Media organisations must prioritise stories with heart and humanity over mere metrics and virality, FMT chief operating officer Jenn Ngan said today.
She said while data was useful for showing where audiences are, it could not explain why people cared or why certain content performed well.
“Every piece of content needs to have soul first. Data can tell you where attention is, but not why people care,” she said as a panellist at the Global Public Relations Conference and Festival Malaysia 2025.
Ngan also said media professionals should remember that their purpose is to inform and help people understand the world around them, not simply chase clicks.
Rising through the ranks
During the discussion, which was on women in media, a senior sports editor at The Star said young women could be hopeful about advancing their careers in the evolving media landscape.
“I started as a reporter covering the women’s beat, like netball, but I was then given the hot badminton beat and grew from there. That was a key turning point.
“Nowadays, that trend has totally changed. I can say that if you throw a stone at any media organisation today, you’ll hit a woman journalist,” said Rajes Paul.
Rajes said she had never believed in gender-based performance, and that excellence “comes from passion inside”.
“My mentor is my boss, and he’s male. He’s done an excellent job, and I aspire to be like him. It’s never been about men or women, it’s about capability and dedication,” she said.
Media Prima deputy group managing editor Farrah Naz Abd Karim agreed, saying she had been pressured in her career to bend to expectations.
“Whether you choose to do so is entirely up to you,” she added.
“I’ve always been guided by three things: integrity, accuracy and output. When you hold firmly to these, the path somehow clears itself for you.”
Resilience and self-belief
Former senator Ras Adiba Radzi said resilience and self-belief were cornerstones for women navigating barriers and biases.
She highlighted her own journey from a career in media to becoming a paralympic athlete and community leader as an example of perseverance.
“When I became disabled, I became unemployed and had to survive every day eating rice and salt and drinking tap water for six years. But that didn’t stop me.
“We have strength. We just have to pull it out,” she said.
FMT is a media partner for the Global Public Relations Conference and Festival Malaysia 2025, which runs from today until Nov 15.
