So Kosmo! ran an apology in yesterday's papers. I read it only in the evening. I mean, like really... would I rush to see what they've created?... I mean... written?
Here's what it said.
Keluarga Yasmin, Kosmo! mohon maaf
Pada hari Isnin 27 Julai lalu, Kosmo! menyiarkan satu laporan mengenai pengarah filem, Yasmin Ahmad yang baru meninggal dunia.
Laporan bertajuk Takdir Yasmin itu telah menerima pelbagai reaksi. Kosmo! prihatin dengan reaksi-reaksi itu.
Sebagai sebuah akhbat yang dekat dengan masyarakat, Kosmo! ingin meminta maaf kepada ahli keluarga Allayarham Yasmin, sahabat handai dan para pembaca yang tersinggung dengan penyiaran berita tersebut.
Now... I don't know about the family and cannot speak on behalf of them.
But as a friend, and fan, I am wiling to forgive and forget the whole incident. To err is human, to forgive is divine, Yasmin would have reminded us.
The question is - do Kosmo! get off scot free just ike that? After all - their aim of selling more papers were achieved through their little publicity seeking stunt. Is it a genuine apology, or a PR attempt to salvage their pride, if any, after everyone starting speaking out against their despicable action?
Called kak Fati and was told that the stand of the governing bodies of the advertising agencies on their one month boycott beginning 10 August on Kosmo! is not known at the moment.
I have word from those within Kosmo! itself that some staff members among journalists there, DID raise concerns over the horrendous approach they took in their previous story. AND YET they went ahead with it, without any reservations for the sake of sensationalism.
I mean come on - they skewed it to serve their purpose.
So can Kosmo! guarantee it will not happen again? Or will they apologise again if it ever gets too hot in the kitchen if and when they do this again.
Can the person responsible BE NAMED for the sake of journalistic integrity. Both the person who came up with the headline for the front page, and teaser, as well as the writer of the article on Page 2.
Can we be assured that action will be taken against them as a lesson?
And can the advertising bodies PLEASE continue their boycott of the paper for the promised month as a lesson that such insensitivity NEVER occurs EVER again in the future.
What do you think?
Before you answer. Let me just point out one thing about the apology.
Did they mention anywhere that THEY WERE WRONG?
Oh I forgot... they were just being a paper sensitive to the sentiments of the people they're so close too by saying that and they apologised to those who FELT offended. Big difference me thinks...
The apologised to those who felt 'offended'.
That's a big difference from admitting they were WRONG.
WRONG in not getting the facts right. WRONG in printing it. WRONG in sidelining their own journalists who protested against it before it made into print. And WRONG in playing a PR game.
It should have been an unreserved apology - and I hope they pay for it.
PS - Leaving Melaka. Will update on last day's activities there ASAP. Am wondering if Kosmo! if off the hook, how about the Kwong Wah Jit Poh story that did the same thing as Kosmo! Do they get off because we don't read Chinese characters?
PPS - People from Ikea called and said a magazine is interested in featuring my makeover in their magazine. Er... I didn't win did I? So why should I waste time doling out free publicity, pray tell? Panggil je pemenang korang rasa layak sangat tuh.
18 comments:
Peka sgtlah tu konon! And ur right Joe..
Apology tu sbb readers' sensitivities..
Not a word admitting they had done wrong...
It's like we're doing this bcoz of the readers'
reactions je!! Lets hope the ban stays.
Joe...baca tak yesterday's Star...kat columnists...
Tajuk dia....
An obvious icon for 1Malaysia
Along the Watchtower
By M. VEERA PANDIYAN
Damage has been done! Nak puke when I saw the paper semalam....
BTW, today in Star, British India one page ad tu pun sweet, with shots of some of aruah's work...very sweet...
FazzzyFaz - read that piece in Star yesterday...Berita Harian also yesterday had something on aruah's project (tak ingat nama dia, chocolate or something), tak tahu dah complete ke tidak. Sounds neat, looking forward to seeing it.
I am a fan of Yasmin Ahmad. I really look up to her.
Her work was genius and i beleive that her heart was made of gold.
However, i do feel that what Kosmo did wasnt THAT bad. they were just reporting the truth. and i appreciate them for doing that.
I couldnt help but wonder why alot of people in the journalism industry is so against this report. Its not unethical, its not some made-up gossip. There are plenty of gossip written and published every single day which in their own way tarnish a celeb's reputation. This has been done for the longest time..
Forgive me if im wrong, but i think the media plays an important role of reporting facts.. and yasmin's transformation are crucial facts of her life.
In my opinion, the public (readers) should be exposed to the truth. I know Yasmin has done great stuff in expressing unity but that should not give her an immunity. why should the industry protect her?
I am puzzled by this. I beleive it is common for a reporter to include facts of the person's life in their story. this should compliment the overall story..
How could a publication choose not to release certain facts? -If this is common, does it mean that the media is not transparent?
As a celebrity, every little secret could make it to the newspaper. and yasmin's was not a little one. and she should not be protected for whatever reason.. the public deserves to know the truth.
i notice the argument was about the issue brought up too soon; a day after the funeral. but if we think again, when is ever the right time to write the story? A week, a month or a year later? eventually the story should be written.
forgive me if you think i'm wrong but i do think the story was just ok. it has nothing to do with respect or whatever. it was news. Its one of the thing one have to deal with if he/she choose to be in the limelight...
