Tan gave me a reassuring smile.

“It wasn’t wrong. Your opinion was not wrong,” she said.

“But surely it is! You are the painter. No one knows the painting more than you do,” I exclaimed.

“Yes, I’m the painter, but what you see belongs to you. Art embraces freedom. It gives me the freedom to express how I feel, but also accords you the freedom to view it the way you want.

“The artist is obviously conveying something to the viewers through his/her work. Shouldn’t we get the same message when we are viewing the same piece of art?

“Of course not. An artwork, no matter how directly presented, is open to interpretations. A painter knows that his/her work invokes in different people various sort of feelings and thoughts. That’s the beauty of art, and many artists use this ambiguity to hint on what they feel without being too direct, with hopes that the audience would be able to ‘read between the lines’. Doesn’t this strike a chord in you how similar art is to the printed word?

“Yes, both are a form of expressions.

“Correct. And why use the short term measure of shooting down an opposing idea directly when you can create an avenue for the public to think and judge for themselves on issues surrounding their life by using subtlety?”

For art teacher Tan See Ling, art is everything freedom – the freedom to express, to convey a message, to hold differing opinions, and to believe in what one truly feels.

No one has the right to dictate how you should feel or think about an art piece, much the same as issues like democracy and freedom of expression, she said.

The art instructor in the Turkish International School imparts this in her classes and also during lessons in her Thumb Art Studio in Taman Segar Perdana by allowing her students, ranging from toddlers to adults, ample space to string their thoughts together, find their own voice and convey them in their own way.

And what best way to encourage individuals to embrace freedom and acknowledge their rights other than starting them young?

Note: Tan See Ling will be holding art activities for children on Saturday and Sunday, 5 and 6 May at 11am in CM.

Talk on critical cartoons by Zunar

Political cartoonist Zunar will be having a special discussion on critical cartoons on Sunday 6 May from 5pm - 7pm at the Annexe@Central Market.


Zunar has published his collection titled "Cartoons on Tun...and others"


Followers of Zunar from his early days in Gila-Gila, Berita Harian and now Malaysiakini will be able to chat with him on the use of critical cartoons as part of their freedom of expression.

Speaking at the launch of his book "Cartoons on Tun...and others", Zunar said he does not draw merely for laughs.

“I don’t draw just for laughs. I draw so that people would laugh and think. I’d like to think of myself as a drop of water in the ocean but at least I am able to create a ripple or even a wave,” he added. (Excerpt from malaysiakini report)

Zunar's exhibits of some of his works will be up at the Annexe workshop area the whole of Sunday. He will meet his fans and have his discussions at 5pm.

Activism your own way

D.I.Y Aktivisma!

What in the world is an activist? Do you need a collective? Must you join an NGO? Is it necessary to have lots of button badges, chant slogans and hang out at demos?

Uhm… we don't really know. But we reckon activism is whatever happens when someone does, says or thinks of something that doesn't just involve the individual, but the larger context that we exist in. Something about relationship between the self and other people, public institutions like the media, school or government, animals small and big, air, water, sky or trees.

But hey, what do we know. Come hang out with us during the World Press Freedom Day Art Fest at Central Market, and set us straight :)

In the meantime, we'll also be sharing skills like silk-screen, stenciling, playing with masks, illustrations and more! Oh, and a session on what to do when the police tries to arrest you (of course)

DoItYourself Aktivisma is happening at:

When? Saturday, 5 May 2007
Time? 4pm
Where? Central Market, between the main building at the Annex
Who the heck are we? katagender.blogspot.com
More info? kata.gender@gmail.com

---

D.I.Y. Aktivisma!

Apa benda tu aktivis? Perlu ada kolektif? Mesti join NGO? Kena pakai berpuluh-puluh button badge, sahut slogan-slogan semua dan lepak kat demo?

Uhm… kami pun tak tahu sebenarnya. Tapi, kami rasa, aktivisma berlaku apabila sesiapa melakukan, berkata atau memikirkan tentang apa-apa benda yang melibatkan bukan saja seseorang individu, tapi konteks yang lebih besar. Tentang perhubungan di antara diri-sendiri dengan orang lain, insitusi awam spt sekolah, media atau kerajaan, binatang2 yang comel dan juga hodoh, air, udara ataupun pokok.

Tapi bukannya kami tahu apa-apa. Datang pada Pesta Seni Hari Kebebasan Akhbar Sedunia dan ajarler kami apatu sebenarnya aktivisma :)

Pada masa yg sama, kita akan berkongsi pengetahuan tentang silk-screen, stensil, main2 dgn topeng, ilustrasi dsbgnya. Oh, dan juga (semestinya) sesi tentang hak2 asas bila ditahan polis.

DoItYourself Aktivisma akan berlaku pada:

Bila? Sabtu, 5 May 2007
Masa? 4pm – 6pm
Dimana? Pasar Seni, di antara Annex & bangunan utama
Kami ni siapa? katagender.blogspot.com
Nak tahu lagi? kata.gender@gmail.com

Coverage in The Star Metro

Central
Monday April 30, 2007

Highlighting press freedom through the arts

By CHARLES FERNANDEZ

WORLD Press Freedom Day (WPFD) will be celebrated at Central Market on May 5 and 6 and the public can learn about press freedom and freedom of expression through the arts.

