KUALA LUMPUR, March 20 (Bernama) -- Information Minister Datuk Seri Zainuddin Maidin today asked newspapers not to quote from blog websites when writing news stories as the source of the information cannot be considered authoritative.
He hoped newspapers would be more responsible by quoting only authoritative sources as many bloggers were relying on newspapers for credibility.
The minister said he was disappointed as there were blog websites that have not been updated and carried inaccurate information, causing uneasiness and confusion to people surfing the websites.
"The information are posted on the blogs by people with no authority. Why you as journalists have to quote a blog website as the source of your story and then publish the news in the newspaper that has authority?" he asked.
"The information posted on the blog website may be something provocative, politically motivated, inaccurate and are mostly rumours floated for the interests of certain parties," he said.
"You (journalists) should not allow your readers to believe blog websites as a reliable source," he said when commenting on the trend among newspapers to attribute blog websites as the source, hence indirectly promoting them.
Zainuddin advised readers suspicious of the information posted on blog websites to refer to the mainstream media to get the true picture.
He said journalists who quoted websites are actually not being fair to themselves, to their readers and newspapers for picking up a doubtful source and providing space in newspapers for a person whose identity was unknown.
He said the move would create problems to journalists and their newspapers if what was reported was not true, exposing them to the risk of being sued.
Zainuddin hoped newspapers would not give credit to blog websites as they could become influential and become widespread.
Saying that there was no need to ban blog websites, he urged bloggers to be more responsible.
Zainuddin said the Government could control the bloggers by way of legislation although his ministry did not have the power to do so.
Earlier, the minister launched the free tickets and "D-Paradise" and "E-Commerce" websites, an eco-tourism destination and a 168-hectare animal park in Melaka.
-- BERNAMA
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