I am a journalist and I am proud of it. But in the course of being a journalist for the oldest (and most popular in the Klang Valley, I must say) newspaper, I was also an actor, playing numerous roles in my quest to get the best stories.
I was a beggar (with Yushaimi) begging at the pedestrian bridge of Chow Kit, have been a dadah addict seeking shelter in a former private mortuary in Jalan Petaling, a kampung boy who stayed with a prostitute for a day, a City Hall officer, mistaken as a police officer when a known pimp stood up and called me Tuan etc.
This was part and parcel of being a reporter with MM. I seldom attend PCs like what others do, I snooped around for stories.
And unlike many, I don't like carrying the all too familiar Reporters Note Book, issued by the company. I carry a small a notebook which I bought from bookstores and use my own pen. My car does not have the NST car park sticker or the NUJ Media sticker. I would not want to be known as a journalist whenever I go for undercover assignments and because of this, I believe, I stayed clear of the dangers and confrontation.
However, I almost got myself in deep shit after my short stint as a City Hall officer was published. We managed to point out to KL residents not to believe and letting anyone inside the house. I managed to even enter the master bedroom of a house in Bangsar with a cute but frightened maid.
City Hall wanted to sue me but then Datuk Bandar Tan Sri Elyas Omar told off the officers.
I was also assaulted when the body of a rock climber was retrieved in Melawati in the early 80s. I stayed clear of the commotion knowing that relatives were emotional but a trainee photographer used a wide angle to take pictures of the body as it was borught down from a helicopter.
She was rudely pushed away. Being a gentleman, I approached the mob and told them not to assault the girl.
Someone came from behind and gave me a tight slap and the others were about to turn on me when several policemen came to my rescue. My glasses were broken.
I expected the whole office to laugh at me but I was touched by their concerns. The company offered to pay for a new pair of glasses but somehow I did not take it.
The case was taken up by the NUJ but two years later, I was told NUJ accepted the apologies from the guy who slapped me and dropped the case.
A warning from my News Editor, K. Bala through Pauline Almeida also saved me and Yus from getting rounded up by Welfare officers as we begged in the open. Yushaimi got a hard kick from a pedestrian who told him to seek employment elsewhere as he looked healthy. I was about to laugh when I heard this guy said "Itu budak tak apalah. Dia memang perlukan duit."
A gentle reminder to the young Turks out there. If you think you can't do it, back out. Don't try to be hero, or you might lose more than your wallet, as what had happened to a reporter-photographer team of a newspaper recently.
I was a beggar (with Yushaimi) begging at the pedestrian bridge of Chow Kit, have been a dadah addict seeking shelter in a former private mortuary in Jalan Petaling, a kampung boy who stayed with a prostitute for a day, a City Hall officer, mistaken as a police officer when a known pimp stood up and called me Tuan etc.
This was part and parcel of being a reporter with MM. I seldom attend PCs like what others do, I snooped around for stories.
And unlike many, I don't like carrying the all too familiar Reporters Note Book, issued by the company. I carry a small a notebook which I bought from bookstores and use my own pen. My car does not have the NST car park sticker or the NUJ Media sticker. I would not want to be known as a journalist whenever I go for undercover assignments and because of this, I believe, I stayed clear of the dangers and confrontation.
However, I almost got myself in deep shit after my short stint as a City Hall officer was published. We managed to point out to KL residents not to believe and letting anyone inside the house. I managed to even enter the master bedroom of a house in Bangsar with a cute but frightened maid.
City Hall wanted to sue me but then Datuk Bandar Tan Sri Elyas Omar told off the officers.
I was also assaulted when the body of a rock climber was retrieved in Melawati in the early 80s. I stayed clear of the commotion knowing that relatives were emotional but a trainee photographer used a wide angle to take pictures of the body as it was borught down from a helicopter.
She was rudely pushed away. Being a gentleman, I approached the mob and told them not to assault the girl.
Someone came from behind and gave me a tight slap and the others were about to turn on me when several policemen came to my rescue. My glasses were broken.
I expected the whole office to laugh at me but I was touched by their concerns. The company offered to pay for a new pair of glasses but somehow I did not take it.
The case was taken up by the NUJ but two years later, I was told NUJ accepted the apologies from the guy who slapped me and dropped the case.
A warning from my News Editor, K. Bala through Pauline Almeida also saved me and Yus from getting rounded up by Welfare officers as we begged in the open. Yushaimi got a hard kick from a pedestrian who told him to seek employment elsewhere as he looked healthy. I was about to laugh when I heard this guy said "Itu budak tak apalah. Dia memang perlukan duit."
A gentle reminder to the young Turks out there. If you think you can't do it, back out. Don't try to be hero, or you might lose more than your wallet, as what had happened to a reporter-photographer team of a newspaper recently.
1 comment:
Wah.So u know Pauline Almeida for a long time laa?
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