Once this shortcoming is accepted, and proper allowances for error are made, an attempt may be made to put into permanent form the events which transpire with as much detail and accuracy as may be possible. Thus, the events of today become the history of tomorrow. If there are errors in the daily record, then these will cast a long shadow into the future.

There is every good reason to preserve the facts of today with veracity, that history will not be false. This is true for the writers of personal letters, and more so for those who write for the mass media. In this age of instant information and communication, an error (or a lie) can infect the world before it is recognised. Correcting a small error may seem a meaningless exercise, and thus the error (or lie) becomes part of accepted history. It is still not the truth.

In countries where the mass communications media are servile to the political leaders, there is little respect for accuracy in reporting events factually. There is active collusion in skewing news to conceal the truth. While reporters are generally aware of the importance of getting the facts down accurately, their editors have the last word.

In Malaysia the last decade of history has been lost. It is lost not because it is not available, it is lost because it is not trustworthy. The Umno-BN coalition has controlled the news in such a way that there is nothing which can be relied upon without independent corroboration from unimpeachable sources. The situation continues to the present day, and cannot be expected to change until the political leadership changes to those who value accuracy over political expedience.

Recent events serve to highlight two problems that recur. The first is the retraction, where an error is pointed out to the publisher, and immediately corrected. When a retraction is made it generally appears in a less visible part of the publication, and thus is not completely satisfactory in keeping current history accurate.

The second is the apology, which is a popular interactive game with media participation. Basically it involves the elements of the ambush, in which the bushwhacker waits for the victim to make a statement which is printed or broadcast. The bushwhacker waits for some innocuous statement which may be slyly miscued to appear as though some great harm has been done. Perhaps the victim has made reference to the fears generated in the public following the sting of a bee. Perhaps a child died as a result of a bee sting.

The bushwhacker, without waiting for further corroboration of the exact quote, seizes on the statement to assume a position as defender of the bee. He vociferously insists that all bees have been insulted, and an apology to the bees is immediately demanded. The bees, however, do not feel insulted.

Thus the real intent appears. Which is to smear the victim, by alleging bias or insensitivity. The smear is camouflaged behind the imagined insult to the kingdom of bees. The game, then, calls for the bushwhacker to damage the victim by twisting a harmless statement, and it is for the victim to achieve restoration of public regard. The victim wins, not by attacking the bushwhacker, but simply restating the original statement to correct the misinterpretation.

The media plays a role, first in presenting the opportunity, and continuing the exchanges. The game is of commercial interest to the media as it serves to whet reader appetite. They participate at a cost, however, and there is a concomitant loss of readership as the public first begins to understand the game and then to tire of it. The loss in readership accompanies a loss of dignity, which goes down the drain with the reputation of the bushwhacker.

In Malaysia, the present administration never tires of the game, though the public has long been bored by it. It is juvenile and injurious. The media readership base steadily shrinks, yet the editors persist in this paltry pursuit.