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check out my new blog: http://cafekowloon.weebly.com

Raja Petra Kamaruddin on Sedition Trial

Malaysian blogger Raja Petra Kamaruddin's sedition trial is postponed to November 10-12. 10 to 13 witnesses will testify when the trial resume in November. Raja Petra tells reporters that he now received better meal treatment and is due for a medical check up for his spinal condition.

Raja Petra was charged with sedition on 6 May 2008 after a investigative officer,Gan Tack Guan filed a police report against Raja Petra for posting an article that suggested the Prime Minister Najib Razak, and his wife, Rosmah Mansor, were responsible for the murder of a young Mongolian woman, Altantuya Shaariibuu. Gan called part of the posting "untrue and made up" Both the Prime Minister and his wife denied the allegations. According to Associate Press, two policeman are accused of killing the woman and destroying the body with explosives. The prosecution contends that Abdul Razak Baginda, a close associate of Najib, ordered the killing of Shaariibuu because she pestered him for money after he ended an affair.

He was charged under the 1948 Sedition Act which punishes “incitement to hatred, suspicion or contempt for any leader or government member.” If convicted, RPK could face up to three year of prison.

Raja Petra refused to post bail and was taken to prison in Sungai Buloh the next day. Shortly after, he was released on bail because he reported being threatened by two policemen involved in the Alantuya case. He told RSF that police released him because they could not guarantee his safety in the facility.

On September 12 this year, he was arrested under section 73 (1) of the Internal Security Act (ISA)for acting as "a threat to 'security, peace and public order.'" Raja Petra is ordered to serve two years detention at Kamunting under the ISA, a draconian law that warrant detention without trial. Raja Petra has been in prison since than.

Widely popular in Malaysia, RPK is known and loved by many of his supporters for his continuous effort to expose corruptions and government scandals. Throughout the hearing, Raja Petra's friends, family and supporters were present and showed support by wearing t-shirt that bear slogans such as "free RPK" and "No to ISA"

A candle light vigil was held on October 12 to show support for RPK and other detainee under ISA. A petition urging the Malaysian government to free ISA detainee has also been circulating online and gathering signature from supporters.

His struggle with the Malaysia government go all the way back. I have done a feature on him back in 2007 when he was detained and question for comments on his blog , MalaysiaToday, that are allegedly insulting to the King and Islam. Saying that he had no control to those comments, the police pressed on for the identity of his readers. Though eventually released, he told me that the government want to silence him using the ISA.

Time Line:

April 25: Posted article "Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell."

April 30: Gan filed police report against Raja Petra

May 2 Investigated for Sedition Act over "Let's send the Altantuya murderers to hell."

May 6 Raja Petra charged with Sedition

May 7 Raja Petra taken to prison for Sedition

May 10 Raja Petra said he was threatened in prison

July 17 raja Petra charged with three counts of criminal defamation

August 16 Raja Petra refuses to enter plea

August 22 Police raided Raja Petra's home

August 28 ISP ordered to cut access to Malaysia Today

September 12 Raja Petra arrested under ISA

September 23 Raja Petra Kamarudin begins two-year detention under ISA at Kamunting

October 3 Raja Petra Cant stomach smelly Kamunting food

October 6 Raja petra's sedition trial started

October 13 Raja Petra receieve better food and trial postponed

November 10 Sedition trial continues

Final words and random wisdom from the CCNMA job fair

• Always believe that you have an advantage when you seems to have one.
• Dont follow the path, go around and get to the guy who will hire you. Especially if you are not confident about some big time companies, you have nothing to lose, your resume will feel better if it were to be tossed away by the bureau chief instead of the HR staff.
  
• Dont linkedin people, coz ppl delete emails when they see invitations, always email

From everyone: YOU MUST HAVE A BLOG OR WEBSITE. LEARN HOW TO EDIT VIDEOS. LEARN AS MANY SOFTWARES AS YOU CAN.

MYTHBUSTERS:

Do employer look at your drunk pictures on facebook?

For online media, maybe, if they are bored and creepy. For most normal people, employer will only check your facebook to verify facts, such as, if your name is Jackie Chan, or Winghei Kwok,
they might look at your facebook to see if you are a guy or a girl. They might verify your school info on facebook. They might refresh their memory of you by finding out how you look like on your profile pics. But anyway, privacy set everything on facebook. Let only your friend see your pictures or notes. Facebook has a block function and you can block people one by one using the privacy setting. If they are persistant enough to work thru that, then they could be some creepy people.

