Petika berita (13 Februari) sempena wawancara bersama Radio Bernama: "Radio akan terus memainkan peranan penting sebagai medium penyatu masyarakat walaupun berdepan evolusi teknologi dan kemunculan platform digital. Pensyarah kanan Fakulti Komunikasi dan Pengajian Media, Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Dr Shahnon Mohamed Salleh berkata sejarah perkembangan radio membuktikan ia sentiasa beradaptasi dengan perubahan zaman sambil mengekalkan fungsi sosialnya. Beliau berkata sejak era awal penyiaran, radio berperanan sebagai alat penyampai maklumat bagi menyatukan rakyat, termasuk ketika tempoh pasca kemerdekaan serta konfrontasi serantau, sekali gus membentuk peranannya dalam masyarakat. Radio digunakan sebagai alat utama untuk menyatupadukan rakyat Malaysia ketika konfrontasi Indonesia dan pada ketika itu antara lagu popular yang sering dimainkan ialah 'Inilah BarisanKita' (Prajurit Tanah Air) Beliau berkata demikian pada program Bernama Radio bertajuk Radio dan Kecerdasa...

 Excerpt from the Dean's keynote speech, prepared for the International Conference on Media and Social Sciences 2025, entitled " Re-envisioning Media, Technology and Society in the Age of AI ": "We are now living in an interesting yet challenging timeline in history. Barely four to five years ago the whole world was struggling with the Covid-19 pandemic and little did we know then that a few years later, AI tools like ChatGPT and Gemini, would not only transform the world but dominate our work and daily life in ways that would have been unthinkable a decade ago. We are now at a critical juncture: what we do today, our decisions and policies, will shape our country and the next generation. Experts and policymakers are still grappling with the question of how should we deal with such technology and its impact. Do we embrace it fully? What guardrails do we need to protect against abuse or breaches of privacy? Are there ethical concerns with regards to its use and featur...

Two weeks ago, my tweet criticising Tourism Malaysia's "strategic partnership" with Starbucks went viral and somewhat broke the news. Focus Malaysia and The Rakyat Post covered the story and shared the tweet along with its accompanying responses. "BOYCOTT of brands perceived to be pro-Israel has complicated many matters. Latest to draw public ire was the naming of  Starbucks Malaysia as strategic partner for the much-touted Visit Malaysia 2026 (VMY2026) campaign. Nevertheless, detractors of the global premium coffee chain find the involvement of Starbucks Malaysia in VMY2026 ‘atrocious’ in light of the anti-Zionist sentiment which is gaining momentum especially following recent detention of the Global Sumud Flotilla volunteers by Israel Defense Forces (IDF). “Whose idea was this?” fumed Shahnon Salleh (@shahnonsalleh) whose post on X has amassed 1.6M views at time of writing “So tone-deaf. Unbelievable.” Full article Related news -  Tourism Malaysia’s “Strategic Co...

 Ari Lesmana, writing for the West Sumatra-based news portal has written quite a thorough review of an academic paper I presented two years ago in Padang. I must say, the first paragraph is quite a hook, perhaps even better than the paper itself. Ha ha. " Bayangkan jika setiap tweet yang Anda baca di Twitter bisa menceritakan kisah lebih besar tentang perubahan politik sebuah bangsa. Inilah yang terjadi di Malaysia pasca-Pemilihan Umum ke-14 (GE14) pada tahun 2018. Sebuah penelitian komprehensif yang menganalisis lebih dari 4.000 tweet mengungkap fenomena menarik: platform media sosial telah menjadi arena baru bagi kebangkitan nasionalisme Melayu yang berbeda dari masa lalu. Penelitian yang dilakukan oleh Shahnon Mohamed Salleh dan Ismail Sualman dari Universiti Teknologi MARA ini bukan sekadar analisis data digital biasa. Mereka berhasil menangkap momen bersejarah ketika frustrasi politik masyarakat Melayu bertransformasi menjadi gerakan digital yang terorganisir dan berpengaruh...

 My tweet on Netflix's removal of Palestinian films was quoted by the Iranian media, Press TV (28 October 2024). "X user Shahnon Salleh also said the removal of films that depict the everyday experiences of Palestinians living under apartheid and occupation is preventing viewers from gaining a more nuanced understanding of the Palestinian perspective. He slammed Netflix for the decision, warning that the remaining Palestine-related films available on the platform portray Palestinians in a negative light and perpetuate harmful stereotypes of Palestinians as “terrorists.” “Films that show the day-to-day realities of the Apartheid and the occupation, like ‘The Present’ are now gone,” he wrote. “What’s worse is the fact that the only Palestinian-related films still available on Netflix are those that portray them as terrorists. Netflix is complicit,” he added. Full story: ‘Erasure’: Netflix succumbs to Zionist lobby pressure, removes Palestinian films

 Ulasan di  Malaysiakini : "Bagi penganalisis politik dari Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM), Shahnon Mohamed Salleh, pengumuman kenaikan gaji penjawat awam setinggi 13 peratus telah menarik hati mereka untuk bersama kerajaan. Shahnon berkata, Menteri Dalam Negeri, Saifuddin Nasution Ismail turut komited dalam menjaga kebajikan polis seperti menaik taraf kuarters kediaman, balai polis & prasarana lain." Laporan penuh:  'Dasar kerajaan mesra penjawat awam tambat hati polis, tentera di KKB'

 Coverage from the New Straits Times . KUALA LUMPUR: Any decision on the membership of the six Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (Bersatu) members of parliament will not affect the majority enjoyed by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim's administration, said experts. They said even if by-elections were called and Anwar's administration lost the six seats held by Bersatu, he would still maintain a comfortable majority. Universiti Teknologi Mara political analyst Shahnon Mohamed Salleh said the six constituencies were also considered "trivial" from Pakatan Harapan's point of view if it didn't win them. "So it's a small bump in the road for the prime minister and there'd be little impact." Full report: Bersatu membership dispute will have little impact on Anwar's majority, say experts

 Media coverage from The Star "Political parties will know today how much, or how little time they have to resolve the most critical issue before nomination day – selecting their candidates. Universiti Teknologi Mara’s Shahnon Mohamed Salleh said that after the dates are announced, candidates and seat negotiations will continue right up to the night before nomination day. “Completing their election manifesto will be another priority as they will need the document ready for the campaign,” said the School of Communication and Media College of Computing, Informatics and Media lecturer. Full report:  Temperatures set to rise (The Star)

 Media coverage from The Star: "Malaysians, say political observers, are looking forward to seeing what is in store for them and what the coalition government under Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob has got to offer in Budget 2023. “This is perhaps the first time that there are people who are more interested in waiting for the Prime Minister’s Parliament dissolution announcement than the Budget itself. “The fact that the Budget was brought forward earlier to Oct 7 is a strong indicator as well as the Umno supreme council meeting concluding that GE15 must be held this year,” said Universiti Teknologi MARA’s (UiTM) Faculty of Communication and Media Studies senior lecturer Shahnon Mohamed Salleh. " There were several key observations for Budget 2023, including that the economic forecast and global outlook for 2023 would generally be gloomy, said Shahnon . “So I expect the government to address these challenges and at the same time, balance fiscal constraints and pe...

So it's less than 48 hours away to the US presidential election 2020. Trump or Biden? In a "normal" presidential election, pre-Trump era, a 10-point lead in a final poll is nothing but a foregone conclusion. Game over. Khalas. But to quote John Kasich, former Ohio Republican-governor-turned-Biden-supporter, "these are not normal times." Nobody is taking the polls as seriously as before, especially after what happened in 2016. The polls are no longer as reliable or as believable as they used to be. Joe Biden could very well win the popular vote but end up losing the electoral college, just like Hillary four years ago and Al Gore in 2000. But 2020 is not 2016 . The Covid19 pandemic has shattered America's "invincible" image and exposed the failure of Trump's leadership. I mean, how do you explain statements like, "I take full responsibility, but it's not my fault"? That is "fascinatingly" one of the most Trumpi...

