The Agnes Lin Saga: Unethical Journalism by ST... or not?

I would have thought that with such a restrictive media environment in Singapore, journalists would not have to resort to underhand tactics to come up with stories and sensationalise events in order to compete with other media companies.

How wrong was I?

THE PUBLIC SIDE

Agnes Lin, a 22-year-old undergraduate at NTU, was featured on a Sunday Times article dated 26 October. You can read the original article here. Nur Dianah Suhaimi, the ST journalist who wrote the story, portrayed the student as a spoiled brat and an extravagant spendthrift who squanders her parents' money on expensive bags, handphones and overseas holidays.

In the article, Agnes "thinks a friend of hers, who is left with $20 (and reluctant to ask her parents for money) to last until the end of the month, is silly to consider taking up a part-time job to earn some extra cash."

Since last Sunday, the online community has been rampant on the behaviour and lifestyle of Agnes Lin. Netizens have been unforgiving and even savagery in their comments.

This girl seems to be the epitome of the materialistic girl...

HER SIDE

On 27 October, one day after the story was published on Sunday Times, Agnes posted an entry on her blog in an attempt to defend herself from the seemingly unjustified things written about her. The blog entry can be viewed here.

According to her, the journalist has left out several important facts in an attempt to create the image of a spoilt child in her. She has tried to call ST and the journalist for an explanation but that have not gotten back to her.

IN HER WORDS

'Firstly, no i did not call my friend SILLY for wanting to work part time and i did not, for one, said that i do not understand why she cannot just ask her parents.
What the reporter asked me was " Do you have any friends you know facing financial difficulties or are in need to money?"
I said " Yes, I've got a friend who has only 20 dollars left for the month. I told her to ask her parents but she said no because she want to be independent because she is already 20 and should not be asking for her parents for money so often already.. So she asked me whats the fastest way to earn money."
WHICH PART STATED THAT I SAID SHE WAS SILLY? HELLO, STUPID REPORTER OBVIOUSLY DO NOT UNDERSTAND ENGLISH.'

THE BREAKDOWN

So, what are the indiscrepancies and other information ommitted by the ST article?

The high-end expensive phone

ST: 'At the moment, she has her eyes on the latest mobile phone in the market, the HTC Touch Pro, which costs about $700.Although her mother has said 'no' to her buying yet another mobile phone, Ms Lin has an inkling she will still get it.'I think my mum will still buy it for me. My birthday is coming up!' she said with a giggle. She confessed that since young, she has never run out of cash. Her parents give her money whenever she asks.'

(loaded words are in red)

Agnes - her current phone is spoilt...

THE SIDE OF THE OTHER HER

Nur Dianah Suhaimi, the ST reporter who covered the Agnes Lin story, wrote an article in her ST column on her frustrations.The original article can be viewed here. In it, she expresses unhappiness on how she has been the target of unfair judgment in her years of growing up, and even in her job. In her own words, she said that 'As a Malay, I’ve always been told that I have to work twice as hard to prove my worth'.

AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, MY SIDE

Has the reporter went on a personal agenda to target someone who seems to fit into her idea of the spoilt Singaporean kid?
And has Agnes Lin become her unfortunate target?

To me, there is only one issue of concern here; journalism ethics and mixing emotions with the call of duty. And from this one issue spins off into an entire web of questions.

If what Agnes has said was right, then the reporter has indeed displayed a lack of ethics in her interview... Ok if you haven't gotten the picture, let me recap with you. The reporter asked Agnes if she knows of anyone who are in financial difficulty. She then replied, saying that she knows of a friend who is left with only $20 for the rest of the month, but is reluctant to ask her parents for money, thus she is working part-time. Then, the reporter writes that Agnes thinks that her friend is 'silly to consider taking up a part-time job to earn some extra cash.' ERm... wait... where's the link, yo??

That is like asking someone how he feels about being betrayed by a friend, and then that someone replies, 'I want to see justice done.' Can we then say that he is fuming with anger and wanting to get his revenge?

However, Agnes has done little to justify her claims. Besides the ranting and complaining going on in her blog, she has also filled it up with photos of branded bags and dresses, and even using an assortment of vulgarities on it.

If Nur Dianah is displeased with the labels that has been put on her, she may be the best person to understand how Agnes Lin feels right now; someone who has been labelled by the state media as a spoilt brat.

And even if Agnes Lin is THE ultimate spoilt brat of the state, is the tirade of verbal abuse thrown at her, which is a direct result of the media's portrayal of her, a fair and just treatment for her?