PROPAGANDA MEDIA ANTARABANGSA DALAM PERISTIWA PENAHANAN DAN PENDAKWAAN ANWAR IBRAHIM, 1998-2004.

The arrest and prosecution of Anwar Ibrahim have attracted the international media interest, which led to the issue being hotly discussed at the Parliament of Malaysia in response to the provocative reports. This circumstance has raised concerns to the Malaysian government as reports published by the international media were often taken out of the actual context, distorted, and misrepresented the real situation. This paper will discuss the international media propaganda and its impact on Malaysia in the case of Anwar Ibrahim's arrest and prosecution. International media reported regard to Anwar's status; was Anwar Ibrahim guilty as charged by the government of Malaysian or merely a victim of political conspiracy as claimed in their provocative reports, specifically as discussed in the Parliament of Malaysia. This article used historical research methods through analysis of primary and secondary data. The interview method also used to further enhance the validation of this paper. The finding showed, among the international media found propagating the issue were the Washington Post, the New York Times, The Times, CNN, CNBC, Asiaweek, and the Far East Economic Review who had published provocative reports on the Malaysian government and its judicial system, the police, cabinet members and Supreme Council of UMNO. Also, International media propaganda was found to have raised Malaysia's resentment and affected Malaysia's economic development, particularly the tourism sectors, through their reports, which renders the notion that Malaysia is an unstable and unsafe country to be visited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]