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
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