Crime desk journalists " gone native" ?

One of the invaluable and free-of-charge lessons I have learnt from my friends in the foreign diplomatic community, East and West, is that a diplomat should not be posted or stationed in a particular foreign country for too long. The reason is that, if he or she stays too long in one particular country, he or she may "go native".

Going native means the diplomat begins to develop excessive personal love, admiration or sympathy for the host country to the extent that he or she may forget his or her own sending country's values and interests, or even his or her own national and professional identity. That is why diplomats are usually transfered every three or four years to ensure that they are not " going native".

I think media organisations in Malaysia too should develop a system of preventing their crime desk editors and reporters from " going native" and becoming the spokespersons or mouthpieces of the police or worse still, self-imaginary " police inspectors ". Those who serve for more than four or five years on the crime desks should be reassigned to, say, sports or entertainment sections which are psychologically healthier.