ABSTRACT
Journalism in Malaysia remains torn between a free press and government control despite tremendous growth this century and the introduction of the first newspapers in this Southeast Asian nation. Government intervention and political party ownership of Malaysian mass media have limited the concept of free, fair, and fearless journalism. From the government’s perspective, news media should be catalysts for national development. While this model of journalism is increasingly challenged by digital and market-driven media, most Malaysians still consume the traditional pro-development print and broadcast sources (Mustafa 2000).
