Launch of U-Click News Portal

UTAR Journalism in Chinese Media (JCM) students in the Faculty of Creative Industries launched the official UTAR Chinese news portal “U-Click” on 29 January 2016 at the Sungai Long Campus.

Present at the U-click news portal launching ceremony were UTAR President Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik, Sin Chew Daily Executive Editor-in-Chief Kuik Cheng Kang, Cari.com.my Managing Editor Tan Boon Kooi, 8TV news anchor Owen Yap, UTAR Vice-President for R&D and Commercialisation Ir Prof Dr Lee Sze Wei, Faculty of Creative Industries Dean Dr Chin Yee Mun, and U-Click Launching Ceremony Organising Chairperson Thong Li Min, a JMC final year student.

From left: Dr Chin, Tan, Kuik, Prof Chuah, Yap, Prof Lee, and Thong at the launch

In his speech, Prof Chuah remarked, “Rapid dissemination of questionable sources of information on social media may lead to confusion among readers. Despite the prevalence of such random social media contents, there are numerous credible and reliable sources for valid news. We must aim to be analytical readers and responsible writers who hear no evil and propagate no evil.” He added, “The JCM programme was set up in May 2011. UTAR is the first private university in Malaysia which offers the Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Journalism in Chinese Media. The university aims to educate our students to be professional and ethical journalists.”

Prof Chuah speaking at the launch

“The U-Click news portal is wholly managed by the JMC students and it is an important learning platform for them to further develop media literacy and ethics. We welcome support from the students and feedbacks for improvements,” said Wong Chen Vun, the U-Click news portal advisor.

A casual interview with Wong (left)

The launch also featured a special dialogue session by guests from three different media platforms; namely, Kuik from printed news, Tan from online news, and Yap from telecast/TV news.

Guests at the dialogue session

Kuik said that, “The pen is mightier than the sword. The role of a journalist is not just about writing a news article. A journalist also needs to interview people from different social backgrounds and relay the correct and appropriate message to the public. Therefore, journalists must develop journalistic professionalism and be aware of their social responsibilities in presenting the facts with accurate word choice. Student journalists can start training while at university. As learners, you must not be afraid of mistakes as they are proof that you are learning but you must improve with each mistake made.”

“The emergence of online news sharing tools has brought about a new media known as ‘self-media’ where people can easily create interwoven contents and collate information from multiple sources, without knowing the truthfulness of the contents. Hence, writers for online media must be impartial and not produced biased news. To ensure content credibility, writers must practise and seek consistent and professional journalistic efforts,” said Tan.

Emphasising further on journalistic objectivity, Yap explained, “News must remain unbiased regardless of the journalist’s opinions or personal beliefs.” He continued, “Online media platforms also allow two-way communication and encourage more interactions with the audience. Therefore, U-click journalists can collect information from its readers without bias. The views presented should be fairly comprehensive in reflecting the actual scenarios.”

From left: Kuik, Tan, and Yap

The U-Click news portal comprises the Campus News, Community News, Feature News, and Lifestyles. There is also a section for video clips. “It is an official media platform for the novice JCM journalists to practise news reporting skills and editorial operations on a regular basis. More importantly, U-Click aims to disseminate news among the UTARians, its partners and the surrounding communities in Sungai Long and Mahkota Cheras,” said the organising chairperson, Thong.

The launch also featured several performances by the UTAR Sungai Long Music Club, UTAR 24 Festive Drums, and UTAR Kampar Dance Club. The launch ended with a lucky draw.

The U-Click news portal launch was sponsored by Amazing Advisory Sdn Bhd, Standard Language Centre, Metro Kajang Holdings Bhd, World-Point Academy, and N&N Manufacturing Sdn Bhd.

Readers can visit the U-Click news portal at uclicknews.wix.com/uclicknews and its Facebook page at fb.com/uclicknews.

The U-Click news portal committee members