两年前，几家土著公司，包括上市公司与官联公司，都收到了时任首相拿督斯里纳吉办公室的来信。这封由首相签署的信要求这些公司给予陷入困境的《马来西亚前锋报》支持。当时，马来前锋报集团亏损高达6850万令吉。
首相办公室的来信，也附上一封该报业集团主席信件。该信件要求首相强迫这些公司各自拨出一定数额的款项，确切地说是200万令吉广告费，给该集团下的出版物，以助该集团脱离濒临破产的困境。
如果你以为《马来西亚前锋报》种族迫害论只限于煽动性头条新闻时，这封信也将其财务状况归咎于“由非土著控制的”媒体和广告代理商，拒绝给予或分配广告到该公司。
当时该报业集团的高管们可能没有意识到或拒绝承认纸媒正面对下滑趋势。其将马来人一切问题归咎于华人、基督徒和行动党的编辑政策，更令到广告商和客户拒绝与推动如此分化议程的媒体有关联。
别忘了，该报业一位高级编辑多年前在国家干训局主办的一项论坛上就承认，歪曲事实以使执政党受益是可以接受的。
但是，对于发行量在2016年的最后一次公开审计中，只稍微越过14万4000份的《马来西亚前锋报》，其日益下滑的报份及读者群的流失，是广告商所关注的。
在今年8月30日从大马交易所除牌之前，其股价徘徊在5.5仙之间，与2000年的历史高位7.66令吉相去甚远。
当年向首相求助的信，不仅是在寻求援助，也是一种向巫统和政府要求回报的呼吁。因为该报馆、其编辑和新闻工作者──其中许多专业和热情的写作者，被迫处于为了政治主子的要求，而妥协自己的道德和声誉之处境。但也不是所有人如此，例如当时的大马半岛新闻从业员职工会主席哈达瓦哈里就因该报的种族主义和政治倾斜的编辑政策，进行个人抗议，而被停职。当年哈达瓦哈里被对付时，一些同事冷嘲热讽，如今可谓因果报应。
需要平台监督希盟
本应照顾马来前锋报集团员工者，弃之不理后，大亨丹斯里赛莫达通过Aurora Mulia私人有限公司，收购了该报业集团70％股权，拥有了包括集团下的《马来西亚前锋报》和Kosmo的发行执照，并将吸纳部分原有的员工到新公司。
对原有员工来说，这是个好消息，但对新闻界来说，这是否是个好消息，有待讨论。赛莫达也拥有首要媒体集团（旗下有第三电视，新海峡时报等）。
随著，网络媒体如今被标签为新的“主流”媒体，对当前政府的报导不是过于挑剔就是歌功颂德，因此，我们确实需要一个替代平台来监督希盟。但是，如果前锋报运作一切照旧，编辑方针上拥有政治议程并妖魔化某方，其早晚会再度沦为另一家PN17公司（被除牌）。毕竟，人们如今可自己搜索新闻，很多人甚至是通过不可靠的网站和转发的Whatsapp讯息，获取资讯。
为此，新管理人必须将《马来西亚前锋报》作为受人尊敬的媒体业务而非宣传平台来经营。这也有助于确保真实和虚假新闻之间的界线不会模糊。
《为何前锋报值得拯救？》（When a news business is worth saving）原文：
TWO years ago several Bumiputera companies, including public listed ones and government-linked companies had received a letter from then Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razakˇs office.
The letter signed by the Prime Minister himself had requested these companies to extend support to Utusan Malaysia which was in dire straits and needed financial assistance to pull it out of the
By then it had registered total losses as a group at over RM68.5 million.
The letter from the Prime Ministerˇs Office was in essence a cover note that accompanied another letter from Utusanˇs chairman which appealed for the Prime Minister to compel each of these companies to allocate a certain amount of funds RM2 million to be exact in advertising revenue for publications under the Utusan group to help pull it out of the brink of closing down.
And just when one thought Utusanˇs race-baiting was limited to its seditious headlines, this letter also laid blame of its financial situation on the media and advertising agencies ¨which were controlled by non-Bumiputera〃 which had refused to recommend or allocate ad-spend with this publication.
The then executives perhaps did not realise or refused to acknowledge that print in general was on a slide. It did not help that its editorial policies which blamed the Chinese, Christians and the DAP for the everything that ails the Malays spooked media agencies and their clients who declined to be associated with a publication that pushed such a divisive agenda.
After all, a senior editor had admitted at a forum organized by the National Civics Bureau that it was acceptable to spin facts to benefit the ruling party.
However, Utusanˇs circulation which was at just over 144,000 in the last audit in 2016 was a concern where eyeballs and spending power was concerned, as well as readership profile when many have moved into digital advertising.
Before it was delisted on Aug 30 this year, its share price was hovering at about five-and-a-half sen far remote from the all-time high of RM7.66 it achieved in 2000.
But the letter to the Prime Minister was not only a cry for help, it was also an appeal to UMNO and the Government for a quid pro quo. Utusan and its editors and journalists many of whom are professionals and passionate writers, were put in a position where they had to compromise their ethics and reputations at the behest of their political masters.
Many, not all such as Hatta Wahari the then National Union of Journalists president who was suspended for staging a lone protests against Utusanˇs racist and politically slanted editorial policies.
It is ironic that he had packets of noodles thrown at him by several of his colleagues the same people who now find themselves at the wrong end of karma, having lost their livelihood following the shutting down of this once proud institution which played a pivotal role in shaping nationalism that lead to our independence.
But one heaves a sigh of relief for the Utusan staff left out in the cold by those who should have provided security for them and their families.
Tycoon Tan Sri Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukharyˇs Aurora Mulia Sdn Bhd has now acquired 70% of Utusan Melayu Bhd including its publishing licences for both Utusan Malaysia and Kosmo!
There were assurances that these staff who had been let go will be absorbed into the new outfit.
It is certainly good news for them but is it good news for journalism in general is a story for another column.
Syed Mokhtar also controls Media Prima (TV3, New Straits Times Press).
With online media now being labelled as the new ¨mainstream〃 for misplaced praise and being picky with its coverage of the current government, one does need an alternative platform to call the bluff of Pakatan Harapan if and when it is called for.
But if it is business as usual and the agenda remains to be politically slanted and create bogeymen, then it will be a matter of time before another PN17 Company is announced.
After all, people are already self-reliant in searching for news, many via dodgy sites and forwarded watsapp messages.
To this end, the custodians of entities such as Utusan must run it as a respectable media business, not a propaganda platform. This will also help ensure that the lines between real and fake news are not blurred.
