128 The American Journal of Islamic Social Sciences 1 1 : 1 Seminars. Conferences. Addresses National Seminar on Development Journalism 19-21 Sha'bEn 19-21 1413 / 11-13 February 1993 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia This seminar, organized by the Asian Institute for Development Communication in collabomtion with the Asia Foundation, was attended by thirty journalists and media professionals from Malaysia. Among the resource persons were Mochtar Lubis (Chairman, Press Foundation of Asia) and S. M. Ali (Chief Editor, Daily Star, Bangladesh). The seminar was opened by Riley Haji Jeffrey (Deputy Minister of Information, Malaysia), who discussed the importance and the need for development journalism to achieve the goal of Vision 2020 (i.e., be- coming a fully "developed country" by 2020). He said that "mass media should not deprive people of in-depth analysis or exposition of issues in the social, economic, c u l t d , and environmental fields." James R. Klein (Representative, Asia Foundation) analyzed the complementary roles of editors and journalists in fulfilling the objectives of development jour- nalism. Khairul Bashar (Executive Director, Aidcom) outlined the semi- nar's goal: to offer a forum for senior journalists and media executives to exchange views, identify issues, and recommend methodologies for training in development journalism. The "Satellite Teleconferencing" session, which focussed on investi- gative q x x t h g , featured an Asian panel of senior journalists and Ameri- can journalists. This was organized with technical assistance from the United States Information Service. The Asian panelists were Philip Mat- thews, Mochtar Lubis, s. M. Ali, Gamsudin Rahim, and Islami Lustapa. American panelists were Bell Dedman and Jonathan Newman. This panel discussed investigative journalism as practiced in the United States and on sharing the norms followed in practicing the same skills in Asia. The panel on "Development Journalism: Challenges and Future Direc- tion" was chaired by Haji A. Samad Ismail (Chairman, Panel of National Information Policy, Malaysia). Participants included Mochtar Lubis, S. M. Ali, Kadir Jasin (Group Editor, New Straits Z'imes, Malaysia), Abdul Rah- man Sulaiman @dltor-in-Chief, Bernama [Malaysian News Agency]), Haji Mazlan Nordin (Chairman, Bernama), and Samsudin Abdul Rahim (Head, Communication Department, National University of Malaysia). The panel made the following points: development journalism should always portray changes that should be humanized; the process of adjust- Seminars, Conferences, Addresses 129 ment with bureaucracy and social issues should be minored, and there seems to be a need to pay closer attention to what the people are saying. Closing this session, the chairpem said that "media spread the message of independence, a sense of belonging. out past reads for our present and so is the future. You should have the attitude of having a process report- ing." He also alerted journalists on the emergence of a new generation. With more intellectuals and a new middle class, there is much hope for the future direction, he added. In his paper, "Journalism and Development: Current Trends and Fu- ture Challenges," S. M. Ali shad his journalistic experience and offeted some trade secrets. He s t W the need for media to identify linkages in various sectors of development issues that might help reporters present a more alternative story to the layman. He reiterated that a good relation- ship ought to exist between the government and development journalists. Azman Hashim, who discussed "Investigative Reporting: Policies, Constraints, and Limitations (News Agencies)," spoke on how these ele- ments are seen in a national news agency today. He said that the latest developments in the country have created a new definition and dimension for investigative journalism and that journalists can look forward to a more liberal and cooperative environment to make their tasks easier. Is- mail Mustapa's 'The Changing Role: Electronic Media in Development Journalism" traced the origin and development of electronic media in Ma- laysia and the part played by Radio Television Malaysia journalists and programmers. He pointed out the changing role of the electronic media from one of getting the message of the government through to the people to the current need of getting the feedback from the masses. R. Nadeswaran, in his paper on "Investigative Reporting: The Chal- lenge (Print Media)" said that a journalist, while performing his task, must be fully equipped with facts and have a thomugh knowledge of law in o d e r to do accurate investigative reporting. M. Rahmatullah, from ESCAAAP, spoke on "Urbanization in a Regional Persptive." He pointed out the increase in the pace of urbanization and its ensuing envi- ronmental problems. According to him, there are three players here: the government, the media, and the society. Information dissemination to the govemment and society is the duty of the media, and it has to be per- formed at an even pace. He mentioned the need for a communication cor- mpondent to help overcome the bad effects of urbanization. Muji Hassan Programme officer Asian Institute for Development Communication Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia