Andrew Sia
Published: Apr 17, 2025 11:01 AM
Updated: 1:03 PM
COMMENT | Many are calling for blood over the Sin Chew Daily flag blunder. But haven’t we all made mistakes ourselves?
I used to work in The Star newspaper and know how lapses can happen due to deadlines, tiredness and plain old human error.
I remember how The Star made a boo-boo on its front page several years ago.
It had a headline article about local terrorists (quoting our police) in the top half of the page and a large photo of Muslims in prayer in the bottom half.
Both the story and photo were accurate, but there had not been enough space to separate the two. It thus implied that the image was related to the headline.
Profuse apologies were made, and an editor was suspended for this mistake.
Missing crescent moon
In the case of Sin Chew, a front-page illustration of a jong with both the Malaysian and Chinese flags was published to coincide with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Malaysia.
But the crescent moon was missing from our Jalur Gemilang flag. This was extra sensitive as this is the symbol of Islam.
Published: Apr 17, 2025 11:01 AM
Updated: 1:03 PM
COMMENT | Many are calling for blood over the Sin Chew Daily flag blunder. But haven’t we all made mistakes ourselves?
I used to work in The Star newspaper and know how lapses can happen due to deadlines, tiredness and plain old human error.
I remember how The Star made a boo-boo on its front page several years ago.
It had a headline article about local terrorists (quoting our police) in the top half of the page and a large photo of Muslims in prayer in the bottom half.
Both the story and photo were accurate, but there had not been enough space to separate the two. It thus implied that the image was related to the headline.
Profuse apologies were made, and an editor was suspended for this mistake.
Missing crescent moon
In the case of Sin Chew, a front-page illustration of a jong with both the Malaysian and Chinese flags was published to coincide with Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to Malaysia.
But the crescent moon was missing from our Jalur Gemilang flag. This was extra sensitive as this is the symbol of Islam.
Sin Chew Daily’s apology over the error in the Jalur Gemilang
Maybe a graphic designer made a dumb mistake using artificial intelligence (AI). Sometimes editors want to change this and that, and things get overlooked in the process.
Editors are also often text-centric, bogged down combing through every word and may miss the “big picture”.
Apart from the news editor on duty, there is usually an overall supervising editor for the day responsible for the pages printed.
Of course, this person should have checked. Yet somehow he or she failed and should probably be suspended without pay.
Thorough review
Sin Chew Daily has conducted a thorough internal review of the error, and the staff responsible will be subjected to disciplinary action.
Its editorial department has enhanced its review procedures, particularly in the use of AI.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar chastised the glaring error, saying the newspaper’s management and editors should have been more diligent
Sin Chew has apologised profusely already, unreservedly acknowledging Sultan Ibrahim’s advice.
Maybe a graphic designer made a dumb mistake using artificial intelligence (AI). Sometimes editors want to change this and that, and things get overlooked in the process.
Editors are also often text-centric, bogged down combing through every word and may miss the “big picture”.
Apart from the news editor on duty, there is usually an overall supervising editor for the day responsible for the pages printed.
Of course, this person should have checked. Yet somehow he or she failed and should probably be suspended without pay.
Thorough review
Sin Chew Daily has conducted a thorough internal review of the error, and the staff responsible will be subjected to disciplinary action.
Its editorial department has enhanced its review procedures, particularly in the use of AI.
Yang di-Pertuan Agong Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar chastised the glaring error, saying the newspaper’s management and editors should have been more diligent
Sin Chew has apologised profusely already, unreservedly acknowledging Sultan Ibrahim’s advice.
What more do people want? Shut down the whole company? Let hundreds lose jobs?
Sensitive issue
As usual in Malaysia, things take on racial slants.
Because the Islamic crescent moon was omitted from the flag, some “nationalists” are taking a more extreme stand.
They claim it’s not an honest blooper but a “deliberate strategy” to undermine Islam.
For example, motivational speaker Azizul Azli Ahmad told Umno-linked portal Malaysia Gazette that the crescent moon was left out probably to “de-Islamise” the image.
It implied a future Malaysian journey with China without Islam, he added.
