BY: CHRISTOPHER FERNANDEZ

In Malaysia currently, there have been many changes taking place in the employment sector and it is important to note that in many companies job vacancies have been put on hold or intakes have been frozen and redundancies and lay offs are increasingly common.

This has caused certain professions to suffer a setback, and in the case of those who are journalists, the profession is turning into a sunset industry and employment for them is virtually non-existent owing to a number of factors.

Malaysians hardly make time to read in a hurried and frenzied world full of activity, and these are the main reasons why newspapers and magazines are phasing out and many publishers are going on to host their publications on the Internet.

While initially this seemed like a good idea, there is now the threat of social media platforms usurping the role of websites and news portals and it has been found that Netizens just prefer watching videos than reading.

In comparison to reading reports, stories and articles, there is a much higher preference for opting to read social media platforms and the growing emergence of Artificial Intelligence has virtually replaced the need for journalists.

While those who are journalists should retrain and reposition themselves, there is a grave necessity to take into account prevailing realities and the future of those who are employed as journalists in the era of modernity.

-THE MALAYSIA VOICE

** The views expressed on this opinion is of the writer and not the publisher