News portals excluded from govt's media council

News portals will not be included in the media consultative council, mooted to be jointly-headed by Information, Communications and Culture Minister Rais Yatim and Home Minister Hishammuddin Hussein.

This is according to the proposal sent to selected members along with an invitation for the first meeting on the matter, scheduled at 4.30pm in Kuala Lumpur today.

Instead of widely-read portals like Malaysiakini, the Malaysian Insider, Free Malaysia Today and Merdeka Review, the proposal included bloggers' association Blog House as representative of “new media”.

The Blog House committee members are made of, among others, veteran journalist Ahiruddin Atan and former premier-turned blogger Dr Mahathir Mohamad as a patron.

Other mooted senior government members of the council include Information, Communications and Culture Ministry secretary-general Kamaruddin Siaraf and Home Ministry secretary-general Mahmood Adam, who will serve as joint-deputy chairpersons.

Also on the list are the Prime Minister's press advisor and press secretary, the National Security Council secretary, and 20 other top officials from the two ministries, including those from the Information Department's Special Functions Department (Jasa).

[More to follow]