Utusan's Cuit cuts the crap, speaks out

updated, Thurs 8/11, Insaflah Zaini dari sentiasa menyalahkan Utusan
and related stories at the end of this posting.


Original article

"Utusan harus berani, bukan sahaja mengkritik pemimpin terdahulu, yang menjadi tuan punyanya, malah kerajaan sekarang yang harapannya masih tidak berapa jelas." - Zaini Hassan in his latest column Insaflah Utusan, jika mahu terus hidup ...  © Utusan Melayu (M) Bhd 

Following Aziz Ishak's departure from Utusan in July, Zaini Hassan was one of the names bandied about as the new group editor-in-chief* of the Umno-owned newspaper. But it wasn't meant  to be. The UiTM journalism graduate and author of the hard-hitting Cuit Sikit column will be leaving Utusan, voluntarily but with a heavy heart, at the end of this month. His column in the Utusan today is a brutally honest take on what he thought had gone wrong (editorially) with the newspaper. 

The outgoing assistant editor-in-chief is still hopeful of an Utusan revival but only if it goes back to its original aims and principles:

Utusan harus berubah daripada terus menjadi mata telinga parti kepada suara bangsa dan rakyat jelata. Perjuangkan suara rakyat marhain di luar sana. Masih ramai lagi yang hidup merempat, makan nasi dengan garam. Ingatkan cogankata akhbar ini: Penyebar Fikiran Rakyat. Bukannya penyebar fikiran sang politiks rakus dan partai siasah ...

Zaini's stinging attacks on Utusan's immediate past editors won't make him the most popular person around. The uncomplimentary reference to Umno politicians, too, although we may see more of that from Utusan. Just the other day, Umno members - especially those still loyal to former PM Najib Razak - were rudely jolted by the editorial by "Awang Selamat" that accuses the ex-Umno president of lying about the RM2.6 billion donation. All this while, Utusan had stood by Najib not just on the purported Arab donation and 1MDB but on everything else (just as previous Utusan editors had stood by previous prime ministers and Umno presidents) ...


Updates:
The Aziz gambit - Big Dog
Senior editor says Utusan must "repent" if it wants to survive - FMT
Strange days: Utusan newspaper asks Najib to apologise for 1MDB lies, DAP leader agrees - Coconuts KL