This year’s event, themed Saving Journalists, will feature theatre performances, workshops, poetry readings, film screenings and music performances.

“We hope to create awareness about the importance of protecting journalists and the media through arts,” said Centre of Independent Journalism (CIJ) executive director Sonia Randhawa.

CIJ is organising the event, which is celebrated annually on May 3, with Malaysiakini.com and Troubadours KL while Central Market and its Annexe are the venue hosts.

Awareness poster: (From left) Sonia, Tan, See Tho and Phoon Chi Ho having a look at posters promoting the event.


CIJ, which started in 2001, is a media organisation that aims to improve current Malaysian journalism practices and independence through advocacy, research and analysis, training and practical work.

Sonia added that often people feel isolated from media freedom issues and do not see how it affects their lives and, by using the arts, people can experience the connection.

Performers like Shanon Shah, Azmyl Yunor, Tan Sei Hon, Pak Pandir, Carburetor Dung, Modar and RS Murthi, with his new band Kamasutra, will provide the platform for the public to experience the connection.

Comeback Kings from Taylor’s College and a theatre team from the Kajang Cultural Group and the Komuniti Anak Seni Kampung Berembang will provide the opening acts during the two-day event.

Cartoonist Zunar will have a session at the Annexe to talk about critical cartoons while children can attend an art and DIY workshop organized by katagender.

Malaysiakini business development manager See Tho Chee Seong said the public is free to choose not only the media as their channel to convey their opinion but they can also transform their views and feelings through other mediums.

WPFD was declared by UNESCO in 1993 to promote press freedom around the globe.

Finalised programme

Saturday 5 May

The launch of People's Art Fest by CIJ will be held at noon with a book launch and an opening act by the ComeBack Kings

11am
Art for kids by Tan See Ling
12-6pm
DIY and BBB Cultural Group (t-shirts)
1pm
Poetry Reading
3pm
Film Screening
4pm
DIY Activism by katagender
6pm
Wayang kadbod by Komuniti Anak Seni Kg. Berembang
7.30pm
Music Concert
-Peter Brown (7.30pm)
-Tan Sei Hon (8pm)
-Kamasutra (8.30pm)
-Installation Art and Performance commemorating U Win Tin (9pm)
-Shanon Shah (9.30pm)
-Carburetor Dung (10pm)

Sunday 6 May

11am
Art for kids by Tan See Ling
Zunar's Exhition opens
12-6pm
DIY and BBB Cultural Group (t-shirts)
12pm
CIJ's Radio Production Workshop
7.30pm Concert
-Kajang Cultural Group
-Panda Head Curry (8pm)
-Wayang kadbod by Komuniti Seni Kg. Berembang (8.30pm)
-Pak Pandir (9pm)
-Leow Mei Chern (9.30pm)
-Azmyl Yunor (10pm)
-Modar (10.30pm)

Shanon live at Central Market

Who can resist the charming, witty, funny yet superbly talented Shanon Shah, the winner of the Most Promising Artist Award at the 2003 Cameronian Arts Awards? Exactly, no one.


So, don't fight any resistance streaks there and just come along to Central Market on 5 May (Saturday) where we will be having a night of concert, with Shanon as one of the performers.

Shanon used to be a part of the Radiq team back in 2001 before he left for the "other side", but we are all so glad he's been able to do the things he love since then too, music and activism.

A good piece on Shanon back in 2005 in the Star can be found here. By the way, Shanon will be hosting this year's Cameronian Arts Awards. Cool eh?

Getting media coverage

Our press conference today was attended by journalists from Malaysiakini.com, The Star and Sin Chew. We are hoping to get some coverage in theSun as well, so keep a look out.

"Ok, feed them well before they ask all the questions."

The p/c was conducted by Centre for Independent Journalism executive director Sonia Randhawa, Malaysiakini business development manager See Tho Chee Seong, TroubadoursKL artistic director Tan Sei Hon and Phoon Chi Ho of ComeBack Kings.

From left: Sei Hon, Sonia, Phoon, See Tho

Malaysiakini.com reported on the press conference this evening. The link is here.

Read CIJ volunteer Khor Hui Min's piece on the events that will be published in the Epoch Times here.

Flyer on WPFD

Mei Chern takes to the stage on 6 May

Mei Chern writes and sings mostly quiet and instrospective songs delivered with an earthy voice.

"I think most singer-songwriters or musicians who love what they do have experienced being in that magical place of utter contentment while performing; some call it being in the zone, while others call it being home...or maybe that's just me."

She first felt that while playing at a little student folk club in England, and later at NoBlackTie, Actor's Studio Bangsar, KLPac in Kuala Lumpur, Acoustic Routes in Cambridge, UK, and The Esplanade in Singapore. 'Feels Like Falling' was recorded in 2003, and went on to win the top download award on musiccanteen.com, 2005. 'Do you see me like you' was written for an award winning documentary called Alice Lives Here (Freedom Film Fest, KL, 2005), and 'My Time' was written for 'Twelve 11', a documentary on the collapse of the Highland Towers 13 years ago (Freedom Film Fest, 2006).

An experimental psychologist by training and a contributor for the Freespace column (The Sun), her songs can be heard on myspace.com/meichern

Note: Mei Chern will be performing on Sunday, 6 May.