The Coverage Media, whose Facebook page was previously restricted by the MCMC following public complaints, has invited its readers to vote on the potential cause of the enforcement action.
Claiming that it has “no idea” which of its postings could have triggered MCMC’s “unhappiness,” the online portal today insisted that prior to MCMC’s move against its Facebook page, the platform provider had not issued any warning notices.
Posting from a separate account which appears to have been created approximately a decade ago, The Coverage Media shared a list of its top 25 articles which were published prior to MCMC’s action.
“None of the posts touches on 3R (race, religion, and royalty) issues, and even if they do, it’s fair comment - like reporting on Selangor's (supposed) plan to ban non-Muslim worship in commercial shoplots, or questioning the 30–50 percent bumiputera land sale quota.
“So, just for the fun of it - what do you guys think? Pick the top 5 posts that you all think they're unhappy about. Let's have some fun before they ban this page too,” it added in a post just before 5am today.
The listed postings range from road incidents and politics to state and federal government policy.
Probe initiated after public complaints
Yesterday, MCMC said it had initiated an investigation into The Coverage Media’s Facebook page following public complaints.
In a statement, it noted that while the probe is still ongoing, preliminary investigations found content believed to be in violation of Section 233 of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, which criminalises the abuse of network facilities.
It added that access to the page has been restricted for users in Malaysia following Facebook’s evaluation, which was reported to the MCMC.
The statement came after Deputy Communications Minister Teo Nie Ching strongly urged MCMC to provide an immediate explanation for the restrictions, highlighting that she has always maintained a “non-interference policy” regarding MCMC’s independent enforcement operations.
Responding to Teo’s call to the commission, The Coverage Media reiterated that it had received no initial warning from either Facebook or the MCMC before it was subjected to a “quiet digital exclusion”.
“A person, or a media outlet, should be told what ‘crime’ they've committed before the punishment is imposed, not handed a death sentence first and then told to wait for excuses.
“Why was there zero transparency right after the block? Why did it take public pressure for any action?” it pressed.
It asserted a “proportionate response” from the MCMC to public complaints would have been to flag specific problematic posts and demand they be taken down, not a “blanket block that silences an entire outlet's voice to the Malaysian public”.
‘Highly sensitive to criticism’
In a social media post on June 4, The Coverage Media said its Facebook page had been inaccessible for Malaysian users since the previous day - a situation which the portal claimed was triggered because “certain DAP leaders are highly sensitive to criticism”.
It added that while its website remains accessible, it believes that it is only a “matter of time” before authorities similarly restrict viewership of the site to curb the portal’s “influence,” which it has cultivated via a decade of operations.
“The authorities appear deeply concerned about the influence of our Facebook page, which genuinely speaks for the people. We consistently achieve a minimum of 16 million page views per month and are on track to surpass 20 million,” it claimed.
“Sooner or later, they will likely shut down (our) website too. However, we are not bothered by this (as) the company has been dormant since 2018.
“All postings since then have been done purely for the fun of it and have no commercial impact on us,” it said. - Mkini
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