IPOH: Even in the age of 24-hour social media and the Internet, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim still reads newspapers every day.
The Prime Minister paid tribute to the traditional medium.
“While I do check for updates on social media, I still read newspapers every day,” he said during the 2023 National Journalists’ Day (Hawana) celebration.
“Reading newspapers is a compulsory habit of mine and I believe that the role played by newspapers is more relevant than social media,” he said during the Hawana 2023 summit at the Casuarina Convention Centre here yesterday.
Anwar urged the media to remain true to their principles in order to remain relevant, adding that a recent US study disproved the theory that the industry was on the decline.
“If the media preserve their integrity, independence and quality, they will survive.”
During the event, former journalist and cartoonist Datuk Mohd Nor Khalid received the Hawana 2023 award.
Mohd Nor, who is fondly known as Lat, said his experience working as a crime reporter made a big impact on his life.
“The opportunity to be a journalist helped shape me as I was a shy person. I gained confidence by asking questions to police officers and the IGP (inspector-general of police). It also made me feel more empathetic,” he said, adding that he, too, preferred newspapers.
“I feel more satisfied when I get to hold a newspaper. It feels like I’m reading a book. Unlike when you read it from a gadget, the sense of belonging is not there.
“Sometimes when I see forwarded messages in my group chat, I often wonder if they are true or not.
“But when I read a newspaper, I know the story is valid. Even my artworks are printed,” he added.
Lat received the award along with RM10,000 cash, a trophy and a certificate of appreciation.
Before he was a cartoonist, the 72-year-old served as a reporter at Berita Harian from 1970 and later as a crime desk reporter at the New Straits Times newspaper from 1973.
