Major media outlets’ “blackout” on a disabled e-hailing driver’s press conference about his alleged assault had raised concerns about the government censoring the press.
However, Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching denied ordering media outlets to do so.
Teo (above) stated that it might be a case of the media censoring itself.
Speaking to Malaysiakini, the deputy minister said she only learned about the “blackout” issue after reading the news.
“It (ordering media to censor) never happens on my level," she said.
Teo noticed that although some media didn’t report on the press conference, others did, showing that it wasn’t a unified instruction from the Communications Ministry.
“I never heard about the so-called government orders,” the DAP leader added.
‘Media’s internal decisions’
According to Teo, she had contacted editors from two outlets and was informed that those were “internal decisions”.
“I contacted (editors) of one or two (media outlets). I asked them why (you didn’t report the press conference). Did you receive any instructions?
“They told me no, those were internal decisions," the Kulai MP said.
Last Friday, deaf e-hailing driver Ong Ing Keong and Lawyers for Liberty held a press conference over an alleged assault involving Johor Regent Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim’s escort - in which Ong alleged an attempted police cover-up.
Several notable media did not report the press conference.
Those that did were Malaysiakini, Sinar Harian, Sin Chew Daily, Nanyang Siang Pau, China Press, Guang Ming Daily, Kwong Wah Yit Poh, The Vibes, The Malaysian Insight, Scoop, and MalaysiaNow.
Astro Awani also published an article from the press conference, but as of writing, the article is no longer accessible.
Former law minister Zaid Ibrahim called on editors to oppose attempts to censor the media, implying instructions from the government.
Communications Minister Fahmi Fadzil yesterday said neither he nor his deputy had ordered any media outlets to retract any published reports.
During the interview with Malaysiakini, Teo lamented that many overestimate the government's powers while stressing that her ministry has limited influence.
“Is there an order from a higher level which I am unaware of? I don’t know, but according to my understanding, I haven’t heard any instructions from the government.
“Is it possible that there are other reasons, causing the journalists or specific media not to report (Ong's press conference)? This is possible," she said.
Some media’s editorial decisions might be affected by considerations such as commercial or social media traffic, she added.
“It's not that the government can intervene as we like.
“If we can intervene, maybe I will tell certain newspapers not to publish a series of news on the quarrel between mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. I think those are unhealthy contents,” she said in a podcast on Malaysiakini’s Chinese site.
This episode will be uploaded to YouTube, Spotify, and Apple Podcasts.
‘I didn’t request action on lawyer’s post’
Teo also denied instructing the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) to block a lawyer’s social media posting on the controversy surrounding Asia Mobility Technologies Sdn Bhd (Asia Mobiliti).
She claimed she wasn't aware of the Penang-based lawyer Shamsher Singh Thind’s post.
“Not only the minister and his deputy, but the public can also report the contents (to the MCMC).
“What I can say is that I didn’t request MCMC or Meta to take down the post.”
Teo further urged Shamsher to challenge MCMC’s decisions in court.
“MCMC’s decisions as an enforcement agency, I can’t say it’s 100 percent correct. If you disagree with MCMC and Meta’s decisions to geo-block or take down the post, you can challenge it in court.”
On May 26, Shamsher had prodded Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh about her commitment to open tenders after the controversy over Asia Mobiliti - a firm co-owned by the latter's husband.
Then on Sunday, he posted that the Facebook post had been blocked. A notice from Meta he shared showed that it was due to an MCMC request.
Shamsher questioned whether Teo, Yeoh's colleague in DAP, had a hand in the matter.
MCMC, in turn, claimed that Shamsher's post had violated Meta's community standards, a claim that the lawyer said was untrue. - Mkini
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