AT one time, The Star was part of the morning ritual of coffee and newspapers.
While it continues to deliver in-depth news and analyses in print as well as online via its website, The Star Online, it has also pivoted to social media to capture the attention of younger readers.
As The Star grows beyond its 55th anniversary and beyond, it is no longer merely pushing news onto social media – journalists and editors are now increasingly reporting news on and for social media.
Taking to reels, posts, and short videos, news is now delivered fast and short.
The Star is one of the first few newspapers to establish its presence on social media, setting up accounts on platforms such as Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Whats-App, Telegram, X, LinkedIn, and Threads. Today, The Star’s Facebook account alone has over 1.8 million followers.
Social media specialist Syauqi Jamil, who joined the social media team in 2019, highlights how people get their news today is changing.
“The younger generation mostly get their news from social media platforms.
“And this has also changed the way we deliver news to them,” he says.
Urging everyone to only follow social media accounts of verified media agencies for their news updates, he stresses that getting credible and verified news should always be a priority.
“Everybody wants to be a news bearer on social media, although most of the time their ‘news’ can be inaccurate, out of context or fake,” he says, sharing how much of the team’s time is spent debunking viral claims.
“This means hours of pouring over comments on our accounts.
“It used to be that something would only become an issue if someone with credentials spoke about it.
“Now, every issue will be thoroughly judged by the public and will be amplified by discussion on social media,” he says.
Many, says Syauqi, read only the headline before immediately commenting.
“Most of the time, the comments stemming tend to be negative or, worse, defamatory.
“Since the news agency provides the platform for such comments, legally, it too is guilty of defamation and the news agency can be sued,” he points out.
“Today there are various platforms that work differently. So reposting stories needs to be done accordingly, with designated manpower too,” he says.
Since the launch of The Star Online on June 23, 1995, The Star has steadily expanded its digital presence from establishing Malaysia’s first news website to stamping its mark on social media today.
The Star was one of the earliest news agencies in Malaysia to dive into the digitalisation of news at the time, and to build a portfolio that offered content through print, The Star ePaper, and a mobile app.
It now serves as the foundation of an online community with a strong following on social media platforms.
“Every platform is active daily with news updates curated specifically for each platform,” says Syauqi.
“And more features are being continuously added to The Star Online.
“We are always growing by seeking to expand existing reach while keeping up with the next way of delivering fast, verified and credible news,” says Syauqi.