The story has not changed my perception towards yasmin. I have always respected her, and i will always do that.
she should be an example of a person who knew what she want with her life, and she has done it with utmost pride.
I am proud of her and i love her; at the same time, i thank Kosmo for allowing me to know Yasmin a little bit more.
I agree with Indra. I love Yasmin for what she was too. The loving and sensible Malaysian. And I cant believe she's not around anymore. But the story written is just the fact of who Yasmin was. Just like a bibilography I think. And I have read somewhere written that, people are willing to accept Yasmin but not Zulkifli. That's why they are angree with what was written. As for me, Yasmin or Zulkifli is the same person who have touched my heart with her work and I love her for that. Facts just remain facts.
Apa anda dan mereka yang mengherdik/menghentam Kosmo dan berkehendakkan tindakan dimbil ketas Kosmo, telah lakukan ialah, mengiktiraf bahawa khunsa adalah satu golongan manusia yang "aib" dan "memalukan" kondisi mereka DAN dimata masyarakat, golongan khunsa adalah golongan "jijik dan pariah".
Indra - all they did was imply she was a man, with no further explanation. trust me, yo do not know her better from the kosmo! story. yes, if they wanted to share facts, they should have gotten it right.
they failed to mention many things, including at the time of the funeral, she was pronunced yasmin binti inom - something that musim friends will know that someone who had sex op with never get recognition for.
bottomline, they painted a wrong picture of who yasmin was.
waarior2 - pandangan tersebut hanya pada diri kau, kerana jelas ko tidak membaca artikel itu dan faham implikasinya.
i hope this won't happen again.ever.
joe, drg berminat sbb bilik u paling ada ummpphh...cuma takde rezeki menang, dlm lima2 tu, saya berkenan makeover u lagi.
Damage has been done. Cukup atau tidak cukup maaf yang diucapkan oleh KOSMO is totally up to Yasmin's family, close friends and fans to decide. But i believe if Yasmin is here today she wud juz ignore all dis and keep on doing her gud work to dis nation. She is higher than these people who is so busy to bring her down. I've done my part. I have tell my side of story on Yasmin's behalf. Even though its not enuff but dat is the least i cud do. We always drawn to see bigger pictures dat we always forgot to see and catch small details things.. Who is Yasmin. What is Yasmin. She is now wif ALLAH. And ALLAH know her better.. Nuff said.
Warrior2 - gua kesian lu sebab lu cetek..
Right on spot Joe... Itu lah what many
failed to see...they failed to see that kosmo
had misled the public by not giving a
complete picture....had they given the complete
picture...and with the consent of Arwah's family
members, the uproar cld have been avoided...
Get Over It and Move On...
Thanks for your response. Appreciate it.
Now it does make sense; when u mentioned that arwah was adressed as "Yasmin Bt Inom".
That would not be possible if she was just a person who had a sex op!
Now i am realy curios, what is the full story? I've read few stories on the net but not sure if its true.
Would you be able to clear the situation? i truly dont know..
Warrior2..isk3..ada lagi yg tak faham situasi sebenar nampaknye..
the reason why we are against the article in Kosmo! is because that article seems to be incomplete..
therefore, there's a lot of ppl who doesnt know head n tail of the story starts to speculate cite2 yg tak eloh ttg arwah..
which means, bende ne had subsequently led to fitnah..
kesianlah family arwah org dok mengata mcm2..
hope u could understand now..
kalau tak faham lagi..taktaula saya..
Anonymous : you can choose to move on another blog if you don't wish to think about issues like this.
Indra : that's the problem. it's all too personal. but if they wanted to tell the world, they should have told ALL the facts and not spice it up by skewing it to serve their purpose.
piko : thank you. took the words right out my mouth
Read yoday's berita minggu... Family arwah
akan saman wartawan n editor unless they
personally pergi jumpa family arwah mohon maaf
and minta maaf openly thru all media atas
kesilapan......
@Indra:
You said that you're a fan of Yasmin Ahmad. I doubt it.
You said you really look up to her. I doubt it.
You said that you're proud of her and love her. I really doubt that too!
You seems don't understand what 'love', 'proud', 'look up to', and 'fan' really means.
You cannot say that you love Yasmin Ahmad just by saying you love her, but you must really mean it.
What if someone reveal your loved ones greatest 'aib' just after his/her death(tanah kubur dia pun masih merah lagi)? How would you feel?? Clearly you don't seems to understand that for someones who easily said that you 'love' Yasmin Ahmad.
Besides, you "thank"(WTF??) kosmo for allowing you to know Yasmin a little bit more???! What on earth makes you think that the article was the fact???!
Peace!
Apakah aibnya khunsa itu?
Dilahirkan khunsa satu perkara yang mengaibkan?
Menukar sex kepada yang dominan itu aib?
Walaubagaimanapun Kosmo menceritakan nya, the fact remains, kondisi khunsa itu tidak aib. Orang seperti anda semua yang menjadikan ianya aib. Thats my point!
uh oh... someone's trying to defend the KOSMO's article...
hmmm... I wonder who he/she/they is/are...
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