UiTM Willing To Offer Course On Blog Writing, Says VC

Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) is willing to offer a course in blog writing in an effort to produce more professional and ethical blog writers, its Vice Chancellor Datuk Seri Profesor Ibrahim Abu Shah said.

He said the move would also be in keeping with current developments, where a majority of the society were being drawn to the alternative media.

"Currently, we do have blogging studies in our curriculum and this will be enhanced further by introducing a course on blog writing.

"I feel that the Communication and Media Studies Faculty is ready to conduct the course and I fully support this move (to introduce blog writing course) as it is time for us to help produce bloggers who are not only professionals, but with ethics," he told a media conference after opening a seminar on Media and the 2008 General Election, here Monday.

Ibrahim said although academic qualifications were not an asset for those wanting to become blog writers, there were certain ethics which they should adhere to in expressing their views to avoid them from writing on matters which were negative and seditious.

"Everybody can be a blogger but we cannot simply write as we like because there are certain rules to be observed, like whether the words used are ethical and the subject matter is true or otherwise" he added.

Earlier in his speech, Ibrahim said the new media had become the focus for the young generation due to its anti-establishment tendency.

He said the society looked upon the new media as a space for them to express their thoughts and whose development could also be seen as a process to enhance the government's accountability as well as a "watchdog" for the people.

Referring to the result of the recent general election, Ibrahim said the people had activated the cyber revolution by displaying information that had caused the fall of several states to the opposition.

"Isn't there any other media which can provide a balance to the situation. Do we have to be trapped and allow ourselves to become victims of the cyber media without any check and balance on ourselves, family and the society.

"It's here that I think the cyber colony can be regulated. If the blog is used, then it is also through the blog that we can merge the traditional and new media," he added.

The one-day seminar is attended by more than 200 participants, comprising academicians, media practitioners, politicians, representatives from government and non-governmental organisations as well as bloggers where they discussed the role of the media during elections. (Bernama)

***** Guys like Toyol and Malacca's Ali Rustam should be in the first batch so that they can at least publish a couple of quality posts unlike the rubbish they are posting now.

As for the question of ethics, will the varsity course preach that anything which is remotely critical of the government is considered unethical?