The Citizens for Accountable Governance Malaysia (CAGM) yesterday chastised Sarawak Report editor Clare Rewcastle Brown for denying that her husband Andrew Brown was acquainted with former Prime Minister Dr Mahathir Mohamad.
Calling the denial a ‘blatant lie,’ CAGM chairman Md Zainal Abidin warned her not to ‘manipulate facts for ulterior motives’.
FMT had yesterday reported former journalist Clare as denying CAGM’s earlier claim that her husband had sought Mahathir’s assistance to expand Électricité de France’s (EDF France) energy business in Asia, saying that Brown and Mahathir did not know each other.
She also said that Brown worked for EDF Energy UK (EDF UK), and not EDF France, and that he did not have any involvement in the latter group’s global operations.
In response CAGM chairman Md Zainal Abidin asserted that her denial was intended to “deceive the public and protect her husband.”….
Zainal said, adding that Brown himself had coordinated a 2008 nuclear pact between France and the United Kingdom while his brother held office.
Despite expressing CAGM’s support for Sarawak Report’s initiative to expose 1MDB’s alleged wrongdoings, he reminded her to practice responsible journalism, adding that it was “morally and ethically wrong to hoodwink the Malaysian public in the pretext of fighting for justice and transparency.”
Before giving lectures on ‘responsible journalism’ Mr Zainal Abidin should be aware of some of the basic requirements.
First, there should be substance to a story, whereas it is hard to understand what the point of his waffle in this instance is all about.
Second, it is extremely important to get your facts right, particularly if you are using phrases like “blatant lie”, “morally and ethically wrong”, “hoodwink” and the like.
Mr Abidin has been quoted saying that Andrew Brown was “friends with Dr Mahathir… in order to pursue a business venture”
He then implied Sarawak Report is merely a mask for some nefarious if unspecified commercial activity.
Talk of corporate jets and nuclear pacts has also been risibly added.
As any editor would inform a newsroom rookie you had better be able to back this up, especially since you have just advertised a million dollar kitty to pay for ‘stories’.
Zainal can’t back it up – he is the liar or it is he who has been hoodwinked. Either way, he should not attempt to give lectures on journalism.