Coverage from Utusan Malaysia on Anwar Ibrahim's "16 September 2.0" plan: "Dakwaan Anwar Sama Kes 2009 di Perak" - 24 September 2020 "KUALA LUMPUR: Dakwaan Presi­den PKR, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim mempunyai asas yang jelas untuk tidak menunjukkan akuan bersumpah ahli-ahli parlimen yang bersama beliau bagi membentuk kerajaan baharu selagi belum menghadap Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri’ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah. Ini kerana situasi yang berlaku pada 23 September lalu itu sama seperti krisis politik di Dewan Undangan Negeri (DUN) Perak pada 2009 yang menyorot kejatuhan pentadbiran Pakatan Rakyat (PR) terdiri daripada DAP, PKR dan Pas setelah menyokong Barisan Nasional (BN). Penganalisis politik Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Shah Alam, Shahnon Mohamed Salleh berkata, tidak dinafikan dalam mana-mana sistem demokrasi dan berperlembagaan, sebarang perkara berkenaan undi majoriti perlu disuarakan di Parlimen. Bagaimanapun, katanya, jika menyin...

Media coverage from The Star: "Public health and communications experts have acknowledged that the ministry and MKN had a commendable track record of disseminating timely and sufficient information to the public. Senior lecturer of communication and media studies Shahnon Mohamed Salleh said their communication had improved tremendously since the onset of the pandemic in the country. “During the earlier stages of the movement control order that started on March 18, there was a lot of confusion and speculation due to the absence of a proper command or channel of communication. “Generally, the communication is already there now and the government has been quite transparent but, of course, additional information is always good, ” said the Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) lecturer. Shahnon said details of a specific location where Covid-19 cases were prevalent should be made public so that people were aware of where they could travel to and which places to avoid." Full news: Publ...

  The UAE-Israel "peace deal" is officially the worst Arab-Israeli deal since the Egypt-Israel peace treaty 1979 and Oslo Accord 1992.  Despite Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed and the UAE state media's best effort to frame the deal as an Israeli "compromise" - which is nothing but a big joke - the ground reality remains the same. Nothing changes. Israel has been and is still occupying West Bank and East Jerusalem since 1967. There is nothing "historic" or "breakthrough" in this deal as claimed by President Trump.  It's all status quo for Israel, and nothing for the Palestinians. #FreePalestine

What are the similarities between rubber, palm oil and coffee in Southeast Asia? They were all smuggled here via South America, Africa and the Middle East by European agents from the 17th to 19th century. 1. Thanks to the British smugglers who smuggled rubber and palm oil seeds from Brazil and Africa to Malaya. It's because of them that Malaysia become one of the major producers of rubber and palm oil.  World War II would probably end up differently without Malayan rubber and Nutella would not taste as good as it is without the high quality Malaysian palm oil. 2. Thanks to the Dutch smugglers too, who smuggled coffee seeds from Yemen in the 17th century. Initially they tried to plant it in their home country, the Netherlands, but it didn't work out. So they brought it to Java.  And as they say the rest is history. Indonesia is the fourth largest coffee producer in the world today and producing one of the world's best coffee, and my favourite, Aceh Gayo (pic). Th...

Just when you thought you have seen the worst from the Orange in the White House, he doubles down with more of his buffoonery. 5 years ago this would've been a satirical news headline from  The Onion   (a popular satirical website). But in 2020, it's the "new normal". His crazy idea to inject disinfectant to kill the  covid19  virus is officially the 'Brawndo moment' in American politics. (Note: Brawndo is the sports drink brand used in watering the plants in "Idiocracy" (2006). Netflix should consider airing this Trump-ish dystopian comedy to all subscribers) :p

"Bernie Sanders suspends presidential campaign" - BBC . So Bernie has officially suspended his presidential election campaign. What is the meaning of it?  Bernie's exit from the race means that Joe Biden would be the Democratic party's candidate against Donald Trump. And THAT is as good as handing over the 2020 election to the Orange in the White House.  Joe Biden is, I think, the worst Democratic candidate in 20 years; he is worse than Al Gore or Kerry or Obama or Hillary. All of these 'status quo' establishment Democrats lost against their respective Republican opponents, except Barack Hussein Obama who won twice (2008 and 2012). Biden has the least support among young Democratic voters in a generation. You don't win a presidential election without energising a key group of voters - in this case the youth votes - like how Trump did in 2016 by energising the purple state working class (those who previously voted Obama) and the rural conservatives. ...

