Malaysiakini and the Power of Independent Media in Malaysia

This  event features Janet Steele's recent book, Malaysiakini and the Power of Independent Media in Malaysia. Founded in 1999 by Steven Gan and Premesh Chandran, Malaysiakini was one of the many online portals that sprung up in the wake of Reformasi, a movement sparked by Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad’s 1998 firing of his deputy Anwar Ibrahim. Yet Malaysiakini wanted to do something much more important than report on Reformasi: its founders intended to bring independent journalism to Malaysia in hopes of changing the country.

Janet Steele is Professor of Media and Public Affairs and International Affairs at the George Washington University, and the interim Director of the Sigur Center for Asian Studies. A frequent visitor to Southeast Asia, she is known in Indonesia and Malaysia for her short courses and workshops on narrative journalism. Awarded three Fulbright teaching and research grants, she is the author of numerous books and articles on the history, theory, and practice of journalism, including “Wars Within: The Story of Tempo, an Independent Magazine in Soeharto’s Indonesia," and “Mediating Islam, Cosmopolitan Journalisms in Muslim Southeast Asia."

This event is a hyrbid event, both in-person and via zoom.

Co-sponsored by Wagner's office of International Programs and the New York Southeast Asia Network.