Report

‘New media’ as a term encompasses the emergence of digital, computerised, or networked information and communication technologies. This includes online news portals (clicks-and-mortar), online newspapers (digital press), blogs (independent authors/commentators), and social networking sites which use Web 2.0 applications such as Twitter, Facebook and Myspace. This project focuses on the use of new media to disseminate news, information, opinions and general discourse to web-citizens and its implication from a socio-cultural, political and legal stand. The primary focus will be on how and to what extent new media has affected the democratic process in both Australia and Malaysia, and the interaction with the policy and regulation regime on censorship and transparency in each country.

The Australian Federal elections in 2007 and the Malaysian General elections of 2008 saw an unprecedented use of new media techniques such as blogs, online news, You-Tube postings, and social networking sites by politicians, commentators and voters. This trend was similar to that seen all over the world but there are distinctive differences between how these techniques were employed in the Australian context and the Malaysian context and the interplay of politics and new media in each.

Research for the report is currently taking place in both Australia and Malaysia, and the final report is expected to be published on this website by the end of September 2009. The final report will also be available in a Malay language version.

Interviews

In undertaking this research project, the team will be interviewing prominent journalists, bloggers, editors, and politicians, as well as policy makers and officials. Interviews will be carried out in both Australia and Malaysia, with transcripts and video of the interviews posted onto the website as they become available. Where possible, transcripts will also be translated into Malay language.