Journalism Pakistan
Journalism Pakistan
Sri Lanka: No justice for Lasantha Wickrematunge as murder suspects releasedPFUJ to IHC: PECA Law must be suspended to protect journalismHum News leads the way: First Pakistani channel to embrace AI toolsEnhancing trauma reporting: Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship 2025Youm-e-Tameer-o-Taraqi or Youm-e-Tabahi? Government spends millions on self-congratulatory adsBlogger killed, editor missing as Mozambique's press freedom crisis deepensPTV pensioners continue protests over unpaid dues and medical facilitiesWill PECA 2025 law be repealed? PFUJ begins a legal battleDefying threats: Munizae Jahangir's story reveals what it costs to be a woman journalist in PakistanIndia revokes nonprofit and tax status of news outletsUkraine's security service opens criminal case after Ukrainska Pravda reportTwo Cambodian journalists detained over cyber scam torture video

Graft-busting journalist returns to new Malaysia

 JournalismPakistan.com |  Published May 23, 2018

Join our WhatsApp channel

Graft-busting journalist returns to new Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR - Clare Rewcastle Brown was harassed and vilified for years for waging a quixotic campaign to expose Malaysian corruption that helped topple the country’s long-ruling regime.

The British investigative journalist is now back in the country of her birth after being blacklisted for years, and being treated as a celebrity in a sign of the whirlwind changes since historic May 9 elections.

No one is more stunned than Rewcastle, who said she expects to see further startling revelations of corruption and misrule emerge as a reformist administration cleans house.

“There is so much that’s going to come tumbling out now,” she said during an interview in Kuala Lumpur.

“Everyone is gob-smacked as they see these things happening. There are going to be more amazing scenes to come.”

Rewcastle, now 58, has been a thorn in the side of Malaysia’s ruling elite for years, working from abroad to expose larceny and misrule centring mostly on the rainforested state of Sarawak where she was born and spent her early years.

But her biggest bombshell may have been the 2015 revelation by her website Sarawak Report that nearly $700 million was funnelled into the bank account of ex-premier Najib Razak.

That helped super-charge allegations that Najib and his entourage plundered billions from sovereign wealth fund 1MDB, in a scandal that led to his electoral defeat, ending six decades under an increasingly corrupt government.

He is now under investigation and expected to be charged.

Rewcastle’s work over the years triggered Malaysian arrest warrants, lawsuits, threats, and a sustained campaign of online vilification that she suspects was orchestrated by Najib’s government using western PR firms.

The sister-in-law of former British prime minister Gordon Brown, Rewcastle was still recently being approached by shadowy characters offering pay-offs if she’d publish juicy “revelations” for them — ham-fisted attempts to entrap and discredit her, she says.

“Millions have gone into trying to destroy my reputation, which could have been spent on something useful,” she said. “But all they did was help make me famous, the stupid idiots.”

Never welcome, and officially barred from Malaysia in 2015, Rewcastle has gone almost overnight from persona non grata to welcome guest.

She met AFP following an interview with a state-aligned newspaper that formerly maligned her but gave her glowing front-page treatment on Monday.

She was halted repeatedly by ordinary Malaysians who recognized her distinctive ginger locks, stopping to thank her and snap selfies.

Many more have praised Rewcastle on social media after learning of her arrival. “It’s extremely gratifying,” she said.

Few foreigners were as feared by Malaysia’s government.

Born in Sarawak when it was a British crown colony, she spent several years there, often following her mother — a midwife for indigenous people — on jungle jaunts to remote clinics.

She later worked for the BBC and others in London in investigative journalism before devoting herself to publicizing Sarawak corruption, deforestation, and eviction of native peoples from traditional lands.

“I did this partly because I was mad, and partly because I thought there was a slim chance something could be done,” she said of the state, which environmentalists believe has lost nearly all of its original rainforest.

In 2010, she started Sarawak Report and short-wave broadcaster Radio Free Sarawak — operated in secret from London, and later Bali, Brunei and Sarawak itself.

Rewcastle drew on a network of contacts in Malaysia to repeatedly expose Sarawak corruption. Najib’s regime eventually blocked the website — a move the new government has reversed — and radio signals were jammed.

With Malaysia on a reform path, Rewcastle expects to wind down her anti-graft work,” which she said has been a “hand-to-mouth operation reliant on family funds and the odd donation from supporters. - AFP

PFUJ to IHC: PECA Law must be suspended to protect journalism

PFUJ to IHC: PECA Law must be suspended to protect journalism

 February 11, 2025:  The PFUJ has petitioned the Islamabad High Court to suspend the PECA Amendment Act, arguing that the law curtails press freedom and contains contradictory provisions. The court has issued a notice to the Attorney General for assistance.