USEFUL SITES:

JournalismNext: job banks for journalist of colors

Knight Digital Media Center: USC media center, contain job
opportunities and fellowship info, online tutorial for online
journalism and other cool stuff.

Interview tips for journalists

INTERVIEW:
1. Preparation: research on the following:

• Latest stories
• business situation
• who are the big talents in the company
• what news things happened in the company recently
• information about the interviewer
  

2. 1st impression:

• punctual
• professional
• confident
• sit up
• be slightly nervous but not disfunctional ( to show that you care enough to be nervous but good enough to hold it
• make GOOD handshakes and eye contact. show that you are secure
  

3. actual interview:

• prepare your answers for questions like :

1. what are your strengths and weakness?
2. If you can change something in this department what would you change?
3. Where do you see yourself in five years time?
4. What is it about this company that you like or dont like?
5. Questions about current news topics.
   

• When you have to take notes during the interview, ask for permission.
  

4. Closing

• When asked "do you have any questions?" ALWAYS ASK SOMETHING, such as
  

1. Tell me something I should know about you
2. How did you get started?
3. What advice would you have for me
4. What is the next step or how long would the review process be?
   

5. Follow up

• Thank you letter ( prefer letter than note cards)
• ollow up if they dont give you any reply within a couple weeks
  

Bonus:
When you sent in your packages, CALL to make sure that they get the package. Then if possible start a conversation on the phone to reinforce your presence. If it goes to voicemail, leave a voicemail. ( these three panelists say they return calls, not sure about others)

Resume tips for journalists

RESUME

• must be 1 page
• preferably 12 point font
• must be clean and dont use crazy font or color paper.
• list job experience in reverse chronological order, last job first
• list references if you have space

Do you include an objective?
Hagihara: Dont, becoz it is often too generic or too specific
Medina: Do, so that she will know what position you are looking for efficiently
Stuart: Do

What about Hobbies?
Hagihara: Do, only if it helps your position, let say if you hold any leadership position in some hobby groups
Stuart: Do, things that reflect your work ethic, organized activity, travel experience and language backgrounds
Diane: Dont care.

The Order of Things:

• Start with Work Experience. *If you dont have much experience, list Skills ( like softwares) even before Work Experience
  
• List Education
• Then list honor or award at the bottom ( some argue that they are not quite neccessary if they are not that big time, but some say that they could be some conversation starters)
  
• At last list References

Cover Letter tips for journalists

I joined a panel workshop with LA Times' Randy , VP of ABC7 Diane Medina and McClatchy Newspaper's corporate recruiter Reginald Stuart.

I am willing to post up the actual handout somewhere, either hardcopy at the office or PDFs, i guess PDF is better.

COVER LETTER

• it is your first impression

• you need to show that you can tell a story.

• you must able to string sentences and concept together coherently

• use active voice, use strong muscular verb and HAVE A VOICE

• tell them your career goal and why are you interested

• be specific, dont say that you want the job coz you love to write

• tell them what is unique about you that you can put on the table and how you and the company can compliment each other.
  

• have your personal info listed on it, name email address and phone etc.
  

• For traditional media only: follow up with a hard copy package of resume cover letter and work sample. You might end up being the only thing they hold in their hand after your email being forgotten in the pile.
  

* all three of them like hard copies*

Experimental cover letter is good only when the editor like it, so it is a risk. But if you are thinking of applying something that you probably wont get anyway, do that. When you are doing experimental, stay away from cliche, fluffy languages and dont OD on adjective and
adverb.

But Conventional business format cover letter is perfectly fine. However, would recommend dont go online and look at sample cover letter, those are for accounting jobs. Write an interesting story on your cover letter, get attention.

***MOST IMPORTANT THING ABOUT COVER LETTER:***
When you are applying for journalism jobs, NEVER EVER address the letter to the hiring manager or to whom it may concern. YOU MUST TRACK DOWN THE PERSON WHO IS HIRING YOU. Reason being that you are a journalist, if you cant even track down your recruiter, you cant track down your sources. So stalk people, or even call the bureau to check,
check with your connection or anything, make sure you send the package to a SPECIFIC PERSON.