DR CHANG TECK PENG

Communication education should place strong emphasis on the spirit of praxis — the integration of knowledge and action—by equipping students with critical communication knowledge of both depth and breadth, and by developing their capacity for action, thereby empowering them to drive and engage in media reform and, ultimately, broader social change.

ARTICLES
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A Public Intellectual and Academic Bridging Scholarship and Society

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“I want to insist that the intellectual is an individual with a specific public role in a society that cannot be reduced simply to being a faceless professional, a competent member of a class just going about her/his business. The central fact for me is, I think, that the intellectual is an individual endowed with a faculty for representing, embodying, articulating a message, a view, an attitude, philosophy or opinion to, as well as for, a public.” — Edward W. Said, Representations of the Intellectual, 1996.

PRAXIS

“All men are intellectuals, one could therefore say: but not all men have in society the function of intellectuals.” – Antonio Gramsci, Selections from the Prison Notebooks, 1971

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ARTICLES

“As a form of praxis, socio-political commentary is not merely rhetoric; rather, it presents different possibilities and imaginaries for political and policy change. Only then can a society be said to be pluralistic.” – Chang Teck Peng, Socio-political Commentary: A Misunderstood Praxis, 2014

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VIDEOS

“This (intellectual) role has an edge to it, and cannot be played with a sense of being someone whose place it is publicly to raise embarrassing questions, to confront orthodoxy and dogma (rather than to produce them), to be someone who cannot easily be co-opted by governments or corporations, and whose raison d’etre is to represent all those people and issues that are routinely forgotten or swept under the rug.” — Edward W. Said, Representations of the Intellectual, 1996.

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| Recent Posts

  • Umno’s media comeback

    “Umno’s media comeback” is my analysis on Johari Abdul Ghani and his son recently replacing Syed Mokhtar Al-Bukhary as the largest shareholders of Media Prima Berhad, Malaysia’s largest media group. It was published in Malaysiakini on 17 March 2026. Click here to access the article.

  • The future of century-old Nanyang Siang Pau

    “The future of century-old Nanyang Siang Pau” is my analysis of the future of the Nanyang Siang Pau following the passing of Tiong Hiew King. It was published in Malaysiakini on 14 March 2026. Click here to access the article.

  • Interview: Assessing Ming Pao’s future after Tiong Hiew King’s passing

    The UK-based media outlet Pulse HK News, which focuses on Hong Kong affairs, published an interview with me on the possibility that Media Chinese International Limited (MCIL) might sell the Hong Kong–based Ming Pao following the passing of its founder, Tiong Hiew King. The interview was published on 12 November 2025, one day after Tiong’s…

  • AI as the tool, craftsmanship as the essence of journalism

    “AI as the Tool, Craftsmanship as the Essence of Journalism” is the English version of the keynote address I delivered at the 58th Annual Conference of the (World) Chinese Language Press Institute, held on 19 December 2025 in Penang.

  • ‘Chinese Murdoch’ takes final bow – what’s next for Ming Pao?

    “‘Chinese Murdoch’ takes final bow – what’s next for Ming Pao?” is my analysis of the future of the Hong Kong–based Ming Pao following the passing of Tiong Hiew King. It was published in Malaysiakini on 20 November 2025. Click here to access the article.

  • When an apology rings hollow

    “When an apology rings hollow” is my comment on Nga Kor Ming’s apology. It was published in Malaysiakini on 5 November 2025. Click here to access the article.

  • Missing crescent: Democracy at bay

    “Missing crescent: Democracy at bay” is my comments on the national flag error by Sin Chew Daily. It was published in Malaysiakini on 19 April 2025. Click here to access the article.

  • Regressive PPPA amendments a sign of ‘reformati’

    “Regressive PPPA amendments a sign of ‘reformati’” is my comments on the reportedly amendments to the Printing Presses and Publications Act 1984. It was published in Malaysiakini on 2 December 2024. This is an issue I have been following for the past three decades. All media laws are politically motivated. During the Barisan National era,…

  • Social media code may sacrifice political humour

    “Social media code may sacrifice political humour” is my comment on the MCMC’s draft of the ‘Code of Conduct (Best Practice) for Internet Messaging Service Providers and Social Media Service Providers’. It was published in Malaysiakini on 11 November 2024. Click here to access the article.