What Do Malaysians Read?

Hantu Laut

The largest selling newspaper are not in Western countries. The British, American and most Westerners have lost their reading habit, depending more and more on radio,television and the Internet.

In 2005, China has the largest newspaper circulation at 93 million a day, which is not surprising due to its huge population.India, which again has the same huge population base came second at 78 million.The one that is most unexpected is Japan with the highest ratio in daily readership, came in third at 70 million. The American came fourth with a dismal 48 million.Germany came fifth at 22 million. The Brits only managed sixth placing.

Do you know that over 70 of the top 100 best selling newspapers are in Asia and 7 of the top 10 best selling in the world are in Japan.

Going by population ratio between the three most developed nations, Japan, Germany and the US, the American has the lowest daily readership. The US has 307 million people, Japan 127 million and Germany 82 million. In term of percentage of population only 15 % of American read daily newspaper as compared to 63% for Japan and 27% for Germany.

It's little wonder that the Americans are the most ignorant people in the world. Their parochialism have made them the worst misinformed population.

Former US President George Bush is the ultimate parochial frog, his ignorance and arrogance have caused two wars, which have ravaged two defenceless countries.The war in Afghanistan, his design, have spilled over to Pakistan, not only endangering the country but the rest of the region should the country falls to the Talibans.

That's the price you pay for ignorance.America, today is the number one enemy of the Muslim world.

Britain, with over 60 million population, the centre of learning and have world class education system sought after by many foreign students, where most work of English literature came from, only made it at number sixth.

Malaysia?

Sorry, not in the equation yet.A report here says Malaysia hits a total newspaper circulation of 2.5 million a day in 2006, which means that less than 10% of our population read newspaper.

Of course there are those, mostly Pakatan Rakyat's supporters who say they have stopped reading or listening to the main stream media like this guy here because of the BN government.Apparently, all the main stream media in this country are controlled by the BN or its lackeys.

Let's see what some of the citizens of the world read when they opened their eyes first thing in the morning.

In the US, the average American prefers 'USA Today' as compared to the 'New York Times" or 'Washington Post', which, I assume, is a little too complicated for the average American.

In Britain, the slimy Brits prefer 'News Of The World' ( aka Screws of the World, published only on Sundays)) and the 'Sun' as compared to the snobs and stiff upper lips who prefer the quaintly olde 'Observer', 'Times Of London' or the 'Guardian" and 'Daily Telegraph.'

Ye olde paper's language too stiff for the average Brits and their downright bored house wives. It makes Rupert Murdoch a very happy man making his "Screws of the World" the largest selling English-language newspaper in the world.

In Japan, which has the biggest number of 'people of the book ' prefer the 'Yomiuri Shimbun' or the 'Asahi Shimbun'.

American Express "Don't Leave Home Without It" slogan for its credit card are probably stole from the Japanese. The Japanese have "Never Leave Home Without The Book".

Go on any train in Japan and see for yourself whether you can see a Japanese without his face buried in a book, newspaper,magazine or his favourite comic book.

Do you know that just these two Japanese newspapers have a total daily circulation of 26 million, which means the equivalent of the whole population of Malaysia...men,women,children and babies are reading the two newspapers every day.

What do Malaysian read?

The 'New Straits Time' has seen its circulation declining over the years.I have stopped reading the newspaper many years ago, not because I am against the BN government , I find it rather uninspiring and waste of my RM1.80.That's what we pay for it in East Malaysia.

The'Star' which has a better circulation is just one fat tabloid, filled with advertisements, an occasional hazard to politicians and a house overcrowded with withered columnists.This is an MCA baby, naturally getting strong supports from the Chinese community in term of advertisements and circulation.

Almost 60 percent of the population of Malaysia are Malays, Chinese, maybe, around 28 percent and the rest Indians and dan lain-lain(Others).

It, maybe, hard to believe Chinese newspapers have higher total circulation than Malay-language newspapers.A population two times bigger.Reading less.What has gone wrong?

The Malays don't read much? They do.The next time you are on a plane watch what the Malay man takes out of his brief case, 8 out of 10, you bet its an URTV magazine or one of that sort, and if you bet again, 8 out 10, he is a politician.

So, what do the average Malaysians read nowadays?

They prefer this , this, this and this, not this or this or this.

The sales of dailies would continue to plummet all over the world as the Internet continue to improve its penetration and by the year 2020 all newspapers would become obsolete and all news would be read over the Internet.

Wouldn't it me nice to read the news from the comfort of your study, your living room or where ever your computer is and save the world's forests from desruction?

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