Hum News leads the way: First Pakistani channel to embrace AI tools

Hum News leads the way: First Pakistani channel to embrace AI tools

 February 09, 2025:  Hum News Network becomes the first Pakistani channel to embrace AI tools like ChatGPT and DeepSeek, enhancing productivity and innovation. Discover how this visionary move sets new standards in media.

Youm-e-Tameer-o-Taraqi or Youm-e-Tabahi? Government spends millions on self-congratulatory ads

Youm-e-Tameer-o-Taraqi or Youm-e-Tabahi? Government spends millions on self-congratulatory ads

 February 08, 2025:  As Pakistan faces an economic crisis, the government splurges taxpayers' money on full-page ads and press releases to glorify its achievements. Critics call it a wasteful PR stunt. Read how public funds are being misused for political propaganda.

PTV pensioners continue protests over unpaid dues and medical facilities

PTV pensioners continue protests over unpaid dues and medical facilities

 February 07, 2025:  PTV pensioners staged nationwide protests demanding their unpaid pensions, medical benefits, and dues for nearly 400 retirees. Protesters, supported by PFUJ, criticized PTV management for corruption and lavish expenses while neglecting retirees' rights.

Will PECA 2025 law be repealed? PFUJ begins a legal battle

Will PECA 2025 law be repealed? PFUJ begins a legal battle

 February 06, 2025:  PFUJ has challenged the controversial PECA Act 2025 in the Islamabad High Court, citing it as an attack on press freedom. Journalists and rights organizations protest the law’s implications for free speech and media independence in Pakistan.

Defying threats: Munizae Jahangir's story reveals what it costs to be a woman journalist in Pakistan

Defying threats: Munizae Jahangir's story reveals what it costs to be a woman journalist in Pakistan

 February 06, 2025:  Pakistani women journalists like Munizae Jahangir and Asma Shirazi face severe threats, harassment, and online abuse. This article explores the struggles of women in media, the systemic challenges, and potential solutions to ensure press freedom and journalist safety.

Contrasting paths:  White House welcomes digital media, Pakistan crushes it

Contrasting paths: White House welcomes digital media, Pakistan crushes it

 January 29, 2025:  As the White House welcomes podcasters and digital journalists, Pakistan tightens censorship through PECA amendments, silencing independent voices and forcing journalists into exile. A stark contrast in press freedom emerges.

PECA amendments further tighten government's grip on digital expression: IFJ

PECA amendments further tighten government's grip on digital expression: IFJ

 January 29, 2025:  Pakistan’s latest PECA amendments expand government control over social media, criminalize misinformation, and threaten freedom of expression. Media stakeholders and human rights groups condemn the draconian changes. Learn more about the implications for journalists and activists.

Newsroom
Sri Lanka: No justice for Lasantha Wickrematunge as murder suspects released

Sri Lanka: No justice for Lasantha Wickrematunge as murder suspects released

 February 14, 2025 Justice remains elusive 16 years after the assassination of journalist Lasantha Wickrematunge, as Sri Lanka’s Attorney General orders the release of three key suspects. Journalist organizations strongly condemn the move, calling for urgent action to end impunity for crimes against the media.

Enhancing trauma reporting: Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship 2025

Enhancing trauma reporting: Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship 2025

 February 09, 2025 The Dart Center Ochberg Fellowship 2025 is open for applications! This prestigious program at Columbia University offers journalists an intensive seminar on trauma reporting, media ethics, and responsible journalism. Apply by March 3, 2025.

Blogger killed, editor missing as Mozambique's press freedom crisis deepens

Blogger killed, editor missing as Mozambique's press freedom crisis deepens

 February 07, 2025 Mozambican journalist Albino Sibia was killed while filming police brutality, and reporter Pedro Junior was shot covering his funeral. Arlindo Chissale remains missing. These attacks highlight the dire state of press freedom in Mozambique amid post-election unrest.

India revokes nonprofit and tax status of news outlets

India revokes nonprofit and tax status of news outlets

 February 05, 2025 The Committee to Protect Journalists urges the Indian government to stop targeting independent journalism after revoking the nonprofit and tax-exempt statuses of The Reporters’ Collective and The File. Learn how this impacts investigative reporting and media freedom in India.

Ukraine's security service opens criminal case after Ukrainska Pravda report

Ukraine's security service opens criminal case after Ukrainska Pravda report

 February 04, 2025 Ukraine’s security service (SBU) has opened a criminal case for disclosure of state secrets following Ukrainska Pravda’s report on statements by military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov. CPJ urges authorities to respect press freedom and journalist protections.