Assistant News Editor and Chief Political Correspondent | Malay online
Diversity and the Media MA- 2013
The course has been and still is useful for me back here in Malaysia as tensions between ethnic communities and religious, sexual bigotry is at an all time high, as the knowledge that I have obtained during my MA course in Diversity and the Media has prepared me for a world where "difference" is viewed with skepticism and disgust and minorities continue to be marginalised.
I first applied for the MA in Diversity and the Media as I felt the course would be relevant to me as a journalist and I was attracted to certain aspects of the course module content - specifically the role of the mass media in the social construction, representation and understanding of difference and how this impacts on the ways that media organisations construct narratives about and therefore the identity of communities (ethnic, sexual, religious) within a societal framework.
Having completed my MA back in 2013, I can safely say that the course has certainly expanded my outlook as a media practitioner and how news articles can construct either inclusive of divisive narratives worth just the use of headlines and graphics. In my current role as an assistant news editor, I continuously strive to apply the theories I have learnt during the course of my MA - mostly importantly the fine line between publishing news and not propaganda, putting out facts while striving to provide a balanced space for all members of society. The course has been and still is useful for me back here in Malaysia as tensions between ethnic communities and religious, sexual bigotry is at an all time high, as the knowledge that I have obtained during my MA course in Diversity and the Media has prepared me for a world where "difference" is viewed with skepticism and disgust and minorities continue to be marginalised.