This sounds overly provocative.
Please, having worked in Malaysian media for over 30 years, I can tell you we are very, very careful not to cause offence, especially about Malay/Muslim sensitivities.
It’s drilled into us because it could cause the newspaper’s licence to be withdrawn.
Even then, The Star made its front page blunder. But it certainly wasn’t deliberate.
More importantly, isn’t Islam a religion of compassion that forgives honest mistakes in the spirit of “maaf zahir batin” (inward and outward forgiveness)?
It would probably attract more non-Muslims to the religion if they saw more of its kindness, rather than its power to punish.
Dislike for China?
Perhaps some Malays are uncomfortable with the red carpet welcome given by Malaysia to President Xi Jinping, with Chinese flags being given much prominence.
After all, participants from China holding their own country’s flags at the international Guan Gong cultural festival in Perak was blown up into a huge controversy, despite apologies from organisers.
Would we condemn people from France, Italy or Germany if they held their tricoloured flags at an international cultural event? Yet somehow, anything related to the Chinese is extra “sensitive”.
Lawyer Siti Kasim said that many Malays in her WhatsApp group insulted Xi and China as “communists”.
A parade in conjunction with the international Guan Gong Festival in Teluk Intan, which caused controversy over the flying of the China flag
But she said the Malays must ask themselves if there is something good about China’s system that has allowed it to scale such heights today.
Are such sentiments linked to the calls to crucify Sin Chew Daily now?
Struggling local media
Local media are struggling to survive because American tech giants have sucked away most advertising revenue.
Online portals like Malaysiakini and Free Malaysia Today have laid off journalists. Do people really want to kill off Sin Chew too?
Are people content to only read stuff on American social media, which nobody verifies? Anybody can say anything there.
We journalists do a valuable service of verifying news, something that social media doesn't do. And we are held accountable to it.
In the past, other media have done far worse things, like publishing stuff from politicians that they know are lies - think of 1MDB. Some, like the old Utusan Malaysia, regularly provoked racial fear and hatred.
In 2018, after the defeat of BN, Utusan Malaysia assistant editor-in-chief Zaini Hassan admitted the newspaper had made a mistake being the mouthpiece of its owner, Umno and should “repent” to survive.
But she said the Malays must ask themselves if there is something good about China’s system that has allowed it to scale such heights today.
Are such sentiments linked to the calls to crucify Sin Chew Daily now?
Struggling local media
Local media are struggling to survive because American tech giants have sucked away most advertising revenue.
Online portals like Malaysiakini and Free Malaysia Today have laid off journalists. Do people really want to kill off Sin Chew too?
Are people content to only read stuff on American social media, which nobody verifies? Anybody can say anything there.
We journalists do a valuable service of verifying news, something that social media doesn't do. And we are held accountable to it.
In the past, other media have done far worse things, like publishing stuff from politicians that they know are lies - think of 1MDB. Some, like the old Utusan Malaysia, regularly provoked racial fear and hatred.
In 2018, after the defeat of BN, Utusan Malaysia assistant editor-in-chief Zaini Hassan admitted the newspaper had made a mistake being the mouthpiece of its owner, Umno and should “repent” to survive.
“If the whole world says it is dirty and you say it is clean, it will mean the end for Utusan,” Zaini said.
Did any politician ever demand that Utusan be punished for its years of self-admitted lies and spin?
Stop baying for blood
What about those politicians who keep on provoking racial hatred even when advised by the Agong himself to stop it?
This is not an “honest mistake” like the Sin Chew flag but a deliberate strategy for narrow political gain. Why is the Madani government not doing anything?
And what about corruption? How on earth was construction approved near the Putra Heights gas pipeline?
Keyboard warriors should be focusing their wrath on provocations or corruption done on purpose. Some actions are often repeated without any apologies.
But when a newspaper has said sorry for an honest error over a computer image and a careless editor, it is more noble to forgive than to call for blood.
ANDREW SIA is a veteran journalist - including 25 years in The Star - who likes teh tarik khau kurang manis. You are welcome to give him ideas to brew at tehtarik@gmail.com