KUCHING: A true journalist can be likened to a diamond while "instant" journalists are just glass, says Bernama chief executive officer, Nur-ul Afida Kamaludin.
She said the community should be able to identify the work of "instant journalists" as they are writers who do not comply with journalistic ethics.
"Journalists with ethics are the 'diamonds' of the profession. The instant version is just glass. They may appear the same but the quality is missing and I believe they are just looking to generate content to accumulate followers," she said on the Selamat Pagi Malaysia X Apa Khabar Malaysia programme on Monday (May 27).
Two morning talk shows, Selamat Pagi Malaysia produced by RTM and Apa Khabar Malaysia produced by Bernama TV, were merged and broadcast live in conjunction with National Journalists' Day (Hawana) 2024.
Meanwhile, RTM director-general Datuk Suhaimi Sulaiman, who appeared as a guest on the programme, said the Hawana 2024 celebration was themed "Ethics, Core of Sustainable Journalism" to remember the importance of ethics in the field of journalism.
"If we do not have ethics and if we do not maintain professionalism, we are not journalists," he said.
Recalling his days as a young journalist, he said the verifying information to ensure it is accurate and the right to reply were often emphasised by his editors.
"There are many things a journalist has to go through but the challenge of journalists is how to summarise all those (elements) in a short period of time," he said. – Bernama
