GHOSTS of publishing are very difficult to exorcise. You could have taken utmost precaution with your content or have 10 eagle-eyed editors with 30 years of industry experience vetted it yet one silliest of mistake sneaked through.
Such scenario – coupled with tight deadline and manpower constraint, a phenomenon which is evident across newsrooms the world over today – could have led to a costly or earth-shattering oversight.
Sadly, the rather outstanding artistic conceptualisation of the Chinese jong as a symbolic gesture to welcome the landmark state visit of China’s president Xi Jinping has literally gone down the dustbin with the Sin Chew Daily’s omission of the crescent moon in Jalur Gemilang.
All of a sudden, all the good intention and hard work poured into laying out the April 15, 2025 edition of one of Malaysia’s top two Chinese newspapers is forgotten with jury aplenty out there to demonise the publication.
Such is perhaps the cruelty of journalism where editors constantly live with a sword of Damocles hanging over their head.
Irony or otherwise, this certainly sends a chilling message to all counterparts as to how the crescent moon (a symbol representing Islam as the religion of the Federation) is capable of bringing down Sin Chew Daily’s reputation that has been built over a span of 96 years to its knees.
His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, King of Malaysia rightly pointed out that a flag is not just a “colourful piece of patterned cloth” but represents the struggle, history, the meaning of independence and the spirit of the common people.
“The mistake of displaying a picture of the Jalur Gemilang without a crescent moon as published on the front page of a local Chinese-language newspaper could trigger the people’s sensitivities and is unacceptable,” he penned on his Facebook page.
AI hazards
In all probability, Sin Chew Daily deserves to be reprimanded – heads must roll even if it must earmark a fall guy to take the wrap – but certainly not to the extent of revoking its publishing licence as taunted by some detractors.
Despite having 13 police reports already lodged against it with investigation underway under Section 4(1)(b) of the Printing Presses and Publishing Act 1984, a pertinent point is that Sin Chew Daily has issued a tri-lingual apology in English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Chinese.
“This was an unintentional error made during the design process,” the paper clarified. “We’ve amended the digital version and the same notice will be published in the print version.
“We apologise unreservedly to our readers, members of the Malaysian community and the general public. We regret the error.”
As the Home Ministry has issued a show-cause letter and initiated an investigation into the matter, it is of paramount importance for the relevant authorities to filter out political noises that can be toxic in their decision-making process.
As rightly argued by Gerakan Media Merdeka (GERAMM), while Sin Chew Daily must be accountable for the blunder, reactions must be measured while refraining the use of outdated laws.
“We strongly condemn any calls for extreme action, including public boycotts, harassment of media workers or punitive measures under outdated laws like the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984 (PPPA),” stressed the journalist group that advocates for a free and independent media in a statement.
“These reactions don’t contribute to constructive discourse and only serve to endanger media freedom in Malaysia.”
As it is, Sin Chew Daily has conducted a thorough internal review on the matter with the personnel responsible for the error subjected to disciplinary action.
Interestingly, its editorial department has also reviewed procedures, particularly with regard to the use of artificial intelligence (AI) which could have contributed to the oversight.
“We pledge to be extra cautious and sensitive in handling matters that may harm national dignity and interracial relations,” added the daily. – April 17, 2025
