Decades of dedication: Wong (centre) and Roz Ariffin (left), representing his late father Rozaid Abdul Rahman, with Zambry during the MPI-PETRONAS Malaysian Journalism Awards 2024 in Kuala Lumpur. — IZZRAFIQ ALIAS/The Star
KUALA LUMPUR: Datuk Seri Wong Chun Wai has been accorded the country’s highest media award as a National Journalism Laureate.
The Bernama chairman has thus joined a handful of veteran journalists who have been given the honour.
Wong, 64, was announced as a recipient at the Malaysian Press Institute 2024 awards here last night.
The Star columnist with over 40 years experience joined the newspaper as a junior reporter at its Penang office in 1984 after graduating from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.
“The Star remained my only employer until 2023 but I have continued writing for the newspaper every Sunday,” he said.
Wong had also served Star Media Group as its group chief editor and chief executive officer.
The award was presented by Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Zambry Abdul Kadir.
Wong is the 14th journalist to be chosen for the award. The first was the late Tan Sri Abdul Samad Ismail of Utusan Melayu and New Straits Times in 1988.
This was followed by the late Tan Sri Lee Siew Yee (1992) of New Straits Times and writer cum activist, the late Datuk Ishak Muhammad or Pak Sako (1995).
Other notables included Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar, Datuk Kadir Jasin, Khalidah Adibah Amin, the late Datuk Ahmad Rejal Arbee, the late Tan Sri Zainuddin Mydin and Datuk CC Liew.
Wong has delivered numerous exclusives for The Star including interviews with the late physicist Stephen Hawking, ex-US president Bill Clinton and former Indonesian president Joko Widodo, among others.
More recently, he interviewed former Thai prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra in Bangkok.
In 2003, Wong won the MPI best feature award for his investigative piece on Malaysians undergoing terrorism training in Afghanistan.
His other accolades included being the first Malaysian to be elected into the Paris-based World Editors Award as well as being a chairman of the Asia News Network with over 21 media affiliates.
“My advice to fellow journalists is to never stop writing.
“I wish to commend my fellow veterans Tan Sri Johan Jaaffar, Datuk Seri Azman Ujang, Datuk Yong Soo Heong, June Wong, Veera Pandiyan, N. Dorairaj, Datuk Kadir Jasin and Datuk Kuik Cheng Kang, who still write, whether regularly or occasionally.”
He has also used digital platforms including Instagram, X and YouTube to express his views.
Wong said he was a firm advocate of trained journalists, saying “we have gone through years of learning, understanding the legal limits and even sensitivities in multiracial Malaysia”.
“More importantly, the established media is accurate and we take responsibility for what we publish,” he said.
He said social media has “allowed everyone to be a so-called journalist but it has also led to unverified and fake news as well as hate content passed off as news”.
On his most memorable experience as a reporter, he said: “To be in Aceh, Indonesia, in 2004 after the tsunami tragically hit the place claiming 200,000 lives.”
Wong said it was heart-wrenching to see the tragedy and to understand “what the massive nauseating smell of death was like”.
He also recalled going into Kampung Simunul in Semporna, Sabah, in 2013 shortly after armed Filipino intruders had killed several Malaysian policemen.
He recalled walking into the deserted village to find “fresh human tissues and blood still on the ground”.
Wong said journalists had tough jobs but also had ringside seats to watch history unfold.
“It’s the best job around – that’s my advice to young people.”
He is also the author of Penang’s History, My Story, which was published by The Star in 2014.
Wong dedicated his award to all Malaysian journalists for their contributions as witnesses to the nation’s history.
