Non-Recognition of the Indigenous Community in Malaysian Media: Perspectives from the Orang Asli and Stakeholders.

This study presents the findings of interviews conducted on the Orang Asli and stakeholders concerning the issue of representation of the community in media. The main objective of this research was to investigate the views and opinions of the community and stakeholders concerning the portrayal of the Orang Asli community in local newspapers. Interviews were conducted with members of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), personnel from the Department of Orang Asli Development (JAKOA), journalists from mainstream Malaysian newspapers and Orang Asli individuals. Findings revealed that a number of opposing views could be traced in terms of the prejudiced treatment given to the community in media. The NGO members and the Orang Asli individual unanimously advocated the various plights faced by the Orang Asli community in their daily lives, apart from being discriminated in the media. On the contrary, JAKOA members and journalists interviewed rebutted the claim that discriminatory projection of the community existed in the selected newspaper. Such contrary findings call for more studies investigating the portrayal of the community in the media to be undertaken. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]