ooh! free malaysia today runs the piece!, page-13

It looks to me like FMT are visibly running with this syndicated piece (when they didn't have to) because either the senior editor personally wants to or the board of the company (or someone higher up the political foodchain?) told him/her to.

(If it was any other MY media co/paper we wouldn't bat an eyelid, and we're not, but this is FMT...)

There's a lot to be said for integrity in the press as we know, and it may be a useful measure not only of the chief editor's acknowledgment of the facts, undistorted by smsl, but as importantly for FMT publicly to be seen to do this after issuing a formal apology earlier in the year.

Why would they do this if they'd wanted just to avoid the issue totally or embarrassment over their July apology?

As such, I think this is really a double apology then - perhaps even an endorsement, and a clear (and welcome) signal that at least their own standpoint has changed.

They could've changed the content and rephrased it, alluding to 'controversy', or linked it to smsl protests, or... or... or... a whole heap of things to save face.

But they didn't - they published it - and published it verbatim.

Gotta be a reason for that imho.