So a few days ago I gave an email interview to Malay Mail  on the issue of fake news and the on going Wuhan Virus or the novel Coronavirus. Here's an excerpt of the story by Soo Wern Jun and Danial Dzulkifly. --- “Looking at the trend over the last few years, you can almost see a pattern; that the intensity of fake news and conspiracy theory tend to increase whenever there is a crisis such of MH370, MH17 or a big event like the GE14. “The ongoing coronavirus outbreak is no exception. There are many reasons for this. One of them is the fact that it is so easy to produce fake information and secondly, people are sharing unverified news from unreliable/unknown sources online. “But we are not alone. The rest of the world is facing the same problem too, including China. For example, not all of the pictures and videos of some people consuming wild animals are actually in Wuhan or related to the coronavirus. But this has been (made viral) and shared and viewed by possibly mill...

JUST-ISTAC first Annual Lecture series featuring pro-Palestine Israeli historian, Prof Ilan Pappé. Prof Pappé outlined some of the biggest challenges and identified solutions to the Palestinian issue. One of it is of the need to change the language and the conversation. For example, the term "peace process".  For decades, the US has dominated the so-called "peace process" and talked about compromises and the need for both sides to "compromise", but Pappé argues that the framing of the issue is wrong. Peace process to Israel is colonisation by other means. And getting legitimacy without international rebuke. But what is the reality on the ground? Life became more difficult for the Palestinians after the "peace process". More Palestinian lands were grabbed, houses demolished, and more illegal Israeli settlements were built after the so-called peace process (the 1993 Oslo Accord). There is no peace process between a coloniser and the colonised. ...

ISTAC Special Forum: Panglima Awang@Enrique de Malacca September 2019 is a significant moment in the history of global circumnavigation. It marks the 500th anniversary of Ferdinand Magellan's first circumnavigation of the earth expedition (1519), which was also participated by his right hand man cum navigator and interpreter, Enrique@Henry the Black@Panglima Awang - the famous Malay slave taken from Melaka  (Some claimed that Awang was from Sumatra, but most authoritative sources agreed that he was a native of Melaka). Some historical context or prelude to the mission: 1492 marked the end of the Muslim rule in Spain. This soon led to the Treaty of Tordesillas which literally divided the world into two; Portuguese and Spanish (The other expedition was led by Columbus, who "founded" the "New World").  20 years later, Melaka fell to the Portuguese colonisers in 1511. A few years later Awang (his real name is unknown. Awang is regarded as a common Malay na...

According to latest polls by CSIS and Litbang Kompas (via Jakarta Post), Joko Widodo or "Jokowi" is currently leading Prabowo Subianto by 9 percentage points and he looks almost certain to be reelected as president - unless some miracle happens. Here's a rough guide or a simple breakdown of the voting pattern across Indonesia's major provinces and islands. This is by no means a perfect generalisation of the Indonesian election, but I just thought it would be interesting to dissect the voting pattern.  Some groups are not included as their political inclination vary according to religious identity e.g. the Muslim Moluccans overwhelmingly voted for Prabowo while the Christian Moluccans voted for Jokowi. For Jokowi: The Javanese, Balinese, Bataks, Dayaks, Papuans, Lampungese, Minahasans, Flores For Prabowo: the Acehnese, Minangs, Malays, Sundanese, Bantenese, Buginese, Banjarese, Gorontaloan . (Pic: Prabowo won in West Java) #pilpres2019