Media ethics
The Malaysian Media Council (MMC) stated that it had received 14 formal complaints in the second quarter of 2026, up from five in the previous quarter, as public awareness of its complaints mechanism grew.
It said that the complaints centred on ethical issues, including suicide reporting, privacy of the deceased and their families, alleged hate against the Rohingya community, and inaccurate quotations of public figures.
The organisation’s secretariat also flagged emerging concerns over the use of AI-generated images in journalism and the disclosure of personal information in court reports.
MMC said most complaints were resolved by the end of the quarter through direct engagement with media organisations, with several outlets amending or removing disputed content after review.
The Malaysia Communications and Multimedia Content Forum and the National Centre of Excellence for Mental Health have held a roundtable on the media’s role in preventing suicidal behaviour.
Government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil said today that the discussion focused on ethical reporting, responsible communication, and stronger collaboration among stakeholders to help prevent suicide.
Fahmi added that the two agencies should deepen engagement with social media platforms to address the spread of videos or content that could be misinterpreted or encourage copycat suicide attempts.
He also said closer coordination with enforcement and investigative agencies was needed to ensure public communication is responsible, accurate, and ethical, while avoiding unintended negative impacts on society.
MCMC and its chairperson, Salim Fateh Din, have agreed to settle their defamation suit against blogger Badrul Hisham Shaharin, or Chegubard, out of court.
Badrul’s lawyer, Rafique Rashid Ali, said the agreement was reached during mediation today, avoiding a four-day trial scheduled from Aug 10 to 13 at the Seremban High Court.
Badrul Hisham Shaharin The suit, filed on May 14, 2025, concerned a Facebook post by Badrul.
According to the New Straits Times, Rafique said the settlement was intended to save costs and court time.
ADSIts terms will be recorded before judge Haldar Abdul Aziz at the Seremban High Court on Aug 10 and disclosed then.
Former senator Daljit Singh has been ordered to pay Salim, who is also Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) executive vice-chairperson, RM275,000 over two lawsuits.
Bernama reported the Kuala Lumpur High Court awarded Salim RM100,000 in defamation damages, ordered Daljit to repay a RM100,000 loan, and imposed RM75,000 in costs.
The court also granted an injunction preventing Daljit from repeating similar defamatory statements.
Salim Fateh Din Salim sued Daljit in June 2023 over remarks allegedly made in 2021 and 2023, including the statement “Salim cheated me”, which Salim said portrayed him as untrustworthy, a cheat, fraudster and liar.
The judgment was delivered by judge Roz Mawar Rozain on July 30.
The Center for Independent Journalism today said Malaysia must establish clear legislative safeguards against strategic litigation against public participation (Slapp) that can burden journalists and members of the public.
CIJ executive director Wathshlah Naidu said clear anti-Slapp mechanisms should be introduced to enable the early dismissal of lawsuits primarily intended to stifle legitimate speech, reporting, and public participation.
CIJ executive director Wathshlah Naidu “Strategic litigation should remain a measure of last resort, particularly given the existence of the MMC as an avenue for resolving disputes between the public and the media.
“Its multi-stakeholder composition provides a more consultative and democratic mechanism for addressing concerns about media reporting, while ensuring that grievances can be heard without unnecessarily resorting to litigation,” she said.
The statement follows an RM100 million defamation lawsuit filed by MRCB and Salim against veteran journalist P Gunasegaram over an article concerning the LRT3 Shah Alam line.
Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim has instructed the Human Resources Ministry to immediately process the first 15,000 foreign worker applications to address labour shortages in key sectors.
Fahmi said the move was intended to meet industry workforce needs and support economic activity.
Government spokesperson Fahmi Fadzil “This is to fulfil the labour needs of the sectors concerned and, in turn, support economic activity in the country,” he told a post-cabinet press conference in Putrajaya today.
Human Resources Minister R Ramanan previously announced that the ministry had assumed full responsibility for managing the One-Stop Centre for Foreign Worker Management with immediate effect, following a cabinet decision on July 1. - Mkini
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.