The actions of a few social media influencers have caused issues for media personnel at the Putra Heights Mosque temporary evacuation centre (PPS), where the gas pipeline explosion victims are taking shelter.
Due to the influencers, media practitioners were disallowed from entering the PPS yesterday (Thursday, April 3), making it difficult for them to obtain information about the victims.
According to a report by Kosmo, the presence of too many individuals who wanted to record themselves in the hall has affected the operations of the PPS, as well as caused a disturbance to the victims there who are still in a state of trauma.
What the journalists on the scene had to say
A journalist from FMT, Minderjeet Kaur, shared that the ban restricted the rights of the media to be given time to report on the current situation of the victims.
“The management should provide time for media practitioners to interview victims. Maybe 15 minutes a day, that is enough. The same goes for victims who need to be informed in advance of the presence of media, who will enter the PPS,” she said.
Another journalist, Nurul Natasha Surin from Utusan Malaysia, said that the authorities should come up with stricter regulations for who is allowed into the PPS for reporting purposes.
“For me, this is very inconvenient and a little unfair, because we want to do our jobs. It is possible that entry into the PPS should be limited to media practitioners who have valid media identification cards only.”
“I am a little disappointed because we were unable to enter, and I think this matter depends on the discretion of the management to handle wisely, because we are here to deliver accurate information to the public.”
“Non-media individuals who want to use victims as content on social media need to have a reasonable mindset before violating the privacy of the fire victims,” added Malaysia Tribune journalist, Khadijah Mohamad Nor.
She added that, with the right arrangements, the media will have the right to work and the victims will have the right to privacy.
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