Malaysia's new media gains credibility post-election

It's not just the Barisan Nasional government that got a shock with its worst performance in history at the recent General Elections. The local mainstream media has taken a beating too, with its credibility going down the drain because of blatant biased coverage in favor of the government.

What helped to discredit biased print media coverage were the many blogs and online media which published photos and reports of what was actually going on in political rallies across the country.

If the newspapers failed to report that 30,000 people showed up at an opposition rally, the bloggers would publish photos on their sites to proved that it happened.

There has been quite a change already though with many local newspaper offering more balanced coverage now.

The winds of change have swept through not only the political landscape but also the media environment, says The Star's Editor-in-Chief Wong Chun Wai. It's time for media practitioners to do some serious soul-searching to stay relevant and accurately feel the pulse of the nation.

Let's wait and see if this is a permanent change for the better.